Guatemala Part 7

In the post we are going to the Pacific Ocean! This was a special part of the trip for me because I have never been to any ocean before, mainly just the lakes hear in Michigan. And I've never been in salt water before.

There were too many of us to all fit in the van, so some of the group rode in the back of the truck the 1 1/2 hours to the ocean. I opted for the truck...it's easier to take pictures from :) Plus I never pass up the opportunity to ride out in the open!

This was an interesting thing...it's a truck stop for the truck drives...with hammocks! They need these here in America!

We pass miles and miles of banana trees. It was pretty neat to see a fruit we eat all the time growing. They put the plastic bags on the bunches of bananas to trap the gases and help them ripen faster.

We also passed a large section of palm trees planted in perfect rows on either side of the road. It was so dark and cool underneath them, like a jungle, you could feel the cool air.

Welcome to the Ocean!

The sand there isn't pretty and white like our Michigan beach sand, it's black and actually pretty dirty. And it's very hot! I had scandals on and it was still difficult to walk on.

A couple hundred feet from the edge of the ocean, families build these shelters with palm fronds so you can get out of the sun. You can also purchase lunch from them, more on that in a minute.

Jothum enjoyed playing in the sand and Lavonne loved being tossed around by his aunt.

Random photos of our group enjoying the water :)

This is our trip leader, Emilton, his wife, Lucille and their boys, Elison and Lavonne.

Me enjoying the Pacific Ocean!
It was a little intimidating for me as I don't know how to swim and I'm generally leary of water, but I had a ton of fun! The currents were super strong and going two different directions so even in the knee deep water it was difficult to stay on your feet. I was too nervous at first to venture out very far, but with the help of Jeremiah and his daughter, Hosanna, I did finally go out to the sand bar where the water was up to my chest and the waves were high! It was exhilarating. I only stayed out for a little while because it took a lot of energy to stay upright and not let the current push you around.
A shout out to my Aunt Mary for making my wonderful swim suit! Guatemala was my first time using it and it worked splendidly!

Angel, a friend who came with us to the ocean, drawing pictures in the sand. He was quite good!

This was our dinner at the ocean...it was very good.

Horses, pigs and stray dogs at the ocean...quite different from our beaches here :)

On our way home we encountered this sow with her piglets walking down the street in town!

And to sum up this post and our day at the ocean, we were blessed with a beautiful sunset on our way home :)