The next to last set of photos are up. I got just a few more, mostly of folks I got to know. I don't know whether I'll put all of those up or not, but I need to get them out of the camera 1st and see what they look like.
ANYWAY, to start at the beginning of this group go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellobelle/821469221/in/set-72157600246988765/
Enjoy!
Mel
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Likes and Dislikes about my Spanish Immersion Adventure
| Liked and Will Miss | Didn’t like and Won’t Miss |
|---|---|
| the people. They are friendly and patient and seem to love their children very much | The noise - loud bangs at all times of the day and night; it’s like 4th of July ALL the time down here |
| friends I made here (mostly my friend, Miguel) | The noise, part 2 - they also drive cars around with loud speakers on them announcing public events or political party meetings or something like that |
| Most of the food | People spitting on the sidewalk; Come on, people, if you HAVE to spit, spit into the street |
| The yogurt | Dog shit on the sidewalk; again, people,if you’re not going to pick it up, make them go in the street! |
| The strawberry jam (& I'm not a strawberry jam fan) | Shrimp served with the heads either put back on or just ‘cleaned’ with the heads left on - No Thank You. |
| Living in the shadow of Volcan Agua - it’s so beautiful in all the weather and different times of the day | The cobblestones, altho’ I have to admit, I got pretty adept at walking a good pace over them after 2 or 3 weeks and they never grabbed my ankle more than just a tiny bit |
| How ‘not too sweet’ most of the sweet food is | Related to the cobblestones - the bad sidewalks, gaping holes waiting to break the ankle of an unwary pedestrian |
| granizadas de cafe - you would just have to try one to understand | The lack of money and how difficult the Antigua bureaucracy makes it to fix up much on the exterior of the buildings |
| cheap liquor/beer | lack of much of anything to do |
| Moza (see above) | the slow pace |
| the beauty in the ruins | the poor, poor doggies not taken care of |
| Parque Central | the veggie curry at Reilly’s |
| The lack of advertising EVERYWHERE | the rain, altho’ I think I could get used The 2nd floor patio at same to it |
| the papas fritas (potato chips - OMG) | the weird feeling knowing you're one of the rich people. It was something that I always remembered and I tried very hard not to be “some jerk with money” |
| the guacamole at Reilly’s | tuk-tuks and chicken buses (and their drivers) |
| the slow pace | Eggs and black beans EVERY morning for breakfast |
| the weather - the temps are practically perfect | Papaya - it’s waaay over rated as a fruit |
| The people of the Casa de Familia Ovalle; Maria Elena, Caty, Elizabeth, Christina y Hugo | |
| THE COFFEE!!! - This should have been waaaay higher in the list. Don’t know why it didn’t occur to me sooner | |
| Having a cook and a full-time housekeeper. I have become even more spoiled, (if that’s possible) | |
| the nice Dutch guy that owned Thai Flor who told me I had beautiful eyes |
That’s all for now, I’m sure I’ll be updating this as things occur to me. Signing off for now. The next time I post I will be at home and reflecting over it all. - Melinda
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Check out my new pet below
Since my husband won't let me have a *real* llama, I have virtual pet llama now.
Meet Llamo the llama at the bottom of the page.
You can scratch him with the pointer or get some hay under the more tab and feed him if you want.
He's cute and he's purple.
Meet Llamo the llama at the bottom of the page.
You can scratch him with the pointer or get some hay under the more tab and feed him if you want.
He's cute and he's purple.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Ok, I admit it! I'm a wuss!
Some of you reading already know about this, but my ear has been plugged up for almost 2 weeks now. It closed up on the way back up the mountain from the beach and I can't get it to open back up.
I went to a dr. here and while the drops dried out my nose nicely, they have done nothing to open my ear. I went ahead and started on Cipro last Friday evening and, no surprise there, it hasn't done a thing. Except for the fact that I'm feeling as good as I have since I have been here.
Needless to say, this has made hearing in class, shall we say, challenging! After an exhausting week of trying to hear the maestras in class, I woke up Sunday morning and decided if it wasn't going to cost me an arm and a leg, I was going to come home a week early. Just the thought of having to spend 2 more weeks struggling to hear and not knowing exactly what is going on with my ear almost made me feel ill.
So, when I found out it would only cost $100 and there was room on the plane, I went for it. It must have been the right decision. As soon as I made it, I felt an enormous sense of relief.
