Days 15-18: Monterrico

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We caught a shuttle to Monterrico, a little town on the Pacific Coast, this morning. Unlike El Salvador and Costa Rica, Guatemala is not known for its beaches. They have black sand, due to the volcanic ash, and it can get very hot during the day- wearing sandles is definitely recommended! Also, the undertow of the ocean is extremely strong- there are warnings everywhere not to swim deep.

Although there is not too much to the town of Monterrico, the hostels are great places to relax. Ours had many ocean-front spots, including their restaurant, lounge area, and hammock area. I have combined all of the days in Monterrico into one entry, because this part of the trip was for relaxing. Besides trying to conquer the Pacific, we ate lots of cerviche, took a tour of the mangrove swamps, and did a horseback ride on the beach.


Cultural Note

-Many buses leave out of Antigua, as opposed to Guatemala City, because it is such a tourist destination.

-The undertow of the waters on Guatemala's Pacific Ocean are so strong that it is not recommended to swim farther than kneee-deep.

-The school-children in Monterrico attend school from 8am-noon, go home for lunch/break, and then go again from 2pm-6pm.

-The saddest thing I learned on this part of the trip was about sea turtles. There is a local group of animal activist volunteers who try to montor/mark nests, but they have to compete against poachers. Sea turtle eggs are eaten by many and there are poachers on ATVs scouring the beach at night waiting for female turtles to lay the eggs. Therefore, very few actually are hatched. Apparently, poachers are supposed to donate 20 percent of their eggs to the turtle refuge, but I can't see how that is enforced. Very sad.

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Photos

Monterrico
Hostel restaurant. Not all hostels are shabby!

Barbed Wire?
A cheap way of making sure no one got over- very common in Guatemala

Pacific Ocean
Black sand beaches of Monterrico

Mangrove Swamps
Mangrove swamps at sunrise

Lanchas
Boats in Monterrico

Cerviche
Cerviche is a popular dish in the coastal regions of Central and South America. It consists of raw fish marinated in citrus juices (which cooks the fish), cilantro, onion, and tomatoes. They are served with saltine (often called soda crackers).