After a singularly awful day of wasted time at auditions not getting seen, I figured I would try and cheer myself up by remember how awesome my trip to Guatemala was. So, on to part dos, dear readers - Monterrico.
The adventure began at the very beginning. Johanna, Arlette, and I crammed into Don Roberto's stupidly tiny little car with all our luggage and set off on the 2hr trip to the coast - which actually took about 3 1/2-4hrs because first there was construction traffic, and second, the closer we got, the more little villages we went through. Guatemala doesn't seem to like road signs. I barely saw any in my whole 9 days there, and the way they control speed, esp. in the villages, is speed bumps. Oh. Joy.
But it was pretty - we saw volcanoes, and how most people in Guatemala live - little huts with cement or wood walls with metal sheet or bamboo tops. Hammocks also abound, along with the obligatory tortilla-making whatsits. Keep in mind the pictures below were mostly all taken in a moving car - forgive the blurriness and weird framing :P
The adventure began at the very beginning. Johanna, Arlette, and I crammed into Don Roberto's stupidly tiny little car with all our luggage and set off on the 2hr trip to the coast - which actually took about 3 1/2-4hrs because first there was construction traffic, and second, the closer we got, the more little villages we went through. Guatemala doesn't seem to like road signs. I barely saw any in my whole 9 days there, and the way they control speed, esp. in the villages, is speed bumps. Oh. Joy.
But it was pretty - we saw volcanoes, and how most people in Guatemala live - little huts with cement or wood walls with metal sheet or bamboo tops. Hammocks also abound, along with the obligatory tortilla-making whatsits. Keep in mind the pictures below were mostly all taken in a moving car - forgive the blurriness and weird framing :P
But what happened next, dear readers, oh ho, was by far the best. What should we encounter? A herd of cows! On the road! And they were so freaking adorable!! I mean, just look at the pics and watch the video - they were so cute! Not sure if they beat out the little, brown German cows, but still. Take a look.
Granted, Guatemalan steak isn't the best I've ever had. It's rather chewy and tough - and they don't cook it very well.
We finally arrived at Johnny's Place - which is much more of a hostel/summer camp cabin type of affair, rather than a hotel. My traveling companions and I were a bit skeptical of the conditions - though, in truth, it wasn't nearly as bad as the student housing I had to live in for two months. We were spending most of our time on the beach anyway - not in the rooms.
And what a lovely beach it is! It's black sand because of the volcanoes, and Johnny's place is right up on it - no walking through town to get there, which was nice. There was a bar/restaurant (drastically overpriced, but still super cheap, comparatively), and lounging areas with hammocks and floor pillows, upon which we napped copiously.
We finally arrived at Johnny's Place - which is much more of a hostel/summer camp cabin type of affair, rather than a hotel. My traveling companions and I were a bit skeptical of the conditions - though, in truth, it wasn't nearly as bad as the student housing I had to live in for two months. We were spending most of our time on the beach anyway - not in the rooms.
And what a lovely beach it is! It's black sand because of the volcanoes, and Johnny's place is right up on it - no walking through town to get there, which was nice. There was a bar/restaurant (drastically overpriced, but still super cheap, comparatively), and lounging areas with hammocks and floor pillows, upon which we napped copiously.
On the first day we met and became friends with this awesome man named Henry, who totally reminds me of the Javier Bardem character in Eat Pray Love. He owns a hostel down the road called El Gecko, and he works at Johnny's Place. He was the one who told us how overpriced the food is at Johnny's Place. Buuuut, we were on vacation, and it was still cheap for us, and it was completely delicious, so we didn't mind. That much.
The girls introduced me to a lovely little creation - ceviche. I always thought it was some sort of drink. Obviously, I was wrong. They had three different kinds, so we decided to try the Guatemalan Ceviche first. And I'll just throw in some other food pics, for the fun of it. And, dear readers, I am craving all that food right now.
The girls introduced me to a lovely little creation - ceviche. I always thought it was some sort of drink. Obviously, I was wrong. They had three different kinds, so we decided to try the Guatemalan Ceviche first. And I'll just throw in some other food pics, for the fun of it. And, dear readers, I am craving all that food right now.
The first night we were sitting in the bar when it started to rain. Well, it's the beginning of the rainy season so we assumed it would stop in 15-20mins, like it had the past few days. Haha. Yeah. That didn't happen. It got crazy, and we were huddled in the back of the bar, trying not to get wet, as the wind howled, and rain pounded. Henry brought us a bottle of tequila so we were all taking shots as we talked. It was a very strange tequila - it burned on the way down, so it was obviously alcoholic, but none of us felt a single thing the next day - and let's be honest, I took 6 or 7 shots. I should have felt something. Just sayin'. But it was nice to be able to drink and not get sick! Turns out we had just sat through our very first tropical storm as it passed through. Woo!
WARNING: FEMALE TALK AHEAD. MALES, TAKE WARNING. FEEL FREE TO SKIP TO THE SECOND PARAGRAPH.
The second day I ended up getting my period. Surprise! It was a week early, so, that sucked. But, thankfully Johanna had tampons and I really can't complain - getting to endure my monthly on a black sand beach, with a beautiful ocean in front of me, a gentle breeze tossing around, reading one of my favorite books as I lounge in a hammock. Only sad part was I couldn't drink or eat anything. Ah well.
