Viva El Salvador!

Tropical El Salvador has just two seasons, one is hot and rainy and the other is hot and dry. November to April are summer months which are typically hot, humid, and hazy.  Winter is in full force here now with more moderate temperatures, high humidity, cloudy skies, and abundant rainfall.  Along the coast, the weather is generally stable and sunny but in the city, the day’s weather is a bit unpredictable. Even The Weather Channel has difficulty in getting it right.  During our stay here, some mornings are dark with dense fog that may or may not give way later in the day. On others, the morning sky is blue and the sun is so bright that the house lights up in sunshine.  Often, though, even on those sunny days clouds creep in around mid-day, layering the city with a thick layer of gauzy fog and mist that lies from its volcano tops to the sidewalks below. There are frequent afternoon thunderstorms too in which rain pours like water from a bucket.  Somehow Stan and I have dodged getting caught in the rain or found shelter during an unexpected downpour. Clearly, though, in El Salvador, you cannot allow the prospect of rain to interfere with plans otherwise you’d never see or do a thing. 

We visited San Salvador’s exquisite El Jardin Botanico La Laguna a few days ago.  In our travels, if a city has a botanical garden, we are sure to visit it. This botanical garden is an especially good one.  Birds living in the park seemed to be as happy as the plants growing there.  They sing, call, cry, and chatter in joy but because of the camouflage provided by the lush plants and tall trees, it is almost impossible to see them.  While there are tall trees, endless vines, fish and turtle ponds, and endless flowering plants, it also, like a museum, has an entire section devoted to its collection of rare and endangered plants from around the world. Walking through this garden on its winding stone paths, admiring the plants while listening to the many birds is like escaping to Eden.   

As we were strolling along through the gardens, we could hear the rain falling before we felt the first wet splat.  Because we knew some cover was near the entrance, we headed that way.  Before the rain started to come down in force, we spotted a covered open-air snack bar and dashed in as did about 150 other people.  No problem, though, there was plenty of room. 

While the rain was still gently falling, I noticed that some people were pointing at an iguana just outside.  He was spiny and colored in indigo and vermillion.  Photo op!  I must have scared it as I walked up, that giant monster leaped toward me!  Everyone got a laugh, not so much at the iguana but at the sound I made as I jumped back.  Silly Gringo!  I got some good shots of the little guy and was so proud . . . wildlife captured!!   Suddenly, Stan then noticed a much bigger one lounging on a limb of a nearby tree, then another and another. At the very top of a tree across an inlet of the lagoon, we finally saw the boss, the big bad daddy calmly gazing over the crowd and his realm. 

During the rain, we shared a table with a gentleman and his teenage son.  We greeted each other but during the hour we sat there together, we carried on no conversation.  When the rain finally stopped, we all smiled, said goodbye, and wished each other good luck.  I think we all regretted missing a prime opportunity to chat and get to know a fellow person from another country. 

San Salvador is nestled in the Boqueron Volcano Valley.  It is a very hilly place with some parts of the city lying lower at only 1950 feet above sea level while other neighborhoods are almost 3900 feet above sea level.  Our apartment is on one of the highest points.  We walked up those great exhausting, steep hills to our home twice but I swear, I am never doing that again.  The city is virtually surrounded by mountains, volcanoes, and rivers.  El Boqueron, only a 40-minute drive from our apartment on zigzagging, uphill roads, last erupted in 1917.  Since then, the ash has reverted to nature again with dense forestation and jungle.  On a clear day at the top, visitors can see the crater, the caldera, the city of San Salvador in the distance, and Lake IIopango, the largest natural body of water in the country.  On our visit day, like most days in September and October, the top of the volcano was draped in clouds. 

However, just as Forest said, “. . . you never know what you’re going to get.”  As we stood at a lookout point at the top of Boquerone,  peering into dense swirling clouds, a lady spoke to me.  We started a conversation, she practicing her English, and me always trying my Spanish.  I noticed she was with two men, her husband, I thought, and possibly her father.  We chatted for a long while waiting for the clouds to pass and hoping to get a glimpse of the view below.  The older of the two gentlemen joined in on our conversation.  I was struck by his refined, sophisticated, and gentlemanly appearance.  I thought he might be a rich Salvi who happened to speak perfect English.  I was not too far off the mark, he is Salvadoran but he currently lives near Palm Springs and has for many years. 

