weekend on the south coast - las lisas

i joined a few new friends for a weekend on the south coast [pacific] on a tiny island almost to the Honduras border.  the beaches were made up of the black volcanic sand and the island quite deserted in a strange way.  there were many structures but they all looked abandoned - as though after one of the storms the owners had never returned.  the first two days the ocean was ferocious.  

huge waves and a powerful current scared me from getting in farther than my ankles.  we spent a lot of time in the hamocks.  it was a such a perfect meditation on how very insignificant we are compared to the power of the water.  

i was mesmerized by the breaking of the waves and watched as they crested and crashed into the beach.  instead of swiming we walked miles up and down the beach without seeing another person which was bizzare.  i found astoundingly beautiful shells on the beach but they were the kind that were animal houses so i threw them back and i regretted not having my camera to photograph them. 

the hotel was a bit of a mixed bag and in all fairness it was more geared to nationals so i'd call it off the beaten path for sure.  the water in the pool was green so i skipped that thinking it was just an ear infection in the making.  it was a resort some westerner bought and was trying to manage remotely but everything was run down.  the rooms were just cardboard type walls with thatched roofs that were open [palapas] which makes sense here because of the heat and humidity.  it just requires one to be comfortable with the bats mating on the ceiling and other crawling things in the room.  the staff didn't know how to feed a vegetarian and i'd assumed [shame on me] the meals would be buffet so i could choose as i needed to get a balance of protien but they served by plates so i was at the mercy of the kitchen which decided as a vegetarian i just would want carbs.  i'm starting to really hate tortillas.

then there were amazing tile murals of frogs and turtles that seemed out of place because they were so beautiful.

STILL, it was a relaxing weekend on an island most people would be fortunate to find themselves.  i NEVER FORGET how blessed i am to be free to explore the world as i want.  there is a strange elation i get when i am traveling.  even just driving this weekend i find myself as excited as a child at christmas when i'm going along and look at new things.  here it was the volcanoes, the coffee plantations [fincas or farms they are called here], the sugar cane, the rivers and the vendors.  it's easy to see why so many people fall in love with this country - from the water to the mountains - it is all beautiful.

the most special moment of the trip was the release of the sea turtles to the sea and for that you must wait for my next post.