School has been every bit as challenging this week and I'm not doing as much as I might have with as good as I've been feeling, just because it's so difficult to hear what anyone says to me, in English or Spanish.
So, ANYWAY, in 2 more days, I'm on my way home. The big adventure behind me.
As to what this will do to my Spanish credits, I decided about 3 weeks ago, that there was a good chance I wasn't going to get a passing grade for this. I don't think I can remember enough well enough to pass any kind of test, so I'll probably have to take the ind. study course, which is writing only. I think I'll be able to pass that at this point. At least I hope so.
But this has been a good experience in many other ways and has given me the confidence to know that I can negotiate around in a foreign country fairly well. In some ways, I can't wait to do it again, but probably not till next year!
I went to a dr. here and while the drops dried out my nose nicely, they have done nothing to open my ear. I went ahead and started on Cipro last Friday evening and, no surprise there, it hasn't done a thing. Except for the fact that I'm feeling as good as I have since I have been here.
Needless to say, this has made hearing in class, shall we say, challenging! After an exhausting week of trying to hear the maestras in class, I woke up Sunday morning and decided if it wasn't going to cost me an arm and a leg, I was going to come home a week early. Just the thought of having to spend 2 more weeks struggling to hear and not knowing exactly what is going on with my ear almost made me feel ill.
So, when I found out it would only cost $100 and there was room on the plane, I went for it. It must have been the right decision. As soon as I made it, I felt an enormous sense of relief.
School has been every bit as challenging this week and I'm not doing as much as I might have with as good as I've been feeling, just because it's so difficult to hear what anyone says to me, in English or Spanish.
So, ANYWAY, in 2 more days, I'm on my way home. The big adventure behind me.
As to what this will do to my Spanish credits, I decided about 3 weeks ago, that there was a good chance I wasn't going to get a passing grade for this. I don't think I can remember enough well enough to pass any kind of test, so I'll probably have to take the ind. study course, which is writing only. I think I'll be able to pass that at this point. At least I hope so.
But this has been a good experience in many other ways and has given me the confidence to know that I can negotiate around in a foreign country fairly well. In some ways, I can't wait to do it again, but probably not till next year!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Get your latest batch o' photos right here!
I just put up the latest batch of photos from the trip to the beach up in Flickr. You can start at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellobelle/771942849/in/set-72157600246988765/
Check out the 3 "clear as glass" photos. I fooled with the orientation on 2 of them, just to show how reflective the water was that morning.
Enjoy.
Don't be afraid to make comments in Flickr. I enjoy hearing what you have to say.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellobelle/771942849/in/set-72157600246988765/
Check out the 3 "clear as glass" photos. I fooled with the orientation on 2 of them, just to show how reflective the water was that morning.
Enjoy.
Don't be afraid to make comments in Flickr. I enjoy hearing what you have to say.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Cuatro de Julio - Gringo style
That was how the party was billed at the tourist hang-out, bar and restaurant, Monoloco, which is just around the corner from mi casa. No one really knew what that meant. For a while, I thought maybe it meant they were going to charge a cover, which they normally don’t do. That would *really* be gringo-style. Ultimately, it didn’t seem to mean anything different than the usual hanging about, drinking and talking.
There were several of us from our school that were partying there. I had planned ahead and brought my US flag scarf which I had rakishly tied around my head like a colonial woman’s white cap, so I was festively dressed with that and my red and white dress.
We ended up with 3 Brits at our table that someone in our crowd had befriended somewhere, as they were not attending our school. I thanked them for our country. It seemed the polite thing to do and avoided the whole touchy discussion of that little dust-up that occurred when we insisted on taking it.
We were also accosted later in the evening by a very drunk Norwegian wearing an American flag sticker, trying to “fit in” as he said. Which would have worked, as he looked very All-American boy-next-door until he opened his mouth, when this very heavily accented English emerged.
He was pretty funny, but stuck his foot right in it when he told me he always loved to see it when the “old people” came out to party! I told him he really knew how to win friends and influence people, but he didn’t get the joke. So, I told him that we “old folks” actually prefer the term “mature”. But none of it really mattered, as I’m sure he had no recollection of any of it the next day.
It was fun but nothing spectacular. It also wasn’t as crowded as many of us expected. But there were 3 other places in town that were having 4th of July parties. It was kinda odd thinking about the fact that they were celebrating a holiday that means nothing to them. Kinda like us ‘celebrating’ Cinco de Mayo.
