El Salvador: San Salvador

San Salvador, the capital city, is laid out along a lengthy x axis. We were at 61st Avenue with a good deal of the sites to see being located farther east around 10th.  We arrived and immediately set about figuring out a working solution to the bed bug problem. We sent out all clothing that we planned to wear yet to the laundry- Jamie's research showed that some time in the dryer might be enough to kill the little buggers. We bought new pajamas to wear while those were washing (for this, we journeyed to the largest mall in Central America, which was built around an old mansion on the property- fanciest Starbucks ever!- see above). We figured it we kept the old clothes and luggage isolates, we could deal with that when we got home. The good news is that, while we did have our luggage on the bed at one point, most of our clothes never touched it, and we figured it out early enough where we might not even be carrying them with us, but we don't want to chance it. Sorry mom and dad, I owe you a new suitcase!!


After a night of bug-free sleep, we were ready to do some sightseeing, and set out for the National Museum...which was closed because it's Semana Santa, the Holy Week preceding Easter.  Instead, we headed downtown and checked out the National Cathedral.  They were finishing a procession for the Stations of the Cross, after which we say and talked about religion, motivation, and dreams for a while. The biggest takeaway was when we arrived at this question, which I will strive to ask myself regularly:  *What is it that I truly want, and am I doing the logical things to arrive there?*

From the church, we made our way into the nearby streets, some of which had been blocked off for the "alfombras". Meaning "rugs", this is the word for giant sawdust or salt images that are made on the sidewalk. The materials have been dyed various colors and are then laid out, either in patterns or in pictures showing Jesus and his life.  They might be as big as 20'x20'.  We also took some time to walk up and down observing the multitude of street stalls that had been set up to sell fruit, hotdogs, clothing, shoes, purses, bootleg DVDs... You name it and it was probably for sale somewhere.

We returned to the hotel to freshen up and later headed to the Iglesia El Rosario. An unassuming building externally, it was designed so that the light flowing into the building illuminates the rainbows of stained glass within. We also saw the end of this church's procession, and witnessed them bringing in their tableau of Jesus as he was entombed.

Next, dinner time! While I thought that I had given our cabbie the address of a buffet place full of El Salvadorean treats, we instead pulled up to one branch of San Salvador's seafood chain, El Beto.  Fortuitous coincidence, as there wasn't much else in the neighborhood. The taxi took us to the correct address, which was the one I intended to give- appears that the place we wanted to visit just doesn't exist :(

But El Beto's knows how to do their seafood. We feasted first on fried balls of yuca and shrimp, followed by seafood-filled ravioli served in squid ink. Mmm. Fig pie was my takeout dessert, also amazing!

Saturday we spent lounging around the hotel. I enjoyed the sun, free time to read, and just the overall sensation of not having to do anything at all!  To be fair, almost everything in town is closed for Holy Week, so I also didn't have much of a choice :) This is definitely something to keep in mind for next year- what will be open if I'm traveling over this same week again? Reminded me a lot of being in Morocco for Ramadan; it's a different experience because you get to see the religious aspects that are important to other cultures, but it may limit the day-to-day things that you could experience during another time of the year.

Easter Sunday started with another yummy breakfast buffet and more poolside relaxation. Everything in town had been closed for the past two days, and Easter was no different. A long, rambling walk in a nearby residential area confirmed that: the only signs of life were at churches and private homes.   Oh, and McDonald's and the ES version of Starbucks, called Mister Donut. Had to stop there and get some alfajores, a cookie sandwich with guava paste in the middle and covered in powdered sugar. Mm!!

What are two girls to do but day-drink by the pool with tostones? So that's what we did, and ended the day with back-to-back episodes of Game of Thrones- Happy Easter indeed!

The last morning opened with one more breakfast buffet, followed by a trip to the closest supermarket.  It's just fun to see what kind of stuff you can get in other places.  All week we had noticed Salsa Inglesa (aka Worchestershire Sauce) as an important condiment...still, I didn't think it would warrant a whole shelf at the grocery store!  After that, it was one more stop for alfajores to take home, then time to taxi to the airport.

I think if I came again, I would do it a little differently: not over Holy Week, staying in a different beach town, and in San Salvador maybe choosing a different section of the city that would be more conducive to seeing historical sites and/or going out at night.  I also wish I would have done a little more research into the country's history and used that to spark more interesting conversations with the people I met.  Next time!  All in all, I enjoyed El Salvador though and am glad we came!

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.

El Salvador: Santa Ana

Stepped off the plane and into a hot box.  El Salvador's 90 degree heat made itself felt immediately as we entered the airport.  After the shortest customs and immigration lines ever (wahoo!), Jamie and I were on our way to our first of three stops, Santa Ana.

