Fire-walking in Monterico
Have you heard of the ancient ritual of "fire walking" where the initiate quickly races across 15 feet of burning hot coals? Well, that's not what this post is about. And if I ever did fire-walking, I would not post about it, because my mom would find out :) I'm talking about the black sand beaches of Monterico on the southern coast of Guatemala. Several volcanos live here and the Pacific ocean has eroded them away over time to form black sandy beaches... and they are HOT, HOT HOT!
This is a tranquil beach town where there's not much to do - and that's the whole point. Our "hotel" faces the beach and has a bamboo porch with a straw roof, hammocks galore, and a mini bar. A nice place to grab a book, or literally just sit there.
Next to the pool lives a one-eyed, spanish speaking parrot named "Parrota". Usually it's the pirate that has one eye - not the parrot! His vocabulary consists of: "hola".... "hola".... "hola". If you stand on his blind side, he twists his head upside down to see you with his good eye... "hola".... "hola".
One of my travel goals is to SURF! However, Monterico is not the place for it. The waves here break very close to shore and powerful rip-tides can challenge (or defeat) even the strong swimmer. But having never been in the Pacific ocean before, I had to run in for a dip. The strength of the sea lived-up to its reputation and I got a nice leg workout trying to drudge my way back to shore as the tide tried to drag me back in. This sea was to be respected. Ahhh back to the pool. After a day of swimming and relaxation, Suzanne and I enjoyed a mojito over sunset.
Later that night I strolled onto the beach and BOOM! it was a clear night with stars splattered across the sky! There was a warm breeze - all to myself - there was no one else on the beach. I grabbed a seat and just starred into the sky as waves pounded on the black sand. I contemplated life and its essence... 'how did all of this get here?'... 'how could something come out of nothing?' I reached my usual conclusion - that I haven't the faintest clue.
