Another little hello! I’m back from Cuba which – theoretically – means I can start scribbling down here again! Since the last article was posted in the stone age several weeks ago, let’s do a little catching-up here; I’m still summarising my “history” on Cuba so meanwhile you can have a little read on my closure through El Salvador. I know, that’s not fair, but life isn’t fair anyway so get used to it! ;)

So alright, away from the parties and beach – on to the hills in central El Salvador. Suchitoto is supposed to be everything El Salvador was before trouble started and it certainly has a nice character of its own. They say travelling is about discovering oneself – and this trip is no exception – so I tried out my mental flexibility on seeing some art in nearby Las Palmas (no… not here!). I “discovered” (read: reassured myself) the fact that art just isn’t for me. Period. Funny buildings though J and it made for a nice trip anyway!

Next up was a little history lesson, all to do with the aforementioned civil war, of which most tourists seem to think it’s still going. (Idiots!) A long trip to Perquin, in North-eastern El Salvador, and a hook-up with a former guerrilla warrior is just the thing to do this! We ended up viewing (and sometimes) holding some of their equipment – from Soviet rifles to 0.5-inch TV’s – which is pretty impressive. No pics allowed unfortunately. Also visited a village in which the biggest massacre in that time took place (El Mozote) and I must admit it’s shocking to say the very least. Good to learn about a place though a different point of view, especially when stories are being told to you by people whose experiences are all first-hand.

Anyway, on to more positive things; spent the night in San Salvador (thanks Jeremy!) which despite its ten murders a day still has a nice vibe to it! Then, on to Guatemala City (my passport is pretty much full of Guatemalan stamps by now – lol) and off to the country of endless creativity: Cuba! So while I put that stuff together, you go enjoy an old song, alright?

-René

PS: Would you all please stop counting down my travelling days in your comments / e-mails / Facebook messages? I’d like not to be reminded too much (no worries, I’m just kidding…right? ;)).

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Silent Suchitoto

ehmm... ART!

"How to crash a plane" - Salvadorean style

Right - new article, new country: Bienvenidos a El Salvador! It`s a relatively small and well-developed hub in Central America… also it`s supposed to be the most violent country in the region - sounds like fun! ;) It seems like there aren`t too many tourists here (apart from the beaches) but nonetheless there`s plenty of stuff to do, so let`s take off…

The border crossing between Guatemala and El Salvador (known as Anguiatú) was the most intriguing until now. While crossing, loads and loads of questions ran through my head: “Why am I being let through without trouble?” , “Where are the 25 bicycle-taxi-guys that try to run off with my bag?” , “Where are the regular 50 money-changers?” , “Why is nobody trying to rip me off in general?” and “Why is the migracion-guy not trying to make me pay some non-existent tax?”. Very strange. A little scary, even.

Once I got into El Salvador it was another walk to a point where buses (to Santa Ana) would pass. Fortunately I ended up in some funny watering hole; while waiting for the bus I got into a talk with a guy that threw about half a month salary into the jukebox, only to hear this song over and over again. Welcome to El Salvador - woo-hoo! :)

I decided to hit the western highlands first, in an area called “Ruta de las Flores”. That`s right: lots of flowers, but no hippes. Crashed down in a town named Juayua, which is mainly famous for its food fair. You could probably guess: I stuffed up quite a bit! Next day decided to rent a bike and visit the following spots:

Apaneca: A nice climb up (what the hell happened to my physical condition!?) - the town is quiet but nice. Had fun watching a colourful procession with locals - after all it was Semana Santa!

Laguna (not so) Verde: Crater lake in a volcano, just outside Apaneca. Nothing verde about it as it was blue :) Makes a nice ride though and chatting with locals was - as always - fun!

Concepción de Ataco: Upon entering the town I instantly noticed one thing: everyone was smiling! It took an instant to realise why; never seen so many colourfully painted houses together. If you´re in a bad mood, go here - a cure is guaranteed! Even I was smiling at the end :) Trivia: Missed the entrance to town and as a result had to bike an extra 5km uphill. Could use the exercise though!

Next day agreed to climb a waterfall - something different from all the swimming, right? :) My assumption the climb would be up proved to be wrong; we went down instead! No secured ropes, belts or other gear, it was all bare hand- and foot-work for the 15-20m difference in height. One word: amazing! Later on my guide told me he was one of very few people that were allowed to guide this tour, and even then not many people did it. I asked him why and the answer was as simple as astonishing: A short while ago a large group of guides and tourists got killed down there. Ever since it`s been quiet… even though locals figured out who did it and “took care” of the problem. I don`t want to know any more details…

As Easter weekend was approaching, which basically means all of Central America`s infrastructure gets jammed, I decided to chill out at a spot I really miss: the beach! Playa San Diego became the place of choice; not too crowded, nice waves and a really cool place to hang out!

As this trip continues, I moved back to the mountains, slowly digging into El Salvador`s history. Stay tuned for more news… soon!

-René

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Juayua - heart of town

Biking material

Procession Apaneca - nice dresses btw! :)

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