We stayed at a small B&B located less than 10 minutes (by car) from the town center. Villa Napoli is owned by a friendly and very accommodating woman named Rosie.   Staying at Rosie's place really did feel a bit like being at the house of a relative: she wanted to make us feel comfortable, asked about the things she could do to make our stay better (nothing, because it was already so pleasant), and her husband and son were equally generous with their time. Alfredo offers tours of various sites in the area, and climbed the Santa Ana Volcano with us.  As if all this wasn't enough, all of the decorations at Rosie's are handmade AND she uses all recycled materials.  If you ever find yourself in need of hospitality while in Santa Ana, El Salvador, Villa Napoli is the place to go (you can find it on bookings.com or hostel world.com).

Our first afternoon in town, Rosie showed us the town square, the Cathedral (beautiful church constructed over 100 years ago, and home in past years to big socialite weddings from what I gathered: Rosie talked of huge red carpets that newlyweds would walk on from the steps of the church and across the town square right into the casino (which is synonymous here for a dance hall, not a gambling establishment) for their reception).  Unfortunately, the local theatre (an impressive building itself) was being renovated or restored, so we weren't able to go inside.

Our next stop was a fresh pupusa dinner at Las Palmeras.  If you haven't heard of pupusas before, they are kin to arepas (see my Colombia posts).  These delicious corn tortillas can be filled with any matter of stuffing and then are cooked to perfection with a crispy outside, yet still tender within.  They are also served with tomato sauce and picked vegetables.  Rosie brought us to Las Palmeras because they still cook pupusas in the traditional way, on a clay surface above a fire.  I decided to the two varieties: cheese&shrimp and "revueltas" (beans, cheese, and chicharron) because at $0.80 each, why not? The meal was complete with a "licuado de fresa", or fresh strawberries blended into juice. A full meal with fresh flavors for only $3.20 total= win!

By this point, the dark night sky (at only 7:30, because Daylight Savings Time is not observed here) plus the travel made me feel like it was time for bed.

Th next morning, we arose to a fresh cooked typical breakfast on the patio: fried black beans, eggs, rolls, yogurt, fruit juice (real stuff!), and coffee.  We packed our bags and along with Alfredo and Simon, a British gentleman also staying at Rosie's, we set out for Volcano Santa Ana.  From Santa Ana, we had to drive something like 45 minutes or an hour to where we parked our car. One thing I noticed as we drove was the incredible variety of flora here...it ranges from the tropical plants I expected like palm trees, but you could find coniferous plants- we saw several variations of pine trees- and some deciduous trees that you would find just as quickly at home.  I also realized that the smell of a fire in hot weather always reminds me of Latin America.

One other thing I noticed on the drive was the men employed to clear brush on high mountain roads.  They were all wearing uniform neon vests as they worked, so it seemed official. I find myself wishing I'd asked who hired them to do the work.

A short hike from the car brought us to the ranger station, where we paid a park entrance fee and waited for the guide and tourist police who were going to accompany us.  And then we waited some more...finally, they arrived and we were underway. The hike was about an hour am a half to the top (we covered 1800 meters, the volcano is actually around 5362 m from base to caldera, but we had already climbed quite a bit in the car).  Strenuous at parts and flat in others, we moved from a jungle path where we were surrounded by trees, to a more exposed area above the treeline, to a final rocky barren path leading to the summit.

Totally worth it!!! Besides it being my first volcano, looking down onto the turquoise blue sulfur lake was really striking in contrast to the gray and brown volcanic rock all around it (I was hoping for someone as knowledgeable as Jon Zerbe to tell me more, but no such luck).

After the descent, we headed for Lago Coatepeque, one of the top six places to see in El Salvador, according to Simon's guidebook. And I understand why- serene and beautiful, it's set in a valley surrounded by a few volcanoes. And as the late afternoon sun hits while you're enjoying fresh-caught garlic lime shrimp and a local beer on the pier of a small restaurant, there's no other place you'd rather be.

After a slight mishap with keys being locked in the car (aw, shucks, we had to have another beer on the water), we headed home for showers. A relaxing night followed, complete with a delivery dinner from Rosie's husband Frankie's family's restaurant.  I tried, for the first time in my adult life, rabbit.  It was just like the dark meat of a chicken- yum!

I went to sleep for a brief nap; Simon, Jamie, and I had all decided to wake at midnight to see the Pink Moon.  As any of you who also observed will have noticed, it wasn't pink. For us it was a reddish gold moon.  Fun fact- if you took a picture that wasn't completely still, the color of the moon didn't show up.  That is to say, it looked just like a regular picture of the full moon.  However, the animals of Santa Ana were going crazy- dogs howling and barking, cats...doing whatever is louder and more strident that meowing.  Truly a cacophony out there.  Shortly, I was back in bed to a sound sleep, even with all the ruckus.