The surf is so rough and there are rip tides, so you can't exactly swim in this ocean. But you can play in the waves, and it provides a terrific workout while being terribly fun! It was great fun to watch. I only ventured in a few times, and took only 1 beating. But Johanna was a veritable dare-devil and was going far out, and man, did she get beat up! But she does cross-fit, so she could handle it.
WARNING: FEMALE TALK AHEAD. MALES, TAKE WARNING. FEEL FREE TO SKIP TO THE SECOND PARAGRAPH.
The second day I ended up getting my period. Surprise! It was a week early, so, that sucked. But, thankfully Johanna had tampons and I really can't complain - getting to endure my monthly on a black sand beach, with a beautiful ocean in front of me, a gentle breeze tossing around, reading one of my favorite books as I lounge in a hammock. Only sad part was I couldn't drink or eat anything. Ah well.
The surf is so rough and there are rip tides, so you can't exactly swim in this ocean. But you can play in the waves, and it provides a terrific workout while being terribly fun! It was great fun to watch. I only ventured in a few times, and took only 1 beating. But Johanna was a veritable dare-devil and was going far out, and man, did she get beat up! But she does cross-fit, so she could handle it.
The second night we also got to watch a hurricane go past - thankfully it didn't hit us, we didn't even get any rain, we just saw it out on the ocean. It must not've been as close as it looked - because it looked to be practically on top of us. But it was pretty cool to watch it go by. I felt bad for the boats I could see out there battling it out.
There were a lot of dogs around Johnny's Place, and every evening a game of volleyball would get going. It was fun to watch - though I wasn't up for participating. I had been excited because I'd heard there was horse back riding on the beach available. And I figured in Guatemala it would actually be some real riding allowed. Alas, dear readers. This humble writer's dream to ride a horse along a beautiful beach has yet to be realized. I saw them going past on the morning we were leaving - sad looking horses tied together being led at a slow walk up and down. Not my idea of riding. Smh.
There were a lot of dogs around Johnny's Place, and every evening a game of volleyball would get going. It was fun to watch - though I wasn't up for participating. I had been excited because I'd heard there was horse back riding on the beach available. And I figured in Guatemala it would actually be some real riding allowed. Alas, dear readers. This humble writer's dream to ride a horse along a beautiful beach has yet to be realized. I saw them going past on the morning we were leaving - sad looking horses tied together being led at a slow walk up and down. Not my idea of riding. Smh.
I believe it was Friday afternoon, the 3rd day, that Arlette and I went on a little cruise of the lagoon. Beware - if ever you visit Monterrico, men will try and sell you these tours for inflated prices - never pay more than 60Q for one. And it is only worthwhile if you go at 5am, because that's when you'll see the animals. It was still very pretty, and a lovely little jaunt (once I got over being terrified of tipping over in the super tiny "boat" we were in). The only gross thing that happened was having termites fall on me. Yeah. That was pretty disgusting. And they hurt when they bite. And they are stupidly hard to get off of you/your clothing - they don't just fly off when you flick them with your nails. And I was paranoid they were in my hair. But, that was an adventure, now, wasn't it, dear readers?
The most animals we saw were actually walking TO the boat tour place. This guy was hangin' out just outside the Johnny's Place gate, and then we saw pigs, and dogs, and a lot of chickens. Oh, why did I not get a video of a chicken crossing the road?!
The most animals we saw were actually walking TO the boat tour place. This guy was hangin' out just outside the Johnny's Place gate, and then we saw pigs, and dogs, and a lot of chickens. Oh, why did I not get a video of a chicken crossing the road?!
I also got to punt the boat. Sorry for the funky video - but there it is.
Oh gosh, I don't think I even yet mentioned our new friend, Ross. The second day we were there, Johanna and Arlette were in the water, and I was standing on the beach watching them. I saw a good looking guy walk past. Me being me (eherm, completely socially inept), of course I didn't say anything to him. But, about 15 minutes later as he came back, Johanna promptly struck up a conversation with him, and I'm so very glad she did.
He was spending time in Nicaragua and Guatemala - traveling on his own, looking for a place to build his own surfing hostel. He was actually staying at Henry's El Gecko, having met the chef who works there on a Chicken Bus and decided to tag along. He is definitely one of the most adventurous people I have ever met - and very inspiring. He took us around the little village and we made breakfast at El Gecko on our third day.
Henry is quite the artist, and everything in El Gecko that's decorated, he painted. Ross even bought one of Henry's paintings before we left.
He was spending time in Nicaragua and Guatemala - traveling on his own, looking for a place to build his own surfing hostel. He was actually staying at Henry's El Gecko, having met the chef who works there on a Chicken Bus and decided to tag along. He is definitely one of the most adventurous people I have ever met - and very inspiring. He took us around the little village and we made breakfast at El Gecko on our third day.
Henry is quite the artist, and everything in El Gecko that's decorated, he painted. Ross even bought one of Henry's paintings before we left.
Ross needed to go to Antigua to catch his flight to Nicaragua Sunday, so we brought him along with us Saturday morning. If we thought the drive into Monterrico was a tight squeeze, add a well built man and his luggage (thankfully very little - just a large duffle bag - men sure know how to pack!) into the mix, and it was quite the little packed car. But a lovely time, and our adventures were just beginning!!
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