Oh what a wonderful Thanksgiving I had! I had a whirlwind of an awesome trip with my friend Amber on the Caribbean side of Guatemala. I had such a blast and it is hard to believe it is already over. We headed out to Livingston on Wednesday and arrived safely, surviving a 13 hour marathon travel day. Luckily Amber knew a great local rice and beans diner and we grabbed a cheap but tasty meal before falling exhausted into bed.
We stayed at the beautiful oceanside hotel called Casa Rosada. They have a wonderful little dock with hammocks lined up to enjoy a morning cup of coffee and watch the sun come up. Thanksgiving Day started off with a walk into `town `to hunt down the famous Pan de Coco (coconut bread) and return to the hammocks to discuss plans for the day. We decided to head out to the famous cascading pools called Seven Altars. We enjoyed a nice hike out along the beach and lucked out to have the whole spot to ourselves. The turquoise fresh water was so refreshing after our little hike. We spent a fair amount of time just swimming around and enjoying this little paradise in the jungle. On the hike back we stopped off at a little rancho and enjoyed a Cube Libre (rum and Coke – hey it’s not the Caribbean without rum J ). That night we headed over to Casa de la Iguana for a proper Thanksgiving feast. The friendly owner, Rusty, slaved away preparing 3 turkeys for the feast and even managed to round up a few cans of real Ocean Spray cranberries. It was pretty surreal eating such a traditional American meal surrounded by jungle – but it was awesome to celebrate with my Peace Corps friends. They even made a big chocolate cake for dessert and I am happy to say that yes I ate it all!
The next day we headed out to a little piece of paradise called Finca Tatin on the Rio Dulce. The boat came by the hotel in the morning to take us on the half hour ride down river. The finca is situated right on a little tributary of the river, with plenty of dock space to sun and relax in the hammocks. Plus, the water was clean and we were able to waste away the day, alternating between sunning, swimming, and ordering banana licuados. The food at the finca is amazing as well. We were treated to fresh fish, awesome flour tortillas that were kind of like an Indian naan bread, and broccoli soup. The lights were out by 10 p.m. since the finca runs on its own generator, which reminded me of my life here on the finca.
The next day Amber and I took out the kayaks for a few hours to look for iguanas and other wildlife along the river banks. We spotted 3 between us but as Amber says, you can tell they get hunted because as soon as we even got a little near they ran right up the trees as high as they could go. After some kayaking we returned to our tough life of sunning and swimming off the docks of the finca.
In the late afternoon we took a boat back to Livingston to enjoy the festivities of the Garifuna Fair. Everyone was out having a great time, playing drums and dancing in the streets. We had fun cruising around, trying out some of the local food. I loved the big flour tortillas that they had on the grill and then filled with grilled meat and onions – ohhhh soooo good! We also found a good pupusa stand, although far from El Salvador – still really good. For those that don’t know pupusas, it is made with a tortilla on the bottom level, filled with either pork, beans, or cheese, and then another tortilla is placed on top and the ends are sealed together. Then it is grilled to perfection! Anyway – super good and famous in El Salvdor – but they are common in Guatemala as well.
The next day began at sunrise for a marathon travel day back to site but it was well worth it!
While we were away, I realized I had passed my 23rd month of being in Guatemala – which means under 4 months to go at this point! It is getting bittersweet at this point. I am excited to start thinking about my future plans but it will be sad but also very gratifying to finish up with Peace Corps. We have our Close of Service Conference already planned in January and here it is almost December! I feel so thankful to have been able to spend the last two years with some great people. It is true when they say that volunteers represent some of the best America has to offer. It has been a rollercoaster ride, but to be able to live and work in the beautiful country of Guatemala truly has been a special privilege. Thank you!