So, that was my 4th of July holiday in Antigua!
Hasta luega!
There were several of us from our school that were partying there. I had planned ahead and brought my US flag scarf which I had rakishly tied around my head like a colonial woman’s white cap, so I was festively dressed with that and my red and white dress.
We ended up with 3 Brits at our table that someone in our crowd had befriended somewhere, as they were not attending our school. I thanked them for our country. It seemed the polite thing to do and avoided the whole touchy discussion of that little dust-up that occurred when we insisted on taking it.
We were also accosted later in the evening by a very drunk Norwegian wearing an American flag sticker, trying to “fit in” as he said. Which would have worked, as he looked very All-American boy-next-door until he opened his mouth, when this very heavily accented English emerged.
He was pretty funny, but stuck his foot right in it when he told me he always loved to see it when the “old people” came out to party! I told him he really knew how to win friends and influence people, but he didn’t get the joke. So, I told him that we “old folks” actually prefer the term “mature”. But none of it really mattered, as I’m sure he had no recollection of any of it the next day.
It was fun but nothing spectacular. It also wasn’t as crowded as many of us expected. But there were 3 other places in town that were having 4th of July parties. It was kinda odd thinking about the fact that they were celebrating a holiday that means nothing to them. Kinda like us ‘celebrating’ Cinco de Mayo.
So, that was my 4th of July holiday in Antigua!
Hasta luega!
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Dropping Down into the Home Stretch
I am at dos semanas (2 weeks) and counting. It was an interesting week in some ways. I’m still battling my ear that plugged up on the way back up the mountain to Antigua last Sunday. This has made being in class even more challenging. In addition to my sketchy comprehension of the maestras, I’ve had to contend with just the flat-out inability to hear them very well. And, of course, one of them was very soft-spoken. There is also the added issue of all the other conversations going on around me going into my ‘good’ ear and not being able to counter-act them by having another ear with which to listen. It was pretty exhausting dealing with it. I finally got so frustrated on Thursday, I bailed about an hour into class and went to the Casa Ovalle office and asked if they could get me in to see a doctor.
That was a mixed event. He was very through and spoke English pretty well, but all he could tell me was “Yep, that ear is plugged up” and gave me a “prescription” for some drops to squeeze up my nose. We decided that if nothing had changed in the ear by Sat I was to go ahead and start taking the Cipro I brought with me. Although, it doesn’t seem to be bacterial, since my nose mucus is clear. (Sorry if the discussion of nose discharge bothers anyone, but that is the fact of the matter and the way you determine infection.) So, ANYWAY, I decided to start the Cipro last night (Friday). I couldn’t see what waiting 8 hours would accomplish, since I had no indication anything is trying to break loose. The one plus of having to go to the doctor is that the whole visit costs me about $16.25US and the drops were $9US.
I’m not encouraged that this is going to make any difference either. I really don’t know what I’m going to do about flying home, if my ear is still plugged. All I know is that it’s going to hurt like hell!! I’m going to check out on the Web and see if there are any tips to help relieve the pain.
At this point, I’m just really tired of having to deal with issues with my body down here. I’m not even feeling particularly bad right now, but not being able to hear is driving me crazy!! And not knowing what to do about it concerns me.
On a bright note, after my horrible Thursday morning, I went to eat lunch at a very nice Thai restaurant around the corner from the casa. I was the only one in there and the owner was the one waiting tables. We struck up a conversation toward the end of the meal, when I told him I had been there twice before and really liked his food. He was so happy to hear I was a repeat customer.
He was German or Dutch, I couldn’t quite place his accent, but he asked me if I knew where my family came from. So I told him we weren’t really sure but it looked like I was mostly descended from Scotch, Irish and English, with a dash of Native Am. and Black thrown in for good measure.
He then said that I must have some continental European in there somewhere because I “had the most beautiful eyes”. I think I blushed. That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard in a long time from someone I didn’t know. I was so flustered it didn’t even occur to me to tell him that it was probably the tiny bit of Native American in me that gave me my nice eyes, as I think they all have very beautiful eyes. He’s probably not familiar enough with our indigenous population to know that, either.
ANYWAY, I was very flattered and it definitely made me feel better despite my stupid ear!