We ended up spending the entire afternoon with Mayti, her husband, Samuel, and the debonaire, Efrain. We finished the park together and then spent hours at the rustic hidden, mountainside restaurant at El Escondite Hotel and Restaurant.  Samuel, the younger of the two gentlemen is an accountant in San Salvador, his wife, Mayti, has her own business, and Efrain is in the midst of a visit to his home country. In a gesture of goodwill and friendship, these amazing new friends invited us to join them on a trip to the beach this Saturday. 

With just a few precious days remaining here, Stan caught a cold.  We stayed home in the apartment two days to allow him to rest, drink tons of water, and hopefully recover soon.  A cold in the tropics in m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e! 

On the third day, feeling better and nursing a case of cabin fever, he felt like going out.  We Ubered 40 minutes through the outskirts of San Salvador and up a winding road to La Puerta del Diablo, The Devil’s Gate.  Early in the morning, the sky was crystal clear but at the top of the mountain, clouds invariably swept in. Clouds or no clouds, it was a very beautiful spot where there is a wide crevice through which a panoramic view of the valley and the villages and farms nestled among the green can be seen.  The crevice, or the “ devil’s gate” was formed by great torrents of rain in the 1700’s and again in early 1900 that caused landslides and the formation of two massive peaks that once were one.  Even on our weekday visit, the place was swarming with families, friends, and couples.  We were the only gringos among the crowds, some who noticed us wanted to say hello.  This scenic mountain outcrop has been a popular place for many years but recent updates like the addition of spacious multi-level plazas, glass-floored lookouts, and cool spots for food and souvenirs, have made this a top-notch destination for locals and tourists alike.  It is another accomplishment touted by El Salvador’s President Bukele who is pouring great funds into clean-up and modernization of El Salvador’s parks and natural attractions. 

Balboa Nature Park is nearby.  We walked there, of course; one sees so much more afoot. This ecological reserve offers city folk a peaceful respite and a place where children can romp and stomp.  There are trails, tranquil walks, picnic areas, playgrounds, and courts and fields for sports. There are no cool, fashionable cafes there but a man walks the park pushing an ice cream cart and there is a string of small rustic food shops where mamas and their hijas cook delicious tipicos.  You order; they cook it.  

I cannot close without describing our day at the beach with our new friends, Efrain, Samuel, and Mayti.  Meeting these people and spending time with them may be the highlight of our time in this amazing country.  As Mayti said to me, our meeting was no coincidence.  We instantly connected and formed a friendship in our quite random meeting.  Their kindness, attention given to us, and their willingness to merely pause their lives to include us, entertain us, and share with us is difficult for us to fully comprehend.  There is only one possible explanation, God gave them to us. 

We thought the trio were old friends but we learned they met only a week ago when they were guests at the same rustic hotel.  Further, it was just the next day that the five of us met and spent the afternoon together.  It is like a story one might make up.  While we think Efrain might have been the instigator, as Stan named him, or the party planner, Efrain put together the trip to the beach with Samuel and Mayti doing the driving.  Hmmmm?

Samuel and Mayti picked us all up and drove us to El Salvador’s port and beach town, Acajutla, where Samuel was born and where Efrain lived 50 years ago.  Like old friends, we spent the day having fresh seafood and good drinks at a place on the water, relaxing at the beach, and having coffee later watching a brilliant Pacific sunset.  For us, it was a marvelous, once-in-a-lifetime encounter.  As an example of his wisdom, Efrain said, “It was just another day, but we, this unlikely group of new friends, made it a spectacular day.”   Though our friendship will now be a long-distance one, the memories of our time together will last forever, and we hope to see them all again. 

Sadly, this is adios, El Salvador.  We hope to return.  We have nothing but praise and admiration for this beautiful paradise and the people who welcomed us so dearly.  We leave a piece of our hearts with you.  Viva El Salvador!

Now . . . Guatemala, here we come.