Our next morning featured another breakfast, but this one on the poolside terrace.  After that, some reading in the hammock and packing, and we were on our way to the next stop- the beach at El Tunco.

Morocco Day 10

Our original itinerary called for us to have left at 4:30 AM, but the flight was changed.  While it shortened the layover the I was looking forward to in Casablanca, it meant that was had time to say goodbye to friends that weren't going back to the States, especially Glenn and Adam.  It's strange, because I think the potential on tours like this is for people to become fed up with one another, but I know I'm definitely going to miss seeing some people on a daily basis.  We had a really strong and friendly group dynamic, and it added miles enjoyment-wise to the whole experience.  But now we all have new friends to meet up with and travel with in the future, so it's only so long and not goodbye.

 Next, we turned our attention to scheming a possible visit to Rick's Cafe, modeled after the restaurant in the movie "Casablanca".  That had been the plan, but with our altered itinerary, we weren't sure if it as possiblele.  Since the flight from Marrakech to Casablanca was only 25 minutes, we had plenty, and started booking it for the exit.  Unfortunately, we were stopped- we had already gone through customs in Marrakech, and they wouldn't let us out of the airport as such.  Neither would they let us do another entry and exit stamp- supposedly you can only get one stamp per day.

We dejectedly spent the next few hours grabbing food,  doing a group crossword puzzle, and playing "Heads Up" before getting in line for boarding...a line which did not move for several hours.  We didn't start boarding till wayyyyy later than our original departure time.  And while, for most of the trip, we have been able to use everyone's language skills, the airport announcements were in rapid French and Arabic, leaving us incapable of comprehending the cause of delay or the prospect for it to end.  We then also found out that our same flight had been cancelled the previous afternoon, so we worried that this would be our fate.  Luckily, it was not, and we were eventually able to take off.

Another amazing trip abroad.  I am feeling incredibly grateful for so many things- a great travel companion in Michael, the ability to have come on this trip in the first place, and so many great people that I am looking forward to keeping in touch with- and that I am missing already!  Too bad thinking on the trip positively till doesn't stop me from being incredibly sad that it's over.  Until the next time...

Morocco Day 9

Glenn, Adam, Louwena, Ray, Michael, and I woke up to fo ride quad bikes, otherwise known as 4x4s, in the desert.  I was nervous about this, but it ended up being one of my favorite things on the trip, besides the Berber camp. Idris' village, and just spending time with new friends.  We practiced on a little track for a few laps, then headed out into the countryside.  One thing that really helped alleviate my fears was the fact that we were on a path.  The path itself was actually much easier to ride than our practice track, so soon we were flying along.  I drove first, as we wended our way for an hour through the desert, a tiny village, and to a stop for tea at someone's house.  Michael drove us back to the track again after.  I could not believe how covered in dust we were!  

A quick shower later and we were back on the road, as Idris was escorting a final group trip to the market.  We walked over (think the final temp was around 125 or higher, so it was certainly tiring) and set about shopping.  Soon enough, Glenn, Michael, and I had either made purchases or realized there was nothing to our liking, so we set off in search of street food.  This was a great decision, since it was one of the most tasty things I've had (though I can't promise my reaction wasn't based on hunger and the sheer pleasure of trying something new).  The sandwiches, thoughtfully purchased by Glenn- thanks!!- were made from kebabs which were then deposited in a bread pocket and seasoned with onions and spices.  Mmm!

Back to the hotel for a shower and nap...to be honest, I couldn't really sleep because I was already dreading the idea of going home, saying goodbye to new friends, and having to leave a fascinating place.  So I met some of the group at the bar for drinks instead, and we formulated a dinner plan.  Eventually, Michael, Glenn, Adam, Vicky, Grayson, and I set out for a restaurant.  We had a specific one in mind, but en route found a Lebanese cafe with a diverse menu, alcohol, and shisha- everyone's needs were met.  We spent the next few hours enjoying food, drink, and especially each other's company.  My favorite part had to be teaching "Never Have I Ever" to the Brits and hearing their reactions, as well as learning some new and unexpected facts about everyone.

Eventually, the group was whittled down to Michael, Grayson, and myself.  We decided to check out the upstairs club at Comptoir, but were denied on the basis of Michael's shorts, so we went to the rooftop deck next door at Cafe Extrablatt.  It reminded me of a place we used to go in Cairo, with it's plush couch seating, subtle lighting, and mood music.  However, it took us about 0 minutes to get a menu.  Worth the wait though, because cocktails were only 80 dirham ($10), which beats Comptoir's price of 110 ($14 ish).  They werew delicious as well.  The music started putting us to sleep, though, so we headed for home...probably the for the best as it was nearing 3 am.