garyandpearl

Sunday January 25

Staying at Los Mangoes is a bit like camping, and for those of you that know Gary and I, you know that camping is something we rarely do. There is running water which is collected from the roof when it rains. There is a shower and, much to our delight, hot water! We drink bottled water to stay healthy, and there is a tiny kitchen to cook in.

We woke up hoping to find a church to attend. After asking the locals and finding directions for a Catholic and Protestant church, we ended up missing both services as we could not find the churches in time. (Signs are a luxury!).

This is the Catholic Church.

We walked down the beach instead, and then had a visit from Dia who filled us in on the many attractions of Hopkins and area. Mayan Ruins, cave tubing, diving, snorkeling, fishing, hiking…so much to do in so little time. Thinking about it was exhausting, so we spent the day relaxing! :).

Relaxing included a Sunday afternoon drive which both of us experienced in our families growing up. As a child I thought it was boring, but as adults it has more appeal. Our core muscles were strengthened as we jostled over rough roads from one end of the village to the other and stopped to explore along the way. Our 2 1/2 hour drive brought us to a fellow from the Edmonton area who was building a home for himself in order to escape the Alberta winters. We had a tour of the construction site and Gary especially enjoyed observing and learning about construction in this part of the world.

Hopkins has many restaurants to choose from, and so this afternoon we ate an early supper at the Driftwood Cafe. On Sundays they host a volleyball game and BBQ, so we enjoyed BBQ chicken with fantastic oven roasted potatoes, homemade coleslaw, and a freshly baked roll. The bill came to$15 US including two orders of chicken, drinks, taxes, and tip! I think we will eat out all week at these prices! 🙂

We climbed the stairs to our rooftop and watched the sunset before heading in for the evening.