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Mailing List ~ Newsletter>
The Coastal Village of MONTERRICO
February 1, 2004
MONTERRICO
Monterrico is a change of climate and pace from the Mayan
highlands of Guatemala. This very small village near the
El Salvadorian border is located on a narrow strip of land,
separated from the mainland by an extensive system of
mangrove swamps, and bordered on the west by the Pacific
Ocean. Monterrico is known for it's lazy days, black sand
beaches and sea turtles.
The first time we (Dan and Rudi Taylor - Happy Mango Imports) traveled to Monterrico we weren't sure what to expect, we had never met anyone who had been there and it's not a tourist destination. After driving 4 hours from Lake Atitlan the road came to an abrupt end, at this point we were directed to drive our rental car over a ramp consisting of broken down planks of wood, which led onto a dilapidated narrow, wooden, flat bottom boat. It was powered by a tiny outboard engine, all under the control of a 12 year old boy. For 30 minutes we wound our way through the mangrove swaps, marveling at the abundance of egrets
and blue herons, all the while hoping to catch a glimpse of
the caymans which we knew existed there. It was hot, humid
and sticky and we were excited about the new experience.
When the boat docked we drove on to a sandy beach and woven
our way through the palm trees, following 2 ruts in the
sand, clear to us, this was the “road”.
Monterrico consists of one main street (dirt and riddled
with bathtub size potholes). All of the side streets are
merely sandy paths. Thatched roof huts make up the
majority of the residences, where fishermen lounge in
hammocks, their fishing nets stretched between the palm
trees, drying in the sun. In most Guatemalan villages dogs
run amuck, but in Monterrico pigs seem to be the pet of
choice. There is one in most every yard, they lay in the
muddy potholes of the road, and wherever there is trash, a
pig will surely be there. There are a several simple
hotels located on the beach. They cater to Guatemalans
escaping the city for the weekend. Our room at the Pez de
Oro was a colorful thatched roof structure offering us a
great view of the crashing waves. With a fan to cool us
and a mosquito net to protect us, we were quite
comfortable. Our seafood dinner was caught only hours
before - fish and shrimp doused with garlic and herbs –
delicious!
Perhaps Monterrico is best known for it's “save the sea
turtle” project. Thanks to the efforts of
conservationists, nurseries have been created where eggs
can be safely deposited and hatched. Approximately 50,000
hatchlings have been released into the ocean yearly for the
past few years. We were lucky enough to assist in the
release of these baby turtles on a couple of occasions.
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