Monterrico

Yesterday, we made the trip to Monte Rico and I once again questioned whether this is real life. We were only at the beach for about a day and a half, but I can easily say it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We worked construction in the morning on Friday making concrete bricks and walls out of drywall and wood. By the time we were done everyone was exhausted and we sat down to a quick lunch of homemade chicken tostadas and carrot soup. As usual it was amazing. Then we packed up and headed down to the coast. Our driver, Enrique, brought along his wife for a little weekend getaway too! A sweet but extremely tiny man, Enrique has been with us for most of the trip and he speaks little to no English. Nevertheless, we love him but were a little surprised to see that his wife was about a foot taller and wider than he was. True love knows no form. She literally on top of him while he drove us all there; we were a little perplexed to say the least.

We drove through the countryside and through some pretty depressed areas. Near the coast, many houses consist of a roof, one or two concrete walls and hammocks for beds. It was definitely one of the poorest areas we have seen all trip. We arrived to 90 degree weather and perfect blue skies. We made plans to stay at Johnny’s Place, a humble little hostel right on the beach. Because there were so many of us traveling, we decided to go big and rented the only “house” on the property. Casa Karina, as it was called, turned out to be a concrete shack with a frond roof. It was perfect. Actually. It was exactly what we needed and literally nothing more. It was separated a bit from the rest of the hotel and it had its own hammocks and tiny pool. Once we were settled in we got into our swimsuits and hit the beach for the afternoon. The western coast of Guatemala is all black sand because of the abundance of volcanoes in the country. The sand is more pebbly and more grainy. Also, the beach does not gently slope into the ocean, but instead is really flat at the top and then declines at a pretty steep angle until the ocean. There are almost like two levels of beach. The ocean here is STRONG. The waves are some of the biggest I have ever seen and the current is powerful. I would be lying I said I was never wiped out by the waves. I’m just glad I still have my swimsuit.

Everything at the beach is exactly that—at the beach. Floors of the bars, bathrooms, etc are covered with sand and there aren’t really any walls. It was a pretty incredible place. Also, everything at the beach is super cheap. Drinks for girls were 5Q, or about $0.75 and a plate of amazing nachos for 25Q or about $4. Once the sun had officially set, we showered in ice-cold water and got dressed and ready in a house that had no mirrors. Perfect. The bar was pretty empty besides for us. After talking to one of the bartenders, we learned that this hotel has been pretty empty for a couple of weeks because the owner had gotten in trouble with some of the “narcotraficos” (drug traffickers) in the area. As one man explained to us, “who down here isn’t a drug dealer?” We felt good and safe after that thanks to some giant piña coladas that were the size of our heads. We spent the majority of the night making friends and just being silly at the outdoor bar. The mix of people that we met was truly astounding. The was the investment banker and his top PR girlfriend, a group of Australians studying Spanish, an English expat who was traveling through Central America opening bars and clubs, Canadian men taking two months off work and David, a 50 year old man who had been living in Guatemala on the beach for the past 30ish years. And then there was us, a group of 7 loud, crazy, and probably obnoxious college students. As the night progressed we moved to the discoteca. Lucky for us it was only about 200 yards from the bar and directly next to our house. They played a weird mix of Latin and techno music, but it seemed perfect for us. We danced into the night until we were sweaty and exhausted. We decided it was time for us to leave when some of the Guatemalan men started to follow us around the discoteca and tried to dance with us. The bartender came up to us and told us that one man in particular was dangerous and known for “taking people.” That was our cue to exit. We ended the night under mosquito nets listening to the beats of electro music and the waves lapping against the shore.

         We woke early to the crowing of roosters and strange tropical birds. Even though we weren’t all feeling our best, we struggled back to the bar for an amazing breakfast and then hit the beach. It was already hot by 9am but we struggled to get as much sun as we could. We played volleyball, rode the waves and pretty much did nothing. The beach was pretty much deserted and at times it felt like we were the only people on earth. It really felt like the kind of place where you could get lost and just disappear. We lazed the day away and left late in the afternoon. The drive back was long, bumpy and slightly scary. Our driver was swerving in and out of traffic, passing cars and brought us through some of the shadier parts of Guatemala. But we made it. Sunburned, tired and a little hungover, we made it back home. Monterrico was an amazing place and it now has a solid spot on my “To Do Again” list