Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Worldwide Fishing Adventures
( toll-free in USA 888-479-2277;
www.wheretofish.com
)
and
Fishing Interna-
tional
( toll-free in USA & Canada 800-950-4242;
www.fishinginternational.com
)
run all-inclusive deep-
sea fishing tours to Iztapa from the USA. It is also possible to contract local boat owners
for fishing trips, though equipment and comfort may be nonexistent and catch-and-release
could prove a foreign concept. The boat owners hang out at the edge of the Río María
Linda - bargain hard. Yellowfin tuna will likely be out of reach for the local boats, as
these fish inhabit the waters some 17km from Iztapa.
There's not much to do in Iztapa. The best thing to do is get a boat across the river to
the sandbar fronting the ocean, where the waves pound and a line of palm-thatched res-
taurants offers food and beer.
Sleeping
Sol y Playa Tropical $$
( 7881-4365; a Calle 5-48; s/d Q210/260; )
This place has tolerable rooms with fan and a
bathroom on two floors around a swimming pool that monopolizes the central patio. Air-
con costs an extra Q50.
HOTEL
Getting There & Away
The bonus about Iztapa is that you can catch a bus from Guatemala City all the way here
(Q25, 1½ hours). They leave about every half-hour, from 5am to 6pm, traveling via Es-
cuintla and Puerto San José. The last bus heading back from Iztapa goes around 5pm.
Most people will be just passing through here en route to Monterrico. If you're driving,
follow the signs on the road east until you get to the new bridge (Q15 one way) across to
Pueblo Viejo.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Monterrico
The coastal area around Monterrico is a totally different Guatemala. Life here is steeped
with a sultry, tropical flavor - it's a place where hanging out in a hammock is both a major
endeavor and a goal. Among the main cash crop here is
pachete
(loofah), which get as big
as a man's leg. In season, you see them everywhere growing on trellises and drying in the
