Subject: Fwd: Greetings From Antigua

----- Original Message ----- Sent: Thu Feb 12 15:05 Subject: Fwd: Greetings From Antigua We are ready to go on our own tomorrow on Tica Bus to El Salvador.  The next day through Handuras to Nicaruga and then to Costa Rica and eventually Panama.  It is safe here,  we had body guards going north but IMHO it was all a show based on what I found out from the bus driver in Spanish.  They never have body guards coming back south. We went north to Copan, Tikal and Quirigua Mayan sites.  Previously we were at Lake Atitlan and some Mayan areas.  More on that later when I have a better internet situation.  We are now in Antigua which is the best Spanish restored colonia town in Central America but we have seen a lot better in Mexico. The Caravan tour company does a good job for a very reasonable tour price.  We have covered over 2000 miles so we have seen a lot and Oscar our tour guide is always talking.  There was a civil war here for over 30 years and it just ended in 1996.  There are some very rich and many poor but finally there is a reasonable sized middle class.  Lots of guns here and you can readily buy guns and ammo.  I will say it really is not much different than Mexico on that account.   The best Mayan site we think is Palanque and Chiken Itza in Mexico.  Tikal here  Guatemala is between 3rd and 5th.  I has the highest temples.  The tallest is about 210 feet high and you can climb it.  I got a picture of the long Mayan calander glyph that shows the end in 2012. So far no digestive problems.  There is a couple from Minot ND on the tour.  Most īpeople on the tour have been to Costa Rica so we are gathering info for when we get there in a few days. We did have a nice tour off a coffee plantation this morning.  These tours really spend to much time shopping and even if we did want to shop we can not carry stuff around. I will try and write more when I have more time and a better internet connection.  My Spanish is getting a lot better and has really helped us find out about a lot of things we would not know. Ed and Edith