There are 33 volcanoes in Guatemala, a country whose name in Indian dialect means 'house of fire'. We saw several of these volcanoes on our visit here, three looming over the lovely city of Antigua, one of which belched big clouds of grey smoke and ash at regular intervals. Guatemala has been aptly named as its history has been turbulent both politically and due to nature in the form of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and floods.

Despite all this, mother nature has endowed it with a lush beauty thanks to the rich volcanic soil and tropical climate. We passed coffee plantations, sugar cane fields and crops such as maize and other vegetables on our 90 minute drive from the port to Antigua.

Puerto Quetzal itself was, like the last port, full of local craft stalls and entertainment for the boat passengers, but a long way from anything else. Hence Helen and I chose to do a local tour to Antigua on a small bus with 8 others. How glad I am that we did this, for Antigua is one of the loveliest cities I have seen and the day was a wonderful adventure. Our local guide was very knowledgable and had a great sense of humour.

Antigua, founded in 1542 by the conquering Spanish, flourishes its colonial past through its architecture and town layout. Situated between the so called water volcano and the fire volcano, it is now a United Nations World Heritage Site and the damage waged upon it by past earthquakes is visible in the ruins of a number of churches and convents. It was one of the richest cities in the New World and by the 18th century was a great centre of the arts and learning.

The wide, long, straight, cobble-stoned streets are fairly quiet except for the sudden appearance of street vendors whose radar must sense when tourists are about. Dressed in the colourful, ornately woven fabrics of the area, these vendors pull wares from their heavily laden slings which are cast over their shoulders. All sorts of beautiful objects appear to tempt you - elaborate weavings, decorative stitching and carved wooden flutes among other things.

After wandering the streets and viewing lovely churches and squares we drove to the Hill of the Cross, a high point overlooking the city, where the early Spanish had erected a cross to stand large and visible to all as a symbol of the religion they brought to the New World. The spot provided a fabulous view of this peaceful city lying below.

A reminder of the volatile nature of the earth below hit us after lunch in the form a small tremor that caused the ground to tremble and an overhead chandelier to sway in the building we were in. As well, we were treated to a further show of the power of nature in the form of a thunder and lightning storm we passed through on the drive home.

Once again our day had been another pleasant surprise of beauty and differences. I must say I am enjoying this trip much more than I anticipated.