las tortugas - the turtles

the turtles in Asia are a symbol of wisdom.  when diving i chase sea turtles because they are so very.  yes, very everything. 

as a teenager in Florida when we sailed to the island of Keewaden we would often find the paths that turtles made from the water to their nests.  occasionally we would dig up and count the eggs to report to the conservation group.

for a lot of reasons, mostly related to costal development and fishing methods, turtles are declining in numbers.  so i love to see a community [yes, the nationals of a developing country!] coming together to preserve a species that is endangered.

there are quite a few turtle sanctuaries in central america - each doing thier part for conservation.  it seems at odds with a country imersed in poverty yet they seem to understand the importance of these species.

everywhere i have witnessed the special bond between children and animals and it is always the same mixute of love and wonder and amazement that seems to be lost as we become adults.

the buckets of baby turtles were emptied onto the beach at sunset so they would follow the sun into the water and it was priceless to experience the exodus of the turtle hatchlings into the ocean as the waves lapped up to take them on thier journey.

i left saying, 'las tortugas, las tortugas siempre en mi corazon' [the turtles, the turtles always in my heart].  it was the best memory of my weekend on the coast of Guatemala.

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.