Next post, I’ll tell y’all about celebrating 4th of July in Antigua. It was a very multi-cultural event!
That was a mixed event. He was very through and spoke English pretty well, but all he could tell me was “Yep, that ear is plugged up” and gave me a “prescription” for some drops to squeeze up my nose. We decided that if nothing had changed in the ear by Sat I was to go ahead and start taking the Cipro I brought with me. Although, it doesn’t seem to be bacterial, since my nose mucus is clear. (Sorry if the discussion of nose discharge bothers anyone, but that is the fact of the matter and the way you determine infection.) So, ANYWAY, I decided to start the Cipro last night (Friday). I couldn’t see what waiting 8 hours would accomplish, since I had no indication anything is trying to break loose. The one plus of having to go to the doctor is that the whole visit costs me about $16.25US and the drops were $9US.
I’m not encouraged that this is going to make any difference either. I really don’t know what I’m going to do about flying home, if my ear is still plugged. All I know is that it’s going to hurt like hell!! I’m going to check out on the Web and see if there are any tips to help relieve the pain.
At this point, I’m just really tired of having to deal with issues with my body down here. I’m not even feeling particularly bad right now, but not being able to hear is driving me crazy!! And not knowing what to do about it concerns me.
On a bright note, after my horrible Thursday morning, I went to eat lunch at a very nice Thai restaurant around the corner from the casa. I was the only one in there and the owner was the one waiting tables. We struck up a conversation toward the end of the meal, when I told him I had been there twice before and really liked his food. He was so happy to hear I was a repeat customer.
He was German or Dutch, I couldn’t quite place his accent, but he asked me if I knew where my family came from. So I told him we weren’t really sure but it looked like I was mostly descended from Scotch, Irish and English, with a dash of Native Am. and Black thrown in for good measure.
He then said that I must have some continental European in there somewhere because I “had the most beautiful eyes”. I think I blushed. That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard in a long time from someone I didn’t know. I was so flustered it didn’t even occur to me to tell him that it was probably the tiny bit of Native American in me that gave me my nice eyes, as I think they all have very beautiful eyes. He’s probably not familiar enough with our indigenous population to know that, either.
ANYWAY, I was very flattered and it definitely made me feel better despite my stupid ear!
Next post, I’ll tell y’all about celebrating 4th of July in Antigua. It was a very multi-cultural event!
Friday, July 6, 2007
Next set of Monterrico photos are up
Here ya go, folks. Here's the latest batch of photos from last week-end's excursion to Monterrico. They start at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellobelle/742878250/in/set-72157600246988765/
Check out the cool-creepy pics of the mangrove roots!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellobelle/742878250/in/set-72157600246988765/
Check out the cool-creepy pics of the mangrove roots!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
1st batch of pics of trip to la playa
I took so many, even after I edited out the not-so-good-ones, I still have 71. So, in order to not overwhelm anyone, I'm going to post them 20 or so at a time.
Here's the link for where they start:
http://flickr.com/photos/mellobelle/708660717/in/set-72157600246988765
Here's the link for where they start:
http://flickr.com/photos/mellobelle/708660717/in/set-72157600246988765
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Volcano pics are up!
Mi amiga, Crystal, climbed the volcano on Thursday and took my camera along so I wouldn't have to. I've posted the pics she came back with. The word is the pics can't do it justice. It was AMAZING!!
Being a girl of sound mind and tired body, however, she didn't traipse the last 300 meters on a skinny path across an active (and HOT) lava field for a closer look, so sorry all you fans of glowing lava pictures, there are none of those.
They start with http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellobelle/689459669/in/set-72157600246988765/
Enjoy!!
Being a girl of sound mind and tired body, however, she didn't traipse the last 300 meters on a skinny path across an active (and HOT) lava field for a closer look, so sorry all you fans of glowing lava pictures, there are none of those.
They start with http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellobelle/689459669/in/set-72157600246988765/
Enjoy!!
La Playa - Day 3
Date: July 1, 2007 9:25 AM
Hola mis amigos y amigas!
Yesterday was just one exciting event after nothing. I did manage to escape the confines of our luxurious jail briefly when I arranged (finally!) a driver to come pick me up and take me into Monterrico proper. It wasn’t much and it was hot as blazes but at least I got to see it.
