Week 2

El Salvador continues to be wonderful, but my time here is coming to an end. Since I last blogged, here is what Ive been up to...

Back in Juayua, we met a local tour guide who took myself and the 4 other gringos on a grand (walking) tour. First, we headed to Chorros de Calera, beautiful waterfalls just a few KM outside of town. We saw 4 waterfalls and went back to the first one to swim in the fresh, yet freezing cold water. After the falls, we took a bus to Apanecha, another tiny town where we walked uphill about 4 KM. The top was beautiful and we had a view of all the towns below us...although it was a bit foggy. We were surrounded by coffee plantations, new and old ones. Our tour guide told us that someone who works in the coffee field only makes $24 a week! CRAZY! So, make sure you know where your coffee comes from and make sure its FAIR TRADE!!! Our guide, Manuel walked us through several different towns where the majority of people work in agriculture and walk around with their machetes in hand. The views were beautiful, but after a full day of walking up and down hills, we were beat.

The following day, our group split and we parted ways. Laura and I went to Santa Ana, the second largest city in El Salvador. We came across another traveler on the bus who we had met before, so the 3 of us stuck together in the bustling city. We spent our first afternoon checking out the main plaza where there is a beautiful cathedral and theatre. From there, we went to eat papusas...which is the typical food here. Essentially, its a tortilla stuffed with one or all of the following: beans, cheese and/or meat. They are quite tasty...but you can only eat so many papusas in one trip! The following day, we headed to the nearby lake and spent the day relaxing at a restaraunt while swimming, drinking smoothies and eating delicious food. Life was rough that day...

From Santa Ana, I headed back to San Salvador on my own. I stayed at a nice hostel which caters mostly to Peace Corps volunteers. I met lots of wonderful people and was even invited to stay with one girl at her site (which is where I am now, waiting for her to get off work). From San Salvador, I took a bus to Suchitoto, a small town in the north. The bus ride was, well, quite interesting. Ive never been on a bus with so many people packed on, there were people hanging out both the front and the back door. I had a seat, but I offered it to an old woman who got on the bus. Another woman got on with a baby, must have been 3 months old. The woman had to stand, and so another woman offered to hold her baby while she stood. At the same time, the old lady who I had given my seat to, offered to hold my purse for me, which contained my life (money, bank cards, passport, etc.). I started to feel nervous for a second, but then I saw how relaxed the woman next to me was, with her baby in a strangers arms.

The woman who was holding the baby, Reina, I had met right when I got onto the bus. She lives in Suchitoto and had invited me to stay with her and her daughter when we got there. Upon arriving into town, she took me to her home, a cute place on a corner just a block from the main square in Suchitoto. Suchitoto is a small picturesque town, similar to Antigua...but without all the tourists. Reina took me on a grand tour of the city and the following day, she took me to the nearby lake. My 2 days in Suchitoto were great and it was good for me to spend some time with some locals and to see how they live. El Salvadoreans really put a lot of effort into their image...the way the dress, hygeine, makeup, etc. They always look nice.

As I said, today I am in La Palma where Im waiting to meet a girl who is in the Peace Corps. Shes going to show me around her village. Im looking forward to seeing some life outside of the weathlier cities.

Signing out for now. Will add pictures later.