Monterrico

Below are some pictures from my three days in Monterrico, a black sand beach town on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. I first traveled there with Nikki and Jason, where we shared a three-person bungalow on the beach for one night. Earlier that evening the three of us had the opportunity to watch over 150 baby turtles be released out into the ocean. Then later in the evening we went out after dark and walked along the shoreline, flashlights in hand, in search of turtles laying eggs on the beach. We ended up only coming upon one turtle, who was just finishing up and a group of locals had already dug up most of her eggs in order to sell for money :( Early--and I mean early--the next morning we got up to go on a boat tour of the mangroves in the area. I had the luxury of sitting in the front of the non-motorized boat, and amidst the silence that ensued throughout most of the boat trip I felt like I was alone; this was one of the more peaceful experiences of my journey. Nikki and Jason left that afternoon at 4pm to head back to Antigua, but not before we unexpectedly ran into other Nikki (Nikki junior, I like to say, to keep things straight), our friend from San Marcos, her sister and their friends who had just flown into the country a few days prior. It was a very pleasant surprise, and wonderful for me since I was expecting to stay one more night in Monterrico by myself, all alone. I welcomed the company of this group with open arms. On the second evening I enjoyed dinner with my new found friends, and then ended up playing in a beach volleyball game with a few local guys. The place I stayed, called Johnny's, has put up a volleyball net and soccer goals, and everyday sometime after 4pm when the sand cools off (in the middle of the day it is impossibly hot to walk on barefoot) a large number of locals congregate and the games begin. I meant to play futbol that night, having watched them play the day before and consequently feeling a burning desire to play my favorite sport, but ended up in the volleyball game because I was already there passing around with a few little kids on the court. Needless to say, it was fun and either way it felt really good to get some exercise, competition and sweat in (or out). Later that evening Nikki junior's group went out in search of turtles laying eggs on the beach, so I showered and stayed in to watch a movie that Johnny's was playing on a sheet on the beach. When they came back we enjoyed a little swim in the swimming pools, in addition to a few drinks. I was leaving the next day, but not until 4pm so I had plenty of time to get in some more sunshine, beach, socializing, food, and--last but certainly not least--two more smoothies. Johnny's has the most amazing smoothies that come out in a HUGE fishbowl glass and come in every tropical fruit blend you can imagine. However, my ultimate favorite was the non-fruity coffee blend. HEAVEN ON EARTH. The chocolate banana was a close second (I know, this is also not a fruit blend), but really any combination of pineapple, coconut, banana, papaya, mango, watermelon, strawberry... they're all good. Especially when you add rum...

Taking a leisurely stroll along the beach one day...

A glimpse of the town. All of the restaurants looked like the one you see on the right--thatched roof, open-air...

A more residential area of town, all dirt roads, but sooooo green.

I couldn't help but wonder what these were really for (lawn ornaments Monterrico style?); they were empty and definitely not used for their intended purpose.

Heaven on Earth.

The daily futbol match.

These are the hammocks at Johnny's. I spent a lot of time in these hammocks. The second one in was by far the most comfortable one...

On our mangroves tour...

Our guide picked the flower right up from the water and made a necklace out of it.

I absolutely adore this photo of them.

Notice the line of volcanoes far in the background.

We took a little visit to the local turtle sanctuary, which tries to collect the turtle eggs laid on the beach, incubate them, and then release all the little babies into the ocean.

My little buddy; I got to release him into the ocean. It was an exciting, yet sad moment to watch him go, ready to face the world on his own...

There they all go... Unfortunately, only about 5-10% will make it out there.

Big Mama turtuga, finishing up her egg-laying.

The egg-collectors (not from the turtle sanctuary).

Nikki Jr. taking a nap in the hammocks.

Volleyball court at sunset.

The dorm room I stayed in my second night.