More importantly, I managed to arrange today’s adventure. which was a dawn tour of the protected preserve that is down here. Yes, that’s right, yours truly, got herself up at 4:15 for a 5am pick-up to go tour around the preserve at dawn. And it was so worth it. With any luck I got some good shots. I certainly tried taking enough of them. But more about that later.
I spent about an hour and 1/2 in town. Crystal was feeling better, but wisely opted not to go as she wanted to stay close to a bathroom. I’m pretty sure there was another ‘major’ street there, but I wasn’t sure where it was and didn’t want to wander too far off the main street I was on by myself. I bought a necklace made from agate washed up from the sea. I gave that to Crystal, since she hadn’t felt like doing anything while we were here except sleep and I bought myself a Montericco t-shirt, which probably won’t fit after I wash it the 1st time. (They do not make anything with any hip room down here.)
I also bought Crystal some soda crackers just in case she went back to not being able to keep anything down. Those came in handy for her as an easy snack. I tried to buy myself a snack but together it was more than the small bills I had and the ‘big’ convenience store didn’t have change for Q100.
I felt better about being “trapped” at the resort once I had the opportunity to go and see and know that there wasn’t much I was missing.
The worst thing I saw was the 6 poor horses someone has so tourists can ride on the beach. They were out on the beach, standing on the hot, hot sand, no shade and no water for them to drink. I took some pictures, just because it was interestingly juxtapositioned with an upturned boat, but I felt really very sorry for them. I just don’t understand how someone cannot take care of animals that are providing you with a living. It reminded me of the poor donkeys on Santorini, standing in the broiling sun with no water to drink.
(Returning after a brief pause for desayuno (breakfast)) ANYWAY, I came back, we ate lunch and then retired to our room to relax while the heat of the day blazed on. It is pretty hot and humid down here at the beach. Think Florida in the summer. I napped for an hour or so. Crystal napped the rest of the afternoon. About 4 I finally got my suit on, slathered myself up with sunscreen and ventured out the lovely zero-edge pool that faces the beach. It’s great! You can hang on to the edge of the pool and stay cool in the water and watch the huge waves pound the beach. It’s the best of both.
I stayed at the pool until after the sun set, having my afternoon Bombay and tonic and wandered back to room around 6:30. Crystal was up but had been so for only about 40 minutes or so. She’s calling this her lost week-end.
We went to dinner and I bravely tried the grilled shrimp. I say bravely since I hadn’t eaten shrimp since my unfortunate episode possibly caused by shrimp not cleaned very well. Once again they served them with their heads on. A practice I do not get. The things look like giant sea bugs. Why on earth do you want to see their heads on your plate? If I decide to have any more shrimp (unlikely), I must remember to request “No cabezas de camerones, por favor”. I ate 4 out of 6 and they were very good and I’m not sick today, so I guess everything is fine.
i had a white Russian for desert. One of the best I’ve had, I must say. And Crystal and I retired to our bungalow and watched an episode of The Closer I had downloaded earlier in the week from our machine at home. (Gotta love technology sometimes!) Read some and went to bed because.......
I had to get my ass out of bed at 4:15 this morning in order to be picked up and taken back into Monterrico for our dawn excursion into the protected wetlands. Altho, they don’t allow development they do allow the shrimpers of Monterrico to continue to shrimp in the area and we saw a couple of boats doing so.
It was absolutely worth the early call to be out on the water as dawn broke. I took a ton of pics and will have them up real soon, I promise. I hope some of them turned out. There were dozens of white cranes I kept trying to get a picture of, so I probably have a bunch of foilage shots but no cranes because they were too far away. Lots of mangrove forests and swamp grass areas that made me think of the salt marshes around Tybee Island. The depth of this area also fluctuates with the tide but not to the extent of the Tybee marshes. These always have water, but certain times it is higher or lower depending on the tide.
Also, as it dawned and the sky lightened, the full moon was still visible in the sky opposite for a while. It would have made a great pic with the right equipment, but not my equipment.
So, now it’s all of 9:30am and we are here until 2:30 but it’s really too hot to be outside unless you are around the pool. So we’re just going to chill in our room until it’s time to go back to Antigua and I can get the lastest news posted.
It turned out to be not a bad week-end (at least for me, I’m not sure how Crystal feels about it. But she’s a good trooper.) I did find SOMETHING TO DO and also did a whole lot of nothin’. Which is a good thing sometimes, too.
