El Salvador: El Tunco

El Tunco is a beach town in the department (~state) of La Libertad.  We'd heard a lot about it being a favorite of surfers, but Rosie also warned us that it was a rocky beach. We arrived at our next B&B-ish place, the Qi-X Surf Shop and Eco Lodge. We had reserved the suite, which turned out to be a giant room atop the general hangout area. Our room had a giant rolling panel on two parallel sides that could be opened to let the air in and give you a view(of the pool and reception area on one side, and of the lagoon leading tithe ocean on the other. There were two beds, cushioned benches, and a hammock.

We threw our stuff down and started walking the path to the beach. After we rounded the bend in the lagoon trail, we walked the beach trail for no more than 20 feet before coming to a  bright blue tarp set up by three women who were selling plates on fresh-caught raw seafood. We had to try it all: black clams/conches, oysters, and shrimp cocktail(which was not raw). All delicious, and coupled with local Pilsener beer, a breeze, and surfers to watch for entertainment? That's the life.

We walked down the beach and came upon the strip of surf shops, restaurants, and hotels that made up this section of El Tunco.  Not much tout, but they all had beer, food, and an ocean breeze, so we hopped our way along the coast for the next few hours.

Eventually, we were ready to head home and shower. We walked up the main street  and came to the highway connecting us with other beach towns.  We walked along as darkness fell, only to arrive at the apparently locked front gate of our lodge. We cut down another beach path and had to convince another hotel type place to let us out their back gate so we could get on the lagoon path to the back entrance of our place.  Picturesque, relaxing, and sunny, convenience is not to be had cheaply in El Tunco.

The next morning we woke up and hit the beach. Rosie had the right of it, lots of rocks and black sand. Turns out the more resort-style beaches are further south on the Costa del Sol.  We frolicked in the (big) waves, and it was a lot of fun but also enough to convince us that we didn't want to battle surfboards, the undertow, and the waves all at once- no surfing lessons for us. After having an early lunch (garlic lobster for $16), we returned to relax at the hostel. I think I read in the hammock for the next 6 hours straight, which made my day.  We left again to pick up dinner and spent more of the night relaxing at our place.

The next morning, we woke to find previous suspicions confirmed: the scourge of bed bugs was upon us. We had noticed some bumps the day before but weren't entirely certain what had happened. We hastily packed and decided to head to San Salvador early.