El Salvador

August 5th - 10th

Our trip to El Salvador from Antigua was pretty uneventful until we reached the border. So in theory, when one is traveling between countries, an entry and exit stamp for each country is required. On a rare and very unfortunate occasion, especially if traveling by boat or train, officials may forget to stamp your passport to show you entered the country. This is only a problem when you try to leave that country, much like a Canadian girl who was on our bus discovered. The charismatic, jovial driver who literally knew everyone we had passed on the journey (and we would learn everyone in El Salvador as well) schmoozed his (and her) way through the border by blending her in with the crowd who was leaving the window. In short, we started the journey into a new country by smuggling someone else illegally into El Salvador. Sweet. Pretty certain that wouldn't happen as easily in the States, just saying.

We headed to El Tunco, a very famous beach known internationally for its excellent surf. A couple of things about the "beaches" here: the little sand that is present mainly in the water is black and the layout area is its own sea of smooth, large rocks. Not much sandy area. However, the waves were powerful and one can see immediately why surfers love it. After a long swim/"stand there and try not to get pummeled by the waves or get caught in the undertow" session, we enjoyed the salty air smell, slight breeze, and island tunes from a beach side restaurant. We ordered sodas to officially celebrate our 1 month of traveling (we only realized when looking at our exit stamp from Guatemala that the day itself was the same as the entry stamp) and a banana split :) However, when the bill came, we were $0.05 short. Now, normally that isn't a huge deal, but we don't know how people here would respond. Hannah and I have always joked that I could sell the bag of lollipops that I purchased while in Xela if things got ugly. Well, luckily I had a few in my bag...and to the beaches I went calling out like a professional vendor. A nice family denied the lollipops but gave me the nickel! How amazingly generous these people are - not for the five cents - but we have repeatedly encountered so many people who go the extra length to help you, and from this end it is greatly appreciated! We took in some live music and poor food choices once the sun set. The place where we ate was basically run by children, as is a large majority of establishments. Sadly, kids do not have the opportunity to be kids because there simply is not time and families need all the help they can get just to survive. However, watching a child with heap tons of attitude put disrespectful or cheating people in their place is pretty amazing.

After waiting a couple hours, we finally found a ride to San Salvador, the connector city to Suchitoto. How cheap are we? We took an overcrowded, hot, "try to balance while turtling it and not fall over when the 12-year-old driver takes his tight corners" ride on a crosstown public bus because it was $0.20 and the taxis were only offering it for $4. Yep, that cheap. We made the connection and arrived at Suchitoto, a small, colonial, very artsy and progressive mountain town situated on Lake Suchitlan where the people are helpful, the food is delicious, and the doors are amazing. Hannah and I have a thing for bikes, trucks, doors, and windows. We spent the day getting lost and exploring - for the first time in a while, our shoulders were relaxed, our pace was leisurely, and we did not have the desire to look over our shoulders every block or so. The town itself is a higher class than we have been used to and often serves as a weekend getaway for many El Salvadorians - thus, Hannah and I were some of the more poorly dressed of the bunch! Now, that is not really new for me (in general), but it is the first time we actually recognized it! Due to the fact we had almost all of the day to explore and most things were open, we made a spontaneous decision at breakfast to move onto Santa Ana.

Standing up on a bus while turtling it is DIFFICULT. Add to the mix drivers who have the desire to speed but are given old school buses from America to work with and you have fast lane changes, unnecessary braking and accelerating, and close call passes into oncoming traffic. So, at one point on the bus ride back to San Salvador, the driver made a sharp right THROWING Hannah and I onto the people sitting on the left side of the bus. Apparently, Hannah fell slightly onto the oldest woman on the bus and a middle-aged woman who was diving to protect the elderly woman. Unfortunately, I did not see ANY of it because I too wiped out. The majority of my turtled weight fell on a young gentleman sitting in the aisle seat while my flailing upper body hit an elderly woman and my head being stopped by the window. Now, if that isn't bad enough, my legs totally came off the ground and as they did, the left hit a fellow stander in the knee and the right hit another (male) stander in the groin-ish area. As if the only two gringas basically in the town of Suchitoto (there was only one other white female that I saw) now with extremely large backpacks on trying to fit onto a local bus wasn't spectacle enough, that happened. Sheeeeooooot. I'm almost certain I've never apologized that much to anyone...about 20 times immediately after it happened and q2minutes for the duration of the ride. Every time I did, the older woman would wave her hand in a "forget about it" motion but then would bring it immediately up to her right shoulder and start rubbing it while wearing a sad face. YIKES! Today, our mission to help others has failed miserably, unless after that people were then thinking "well, at least we aren't those two." After that excitement, the connection to Santa Ana from San Salvador was boringly uneventful.