Hasta luega!
mel
Hola mis amigos y amigas!
Yesterday was just one exciting event after nothing. I did manage to escape the confines of our luxurious jail briefly when I arranged (finally!) a driver to come pick me up and take me into Monterrico proper. It wasn’t much and it was hot as blazes but at least I got to see it.
More importantly, I managed to arrange today’s adventure. which was a dawn tour of the protected preserve that is down here. Yes, that’s right, yours truly, got herself up at 4:15 for a 5am pick-up to go tour around the preserve at dawn. And it was so worth it. With any luck I got some good shots. I certainly tried taking enough of them. But more about that later.
I spent about an hour and 1/2 in town. Crystal was feeling better, but wisely opted not to go as she wanted to stay close to a bathroom. I’m pretty sure there was another ‘major’ street there, but I wasn’t sure where it was and didn’t want to wander too far off the main street I was on by myself. I bought a necklace made from agate washed up from the sea. I gave that to Crystal, since she hadn’t felt like doing anything while we were here except sleep and I bought myself a Montericco t-shirt, which probably won’t fit after I wash it the 1st time. (They do not make anything with any hip room down here.)
I also bought Crystal some soda crackers just in case she went back to not being able to keep anything down. Those came in handy for her as an easy snack. I tried to buy myself a snack but together it was more than the small bills I had and the ‘big’ convenience store didn’t have change for Q100.
I felt better about being “trapped” at the resort once I had the opportunity to go and see and know that there wasn’t much I was missing.
The worst thing I saw was the 6 poor horses someone has so tourists can ride on the beach. They were out on the beach, standing on the hot, hot sand, no shade and no water for them to drink. I took some pictures, just because it was interestingly juxtapositioned with an upturned boat, but I felt really very sorry for them. I just don’t understand how someone cannot take care of animals that are providing you with a living. It reminded me of the poor donkeys on Santorini, standing in the broiling sun with no water to drink.
(Returning after a brief pause for desayuno (breakfast)) ANYWAY, I came back, we ate lunch and then retired to our room to relax while the heat of the day blazed on. It is pretty hot and humid down here at the beach. Think Florida in the summer. I napped for an hour or so. Crystal napped the rest of the afternoon. About 4 I finally got my suit on, slathered myself up with sunscreen and ventured out the lovely zero-edge pool that faces the beach. It’s great! You can hang on to the edge of the pool and stay cool in the water and watch the huge waves pound the beach. It’s the best of both.
I stayed at the pool until after the sun set, having my afternoon Bombay and tonic and wandered back to room around 6:30. Crystal was up but had been so for only about 40 minutes or so. She’s calling this her lost week-end.
We went to dinner and I bravely tried the grilled shrimp. I say bravely since I hadn’t eaten shrimp since my unfortunate episode possibly caused by shrimp not cleaned very well. Once again they served them with their heads on. A practice I do not get. The things look like giant sea bugs. Why on earth do you want to see their heads on your plate? If I decide to have any more shrimp (unlikely), I must remember to request “No cabezas de camerones, por favor”. I ate 4 out of 6 and they were very good and I’m not sick today, so I guess everything is fine.
i had a white Russian for desert. One of the best I’ve had, I must say. And Crystal and I retired to our bungalow and watched an episode of The Closer I had downloaded earlier in the week from our machine at home. (Gotta love technology sometimes!) Read some and went to bed because.......
I had to get my ass out of bed at 4:15 this morning in order to be picked up and taken back into Monterrico for our dawn excursion into the protected wetlands. Altho, they don’t allow development they do allow the shrimpers of Monterrico to continue to shrimp in the area and we saw a couple of boats doing so.
It was absolutely worth the early call to be out on the water as dawn broke. I took a ton of pics and will have them up real soon, I promise. I hope some of them turned out. There were dozens of white cranes I kept trying to get a picture of, so I probably have a bunch of foilage shots but no cranes because they were too far away. Lots of mangrove forests and swamp grass areas that made me think of the salt marshes around Tybee Island. The depth of this area also fluctuates with the tide but not to the extent of the Tybee marshes. These always have water, but certain times it is higher or lower depending on the tide.
Also, as it dawned and the sky lightened, the full moon was still visible in the sky opposite for a while. It would have made a great pic with the right equipment, but not my equipment.
