Monterrico

Since coming to Guatemala I have tried to buy a map for my Garmin. I found one guy who would sell me a map and installation for "only" one hundred dollars, which I would have paid if it were a map of Central America. His map was only Guatemala. After much searching and some help from the advrider website, I found a free map of central america, which I downloaded. The real miracle was that it worked. It is not up to the same standard of the Garmin maps of Africa and North America, as I cannot type in an address and go to it. I think this is more the nature of Guatemala which has about 20 "zonas" each with the same numbered streets. However, you can go from city to city and you can go to "attractions" such as specific stores or restaurants. Provided that they are listed in the map's database.

We used the Garmin to find our way to Monterrico (town not listed, but you can use the latitude and longitude) We left the city and only made one mistake. Although we were on the correct road CA 9, it seems that when CA9 took a left, the city did not see any reason to put up any signage. We had made the mistake of thinking the Garmin was wrong, because how could any road not be marked. Fifteen minutes and many turns later (you remember me telling you that Guatemalan likes to keep their roads separated in a previous blog post, don't you)we returned to the same spot and took the turn as we should have. We were headed to the ocean, dropping down over 4000 feet in elevation in a bit over two hours.

Once we passed the local volcano, Pacaya, we found our first Guatemalan toll road. For about two dollars we had the privilege of traveling on a well developed, well maintained, two lane divided highway. Speed limit, 45 miles per hour. Of course no one travels at that speed and we were constantly passed as we motored along at about 110 kph (66 mph). Basically the directions are follow this road until you hit the ocean and turn left. Which is pretty much what we did. Once we turned left we continued on a not so wonderful road that had many tumulars, sleeping policeman, speed bumps that were put there so you could not travel at a high rate of speed through towns, past schools or if you had the money, past your house. As we passed through a couple of towns there were men there collecting tolls. While it is true that they gave us receipts, I am not quite sure where the money really goes.

View from the yard

The place we were staying was about 5 kms outside of Montericco, so we made the turn and headed off to find the house.It was actually quite easy to find as it was in Hawaii, well the village of Hawaii, and next to the, you guessed, the Honolulu Hotel. The house was right on the beach and we had rented it, because they allowed dogs. The house owner, a man from Florida named Jeff was there to greet us. He loved the dogs and we visited out air conditioned room. As you can see from the picture on the left, we were right on the beach and the pool was a needed relief from the heat. We have been spoiled by the continuous springlike weather in Guatemala City and discovered that the drop of 4000+ feet meant an increase in temperature.

Black sand beach

We unpacked and took the dogs for a walk on the beach. Now the black sand beaches sound very romantic, but in reality they are very hot on your feet. We were smart enough to wear shoes, but the dogs were not. So we walked them down by the shore. Both dogs having been raised on the beach in South Africa do not enjoy the surf. So as the waves rolled in, they would head up towards the hotter sand. After a brief stroll we returned to the house to relax in the pool.

We chatted with Jeff and found out that you can buy a beach lot for under 20 thousand dollars. Of course there literally is nothing around. The nearest real grocery store is about 50 kms away and who knows where the movie theater might be. But if you want the quiet beach life, Montericco can be the place for you.  For lunch we headed into Montericco and beer and nachos at "Johnny's Place." It is right on the beach and each cabin or two shares a small swimming pool. It is well known among economy travelers. The nachos and beer were just what the doctor ordered and after a walk into the metropolis of Montericco (see picture below) we headed  back for some more relaxation.That night we ate at the Hotel Honolulu. Both Diane and I had prawns. They were indeed Jumbo and they did taste  delicious, but there simply were not enough of them.

Downtown Monterricco

The next day was again hot, but we started out with an early morning walk on the beach. The beach sand was a lot cooler and the dogs enjoyed the walk a bit more than the day before. We had a desayuno tipico in Montericco... two eggs, frijoles, crema, plantains, tortillas and coffee for about 3 dollars, then we headed back to the pool.  During lunch time Jeff and his friend went out to lunch so we let the dogs roam through the fenced in yard. They enjoyed the new smells. Those of you that have talked to us about Ridgebacks have probably heard Diane tell you that you never train Ridgebacks to be guard dogs as they naturally will protect their family. Well the caretaker, Abillo, came into the yard unannounced carrying his machete. Apparently the dogs viewed this as a threat and even mild mannered Izzy leaps to our protection. They cornered the caretaker and were not about to let him go. Izzy jumped up at him and Sedi ran in and out keeping him at bay. Basically the same thing they do when they hunt lions. Meanwhile Abillo is swinging his machete and probably soiling his pants. We manage to grab the dogs and find Sedi with a bloody mouth from biting the machete. (It stopped bleeding shortly after). Abillo complained to Jeff that dog bit his stomach, Izzy had scratched him when she jumped up. Jeff was not having any of it and told Abillo that he was foolish to walk into the yard unannounced and he should have known better. I guess he learned his lesson as he called us every single time he came back to the house.

Dinner that night was at Johnny's, where Diane again had jumbo"ish"  prawns. More prawns, but not so big. I had their fish special. A fish so big, they had to cut off part of the tail so it would fit on the plate. As we are leaving we run into one of the computer techs from school who is also enjoying the beach.

The next day, after the same breakfast, we decide we have had enough of the beach life and would depart. Having lived at our beach house in South Africa, hanging at the beach does not hold the same type of attraction for us. The day was not without event. As I am sitting next to the pool, Abillo comes running in unannouced and tells me that some people in the ocean are not able to swim. I look out and sure enough about 8 people are drifting with the rip tide. I debate whether or not to use my lifeguard training, but between a bad rotator cuff and no knowledge of the ocean here, I decide it is better to be a spectator. Maybe you do get wiser with old age? The whole scene is interesting. Apparently there is some type warning system as people are coming from all directions. They are coming with belly boards, flotation buoys and one guy comes with a really long coil of rope. All's well that ends well. All 8 of the people successfully make it to shore and I don't have to feel guilty.

Not the Lake Champlain Ferry

We pack up and get ready to head out. Jeff told us that taking the ferry is a more scenic route, so we decide to do it. Though the Garmin says to take the ferry, we soon find out that is not the Lake Champlain Transit Company we are dealing with, as the pictures will attest to. We had to wait 20 minutes until the ferry was full...two cars. Then using the ramp as a lever, the "captain" pushes the ferry into the river and off we go. For about 20 minutes we travel up the river to the next town. We pass many of the same ferry's of equal quality, most driven by a 7 hp engine. The captain rams us into shore and we are off.

Commuter Ferry

River House

The ride is hot but pleasant. We get to see people's home who literally live on the river. In some ways it was reminiscent of southeast Asia. We safely make it to the next town's dock and head back to the city. It is indeed a more scenic drive as we travel through Guatemala's dairy-land. Thanks heavens for the GPS, as nothing is clearly marked. Fifty kilometers or so later the GPS tells us to make a turn, having learned our lesson, we do. It is a good thing too, as the unmarked turn takes onto the toll road, which we follow back to Guatemala City. It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to get back, including the ferry ride. So the beach is pretty darn close. Our biggest problem now, is to try to decide what we should do for the our 4 day weekend in October.. Perhaps we shall visit some Mayan Ruins?