Monterrico, Guatemala

Last weekend we got to go to the beach in Monterrico! It was so wonderful! Here in Antigua, the weather is very fickle and much of the time rather chilly due to our elevation. So, a warm sunny weekend, was much needed. In Monterrico, the beaches are black sand. We had never seen a black sand beach before.

Beach life was great, but unfortunately, the waves were HUGE! So big, in fact, they were unsafe for swimming. So, we spent only a small amount of time on the beach and most of the time by the pool. There was some beautiful sunsets while we were there.

And we took a 5:00 am tour of the mangroves, where we got to see lots of wild life and a beautiful sunrise.

Monterrico is a landing place for sea turtles to lay their eggs. It just so happens, its egg laying season. We went hunting at night to see turtles laying their eggs but did not have any luck. We did however get to take part in releasing freshly hatched sea turtles into the water. In Guatemala, people think that sea turtle eggs have extra protein that is very healthy for you. so many of the locals will hunt the eggs and then sell them in the market. they estimate that 80% of the eggs are taken by locals before they hatch. Of the eggs that do hatch, many will not make it to the water and then the ones that do, will get eaten very quickly. Sea Turtles have a rough life. So we paid $1.50 and got to hold a baby turtle and set it free into the ocean (where it likely got eaten hours later). But, we did our part. Here is a picture of my little guy.

Michael named his Benichael. Only because I would not let him name mine Ben. Here is all the little turtles that were not eaten by people before they were hatched.

We have some very exciting stuff ahead of us. Tomorrow we are taking the day off and going sail fishing. Yes, Michael is so excited. The boat with a bathroom cost $200 more than the boat without a bathroom, so please pray for my bladder and my privacy as I try to pee in a bucket. On Friday we are having a tortilla making class and visiting some local towns with our teachers. On Monday, Nov 1, its a big Latin holiday, some call it the day of the dead in the states. It is a very big deal here. We are going with our teachers families to celebrate. We will spend the day hanging out in the cementary flying kites that have messages written to the dead. We will have lots of pictures. After that, we are off for travel. We have 10 days and I think we are going to spend of the time carribean side. There is an area here called Rio Dulce. We are going to spend some more time hanging out. Will keep you all updated on our adventures. We will be home very soon, for which we are very excited!