Beach beach beach

I don't know why I love the beach so much. I grew up in Chicago, for God's sake. But there's something about lying in hot sand with the suns cancer-rays beating down on my skin that just does it for me. So for Thanksgiving weekend I spend 13 hours on a bus (one way, mind you) to do just that--bake in the sun on a beach. My guidebooks tell me that Monterrico is Guatemala's best beach, located way down on the south coast, on the Pacific. There's still not a whole lot to the town of Monterrico, just a few tourist hostels, some bars, and of course miles of black sand beaches. There's also a sea turtle hatchery where sea-turtles (now very much endangered due to egg poaching, net fishing, and pollution) are bred and released into the sea. Other than that, it's just like any other little Guatemalan town. And that was fine with me. I spent my weekend on the beach, lying in a hammock with a book, and enjoying ice-cold fruit licuados. It was delightful. And that I'm definitely thankful for.