A Broad Abroad

Monterrico, Guatemala, originally uploaded by peggydaly.

in the mangroves

when I wake up at 5, dress, and start walking toward the beach I realize it’s PITCH black, except for the stars. I return to the bungalow to get my head lamp, a little nervous about my walk now. headlamp installed, I head out down the beach. A few minutes later something I didn’t anticipate happened: I am surrounded by barking and growling dogs. Mostly what I see is their eyes reflected in my headlamp but I can certainly hear them and there must be about 6 or 7 of them. They have come down from 1 or 2 of the fancy houses on the beach. a scary pack of barking, snarling, floating eyes!!! i’m thinking of jack london stories.

The beach in monterrico is deep, but as one gets close to the water the sand banks down rather steeply to where the surf pounds. I am walking just above where the sand slopes to the surf– as far away from the houses as possible without having to walk in the uncertain area where the surf breaks. Especially uncertain when you can’t see the waves coming in! This time of year the surf is rough. I stop, thinking about what to do. I can go back and forget about the tour or if I can get about 10 more yards down the beach I may be past their “zone of protection”.

I notice as my head swivels around to see how many dogs there are, they back away from my headlamp beam, so with my heart pounding I walk slowly forward, swiveling my head towards any barking that gets within about 6 feet. The barking gets more frenzied for a moment then slowly starts to lessen. I made it! I’m shaking my head, not congratulating myself (well a little) but mostly thinking I’d been pretty stupid. So mom and dad, I’m alive and won’t do anything that stupid again.

I find my guide and off we walk towards the mangrove canals. NOW the horizon starts to brighten – literally and figuratively. The mangroves are teeming with birdlife and we quietly set off into the canals. Mangrove are such am important part of many eco-systems. They provide habitat for so many species of fish, crab, bird and reptiles. But sadly, in many places they are seen as a barrier to more beachfront and removed. The land will start to erode away and the losses compound. This was one of the first steps down the path of destruction for new Orleans.

We drag the boat onshore a ways up and walk thru mangroves and thru some fields to a lagoon. During the rainy season this is all covered in about 5 feet of water. I would love to see it then – my guide tells me there are flocks of flamingos (btw – I can now get the gist of most tours in Spanish). On the way back to where we embarked the sun is up a bit more and the reflection off the perfectly still water is amazing. I only had my point-and-shoot but I thought it did a respectable job capturing the moment. I have more pics if you want to click over to flickr.

At the Tortuguario Monterrico visitors center I made a reservation for an early morning pirogue tour of the mangroves. I paid about $1.10 to visit the center, which hatches and releases sea turtles, caimans, iguanas and a prehistoric river ... [Continue reading this entry]

Monterrico is actually separated from the mainland by mangove swamps. One must cross over on small boats or drive down a peninsula – which the shuttles do. It’s a dusty little town with one block cleaned up for ... [Continue reading this entry]

I enjoyed my last few days chillin’ in San Marcos la Laguna but I knew I needed a jump-start and decided to move-on. There was no need to go back to pana to get to Antigua, as I thought ... [Continue reading this entry]

Monterrico, Guatemala, originally uploaded by peggydaly. sorry - couldn't resist

On Monday I moved to san pedro despite my reservations that it would be a hippie-haven.  I am glad I did.  It is a lovely pueblo with many Spanish schools and a decent mix of people.  I signed up at ... [Continue reading this entry]

For the next day I arranged my transport on the $5 pullman direct to panajachel (on lake atitlan) – which leaves at 7am.  This can be arranged at many places around Antigua – just look for the signs.  it is ... [Continue reading this entry]

Yes, the name literally means old.  I need to investigate when and why this town acquired the name, as it surely wasn’t always old.  The little history I have doesn’t address the nomenclature.  One thing everyone can agree on is ... [Continue reading this entry]

The village of “Copan Ruinas” is incredibly quaint. There are also heaps of other things to do in the area, since it is set in lovely mountain range. I’ve had some English conversations and am feeling a bit ... [Continue reading this entry]