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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?!
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.