El Paredón, week 1
Black beaches in El Paredón, cats and dogs, and beautiful daily sunsets.
December 13, 15:47
Let’s go to the beach. It’s suuuuper hot here, so I waited the whole day to go, cause the sun is just too much and I very much don’t want to be burned alive. So finally we go. Ohh, and the sand is black because of the nearby volcanoes.
Oh, and I responded to an ad on Facebook Marketplace - a short bus that I really like. Initially, I thought I would want to convert a van, cause you know, that’s what most people talk about. But after looking around a little bit, I think a short school bus would be even better. They’re cheaper and more spacious. Alright, maybe not cheaper in maintenance and gas, but those are issues for future Lisa. But, they’re definitely more spacious, and if I wanted to use this bus to travel with for two months, it might be nice to have a little extra space. Especially cause I would like to have a toilet and shower in there. And a kitchen with enough counter space. So yeah, I think it’s gonna be a short bus instead of a van.
December 14, 11:02
I’m having THE BEST MORNING EVER. First, I went for an early morning beach walk, and afterwards I found a coffee shop where they have cats. THREE. Three cats, and they are so cute. They’re all up in everybody’s faces cause they’re trying to steal away the food. A little annoying, but so cute, so who cares. So right now, I’m happily surrounded by cats while making drawings for the short bus. Not exactly in scale, but just for fun so I can see what’s possible.
December 15, 17:30
Right now it’s sunset time. I’ve been going every day since I've been here. It’s funny cause in a way it’s kinda like in Las Tunas, Ecuador. There, we also went to the beach to watch the sunset every day, a little tradition. And it’s there where I started this diary. 29 weeks ago. I think the first thing I wrote was that I didn’t really knew what I was gonna share, and to this day I still don’t know. I’m still just going along with what I decided to do over half a year ago.
The one thing I do know now is that I want Yellow Views to be a platform that makes the world a better place and simultaneously shows that the world is already such a beautiful place. So I’m gonna choose a few charities with which I want to work. The poems and photos that I make, I want to sell and give part of that profit to those charities. I want to set up volunteer programs all over the world, and I want to offer group travel in collaboration with travel companies. I also want to have alternative or unique housing all over the world, like a Tiny House in the Netherlands and a wooden sustainable cabin with an outdoor shower in Guatemala. And then I would like a collaboration with the local community, like I don’t know, a cooking class in someone’s home or something, so the people that rent these places are more connected with where they are. And by renting these places, I want to give part of that profit to a local charity as well. So yeah, that’s the plan. Definitely a clearer vision than 29 weeks ago.
Small boat in the distance during sunset, El Paredón, Guatemala
December 16, 14:13
There’s no one at this apartment complex that I’m staying at, so I have the pool all for myself. It’s four houses or actually bedrooms with private bathrooms at the complex, an outside pool in the middle, and at the end a bigger house with a communal kitchen and seating area. It’s super nice and far away from the party hostels in this place. And the pool is very welcome with this heat. So I’m a little happy penguin at the moment.
Airbnb in el Paredón, Guatemala
December 17, 15:25
I am not feeling well. Every month, I forget how shitty I feel the first day of my period. The stomach cramps are super bad, my back aches, and I have a headache. I just feel bad. Now I just woke up from a nap cause I got so tired. It was like all the energy had left my body. I’ll probably go out to get something to eat, most likely take away, so I can crawl back into bed and eat here while watching a movie.
December 18, 18:38
OMG. It really is time for me to move places. I just got locked out of the apartment complex. Somehow, the code of the door wasn’t working. Luckily for me, a car bumped into the fence yesterday, so it was broken and very weak in one spot. So after waiting for like 15 minutes for the Airbnb people to respond, I was out of patience and decided to climb through the fence. It might be more broken now, but it needed fixing anyway. So I entered my little house, feeling relieved, only to find a HUGE hairy worm with legs on my bed. Next to the pillow. Oh my god. I caught it and it’s outside right now, but the whole bed just feels gross. As much as I like this place, I am really happy to be moving tomorrow.
Sunset was pretty again.
December 19, 11:11
FUCK YEAH. This is AMAZING. I am so excited! I booked a beachfront accommodation for two nights cause I wanted to see the ocean from my bed. And this is just insane. It’s a sort of wooden bungalow on poles. Below is my private area with hammocks, and above is the room with two beds, a mosquito net, and a little bench in front of the ‘window’. The window is an opening at the front with a big net so people can’t look in, but you can still look out, and you can remove it, so the wind can blow through the bedroom. Palm trees to the right and a perfect view of the ocean. I’m so hyped to be here.
More of my favorite photos:
