Tulate

I was fortunate to spend the better part of this weekend at the beach in Tulate with Omar, Vanessa and Ruth. It's now been confirmed for the 100th time, I am an ocean person. I believe that there are ocean people and there are mountain people, and maybe a few mixed up in between. I fit snuggly in the ocean camp. Something happens as we are descending from Xela, down the curvy road heading towards the coast. As soon as we start to sense the heat, some 1000 meters or so below Xela, I feel this sense of comfort, like I am back where I belong. It is hot and humid and buggy, but something about it puts me at ease. So it isn't just an aversion to the dark, dreary winters of New England, but some kind of attraction to this heat, this closeness of the sea. I feel this sense of anticipation and excitement.

Perhaps it is something about beginnings. I grew up just a few miles from the beach. I remember surviving high school math class because I could look out the window of the classroom, on the third floor of a building perched high up on a hill in New Haven, and I could see the coast and feel some sense of freedom from the boredom of the class, some kind of opportuntity. I guess I still feel that possibility when I'm near the water. Time to start figuring out how to live near the coast again...

Guatemalan beaches have pretty poor reputations and I'm yet to understand why. This was wide open pacific, dark, soft sand and very few other people in site; Fish shacks that serve tasty ceviche and cold beer with limes; warm but refreshing, clean water. I couldn't ask for much more. Ruth took quite a few pictures, including of the pigs (literally cerdos, not people with large appetites) who ate next to us last night. I'll post a link when she puts them online...