La vida en Guatemala: Tilapita (The Beach!)

Last weekend we took a total of 3 buses and one "lancha" (long, narrow boat) to reach the little beachside hamlet of Tilapita on the west coast of Guatemala. The whole trip took about 7 hours, and the electricity had gone out in the town by the time we got there. So we boarded and exited the lancha in the pitch dark, using our flashlights just to see a few feet in front of us. It was kind of a surreal experience, since it seemed like we were the only living beings in the entire place. All twelve of us piled into a 4-bed bungalow that night, and with the minimal light of our flashlights we built a charcoal fire to cook hot dogs and chicken on. It was a good night over all, and the warmth was a welcome change from the cold air of Quetzaltenango.

The next day we spent lounging on the beach and playing volleyball in the pool at the hotel next door. The hotel had not had any visitors for months, so they were happy to fill the pool for us and to make some money by feeding us during meal times. Some curious local children ended up hanging out with us the entire day, playing soccer and volleyball and seeming to have a great time. The oldest was 13 and the youngest was probably 5 (and some were more annoying than not), but overall they were a lot of fun. It was great swimming in the warm ocean water and body surfing in the waves. Later that night we took some cold beers and s'more fixings out to the beach, where we built a nice fire and enjoyed the night. Overall it was great, but it was nice to head back to the cool of Xela the next day after the sweltering heat we woke up to.

View to the beach from our bungalow