Santa Ana is a grid-format city that feels a lot like parts of Brooklyn, the ones with lots of abandoned car parts-like stores. Unfortunately, it was Sunday and hard to gauge whether this was the norm or simply because 1 in 30 stores is open on Sundays. When we found Casa Verde, there were angels singing in the near distance. Carlos, the lovely owner of this amazing hostel has literally thought of everything a traveler would need. Individual lock boxes, reading lights, and fans for each of the beds he had (all twin beds, no bunks), free internet, all the useful information one could need, laundry area, 3 lounge areas, a DVD selection for you to choose from, a kitchen to use, free clean water, and if you are lucky like we were, a free pasta dinner the first night! This places was SPOTLESS! We didn't even check for chinches! A diamond in the rough would be an understatement. A huge thanks to Carlos for such a lovely hostel/Santa Ana experience. Regrouped with an actual lunch that included a carrot-apple beverage in which those two foods and ice were the only ingredients. Phenomenal, I suggest everyone try it at home...unfortunately, if it is not good, it's probably operator error! Watched "Man Without Limits," a crazy movie about a drug manufactured to allow the use to access all parts of his/her brain and reach endless possibilities in life. A very interesting and thought-provoking movie that kinda left us not accessing any part of our brain :)

After a somewhat panicked rush to find a bus that would take us to the National Park of Volcanoes (Cerro Verde, Santa Ana, and Izalco), we arrived in time for the guided hikes. Due to the fact our main purpose of coming to Santa Ana was to see the turquoise pool (its color made by the combination of sulfur and the minerals within the land/crater) that lies within the Santa Ana crater, it was an obvious choice which hike to choose. There was a slight scare when we were told the hike to Santa Ana may not be possible, as they go on a majority-rules basis and no other person in the parking lot was hiking it. After seeing the disappointment on our faces, Elizabeth, who would become our personal guide, decided she could take us up! We first headed down Cerro Verde and then climbed Santa Ana with Elizabeth and our two personal armed security guards, Nelson and Eliseo (not sure about that last one). What an amazing experience to have with such a small group of people! The views of Izalco and Lago Santa Ana were phenomenal, and we arrived to the summit just before the clouds rolled in. Approaching the crater was so disorienting...you are almost hypnotized by the magnificence of the layered crater and the color of the mineral pool that lies within before you realize how close you are to the edge. It literally distracts you from reality for a moment! There were horizontally running sections of different colored rock throughout the depth of the crater, similar to the age rings of a tree - I've not ever seen so many different colors of rock from one structure! Once the clouds rolled in, it was just our outlines and the crater...a unique sensation for sure. Our strong guards helped us descend slightly to another solid rock for some amazing photos, which I will share as soon as this website allows me to upload images. The people we went with truly made that experience even better and more memorable, if that is possible. Additional plus, we spoke more Spanish in that four hour hike than we had the 4 days prior, or so it felt! After another lovely evening at Casa Verde, a friend of Carlos gave us a ride to the bus stop - one of the most honest and helpful people we have come across.

We returned to San Salvador the next day, solely because all international bus rides to Hannah's departure city originated there. To be fair, we did not explore much of San Salvador, but it does not seem to be a necessary stop on one's travel itinerary. Hannah and I stayed in a legitimate HOTEL with AIR CONDITIONING, towels, and the lot. A very energetic and kind man named Nelson drove us to the bus station to make reservations. Side note: When taking an international bus ride, bring your passport with you when making the reservation or buying the ticket. Needless to say, Nelson got a double fare, but charged us less because he is just that kind of guy! He was the highlight of San Salvador by far. We have his card in case anyone is headed this way - he will take care of you! I felt a little sad knowing Hannah and I would be headed separate ways in the morning, but I am excited she gets to see those she loves. Luckily, it is only one week before we reunite in Honduras. In the meantime, I made a very spontaneous decision to go to Mexico, possibly to catch up with Michelle, so let us see how this goes!