Where Hola meets Ciao

This weekend we finally hit the road again and went to the Guatemalan Pacific coast of Monterrico. It was a short trip compared to our past excursions – only about 2 hours – but I suppose our idea of what constitutes a “long drive” has drastically changed since earlier this year. Having visited Monterrico before during our time in Xela, we knew what we were in for – black sand, strong waves, mosquitoes & lots of heat. This time we packed Dewey with a few basic camping supplies, sleeping pads, sheets and pillows, with hopes that we may luck into a camping spot, even though “camping” is pretty much unheard of in the Guatemalan culture. Well, being that the air in Monterrico is so hot it takes your breath away, added to the colds that we are both nursing, it didn’t take us long to realize that camping wasn’t the best idea…..at least for this trip. So we turned to our handy Rough Guide and took a stab at an “extremely clean” B&B on the main drag. Turns out we made the right choice at La Palma, where Italian owners Felipe & Patricia, were happy to have us as their weekend guests. With Guatemalan bones and Italian charm, we couldn’t have been happier staying at their lovely B&B The breezy terrace lined with comfy hammocks wasn’t bad either!

La Palma B & B - an Italian paradise in Guatemala

Upon our arrival we were introduced to their friendly pet raccoon – Yes, I did say raccoon. Clynn is his name and he is apparently named after an old Japanese cartoon character that was around in the late 1970’s - Candy Candy. Patricia insisted that I have seen the show, but after a bit of research on Wikipedia, it really doesn’t look familiar to me. A bit of a mischievous little fellow, Clynn quickly grew on us and didn’t get into too much trouble during our stay. Felipe & Patricia were more than helpful with suggestions and friendly conversation; we definitely recommend staying with them if you find yourself in Monterrico, especially if you love all things Italian the way that we do. Over breakfast we reminisced with Patricia about all the wonderful places we visited during our luna de miel (honeymoon) in Italy – oh how we wish we could go back! For now, weekend getaways to Monterrico’s “Little Italy” will have to do.

a bit out of character, Ben spent most of his time passed out under our umbrella

Clynn needs to wash all of his food before he eats it!

I can't wait to hang a hammock at our new house!

even though we didn't camp, Dewey did have a bit of adventure