So, now it’s all of 9:30am and we are here until 2:30 but it’s really too hot to be outside unless you are around the pool. So we’re just going to chill in our room until it’s time to go back to Antigua and I can get the lastest news posted.
It turned out to be not a bad week-end (at least for me, I’m not sure how Crystal feels about it. But she’s a good trooper.) I did find SOMETHING TO DO and also did a whole lot of nothin’. Which is a good thing sometimes, too.
Hasta luega!
mel
Well, being at the beach is just about better than being anywhere else, but.....
I’m typing this in our room at Dos Mundos Resort, Monterrico but no one will read it until we have returned to Antigua. At least, I think we’re in Monterrico. That’s what the sign said, but unfortunately, we aren’t actually *in* Monterrico. Turns out it’s about 2k down the beach. I thought that was closer to 3.2 miles, but some guy at the bar said it’s only about a mile and 1/2. Irregardless, I may try to walk down that way along the beach in the morning and see what I can see. Otherwise, my choice is to stay stuck here, where the only thing to do is hang around the pool and drink. Not a bad option, mind you, but I was actually hoping for just a bit more from our jaunt to la playa.
The hotel is as lovely as the one in Panajachel, but since they have only been open for 6 months they don’t have ANYTHING set up to do. No trips, no tours, no INTERNET!, no massages, no way to go to town. Nada, nothing. Those of you who know me, know I can be a slug along with best of the sloths, slugs and other creatures for whom sometimes moving at all is just too much damn trouble. But, damnit, there are things to see down here and I want to see some of them!
There is an ecological preserve nearby that you can arrange boat tours through. I probably can’t get down to the town early enough to arrange that. But, who knows, I may be up with the birds in the morning, since I’m sure I’ll be in bed early tonight, since THERE IS NOTHING TO DO HERE. There is not even a TV in the room.
I saw some kids go down the beach on ATV’s. If I can find that place, I may see about renting one of those thru Sunday. Oh yeah, did I mention that we are here until 2:30 on Sunday?
I wouldn’t mind taking a boat trip along the coast either, but I haven’t seen a single boat out in the water, so that may not even be an option.
And right now, I don’t even have my traveling buddy, Crystal, to be talking with. She fell under the weather yesterday afternoon and was feeling better until we drove down here and traveled on some truly horrible washboard roads right at the end. She has been sleeping since we got here and doesn’t even know yet about our lack of options.
The waves are incredible here, however. Really, really huge. That's partially the effect of the full moon but huge nonetheless.
I’m probably going to finish the ONE BOOK I brought with me, but I’m going to try and pace myself because have I mentioned THERE IS NOTHING TO DO HERE?
More later as I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to write blog entries just not sure I’ll have anything to say in them because THERE IS NOTHING TO DO HERE!!!
The hotel is as lovely as the one in Panajachel, but since they have only been open for 6 months they don’t have ANYTHING set up to do. No trips, no tours, no INTERNET!, no massages, no way to go to town. Nada, nothing. Those of you who know me, know I can be a slug along with best of the sloths, slugs and other creatures for whom sometimes moving at all is just too much damn trouble. But, damnit, there are things to see down here and I want to see some of them!
There is an ecological preserve nearby that you can arrange boat tours through. I probably can’t get down to the town early enough to arrange that. But, who knows, I may be up with the birds in the morning, since I’m sure I’ll be in bed early tonight, since THERE IS NOTHING TO DO HERE. There is not even a TV in the room.
I saw some kids go down the beach on ATV’s. If I can find that place, I may see about renting one of those thru Sunday. Oh yeah, did I mention that we are here until 2:30 on Sunday?
I wouldn’t mind taking a boat trip along the coast either, but I haven’t seen a single boat out in the water, so that may not even be an option.
And right now, I don’t even have my traveling buddy, Crystal, to be talking with. She fell under the weather yesterday afternoon and was feeling better until we drove down here and traveled on some truly horrible washboard roads right at the end. She has been sleeping since we got here and doesn’t even know yet about our lack of options.
The waves are incredible here, however. Really, really huge. That's partially the effect of the full moon but huge nonetheless.
I’m probably going to finish the ONE BOOK I brought with me, but I’m going to try and pace myself because have I mentioned THERE IS NOTHING TO DO HERE?
More later as I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to write blog entries just not sure I’ll have anything to say in them because THERE IS NOTHING TO DO HERE!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
