So this weekend a bunch of my house mates were planning a trip across the border to El Salvador and obviously I wanted in! The original plan was to head straight to the beach, but one friend wanted to venture in a different direction to a national park he heard about. The park supposedly had really pretty viewpoints and some cool waterfalls you could jump off, so I definitely was up for the adventure! Eleven of us set off in a shuttle from Antigua and shortly after we crossed the border into El Salvador, we asked to stop at a town called Cara Sucia, which literally translates to Dirty Face. So 7 of us hopped off the shuttle in Cara Sucia in hopes to find a different bus to transport us to the national park. The bus literally drove away as soon as we pulled up, so instead we found a "pickup"...aka a pickup truck taxi where you pay the driver to haul you around in the bed of his truck. Knowing that this is a typical and farily safe means of transportation in these countries, we agreed on a price and the 7 of us hopped on in! We had to drive up this long bumpy dirt road on a hill for about 45 minutes in order to reach the park. We saw so many impoverished homes and people, but each one of them greeted us with a smile and a wave. The El Salvadorian people are so friendly!! At the National Park, we bought tickets for entrance and a guide to take us to some waterfalls. We told him we wanted to see the waterfall where you can jump off into the water, but this must have gotten lost in translation because after a rigorous 1.5 hour hike with our heavy backpacks stuffed to the gills for the weekend, we came to a small swimming hole with the smallest cascade of water that looked like a kiddy pool waterslide. I think we were all happy to have finally reached some cool water where we could swim, because we all embraced the water and had fun! On the 1.5 hike back up, I had a flashback to my miserable hike up the Alps in Italy and my fatass almost died because it was so steep and my lungs were failing me haha This hike probably qualifies as the second most miserable hike of my life...it was so challenging but I'm glad I did it! Thankfully the sweetest girl offered to switch backpacks with me half way up because mine was so much heavier and it was killing me. I was so grateful for her! We finally made it to the truck again and hopped back in for a 1 hour turned 3 hour adventure to our next destination. On the way down the mountain, a local family hopped in the back of the truck with us. I was so excited because I was enjoying our authentic adventure and I literally said "oh shit! This is authentic as fuck!" It was cool to not feel like such a tourist and do things the same way the locals do. As we were driving along, it got dark and we had some doubts as to whether or not the driver knew where to take us. During our long ride, the 7 of us had some really amazing deep conversations about life, travel, love, etc and it was so wonderful to talk to other people from all over the world and hear everyones stories. Something amazing happens when you travel in that you meet people who have no previous knowledge or judgements about who you are and can offer their stories and experiences without bias. It was truly a beautiful moment.
We were looking for a place called Juayua..a small mountain town where a food festival would be happening. Eventually we arrived at our adorable hostel and went out for some pupusas! Pupusas are a typical dish of El Salvador and are basically tortillas stuffed with beans, cheese, meat, etc. They are delicious and 7 of us had 3-4 pupusas each with 1-2 beers each..all for a total of $23!!! Dinner was so authentic because we ate local food and drank local beer. Things in El Salvador are super cheap...and delicious..my kind of place!
The next day we woke up early and had a beautiful breakfast at our hostel in the garden. Then we went on an early morning hike where we were promised more waterfalls! They actually held up to the standard this time and the hike wasnt as difficult so we were happy! There were a series of 5 falls and we were able to swim and hang out. We noticed a dark cave to the side and asked the guide if it was safe to walk through. Obviously this trip already wasn't enough adventure or danger for us. So with the flashlight app on my waterproof phone, and another camera we headed into the cave single file! About 40 meters later we saw some light and came out at the next waterfall. Some of us decided it would be a good idea to try to walk against the current and go back out the way we came...it was real challenging because the current got so strong and we were using our arms on the ceiling to push ourselves back. We made it out alive and it was so fun and worth the risk!
The food festival was next...after checkout at the hostel, we walked down the street where they set up tents with typical El Salvadorian food from all over the country. We got huge plates of food for only $5 and got to experience the culture first hand. We also met a German girl who was traveling alone to the beach as well and so we invited her to come along with us. As we were walking to the chicken bus, we saw a man standing outside with a giant snake. We each paid him a dollar and got to hold the snake and take pictures with it...it was a huge python and I was so scared but it was so awesome to do it and conquer my fear! The ride to El Tunco beach was going to be a shitty one because we had to take local chicken buses....Chicken buses are US school buses that have been painted to use as cheap, sweaty, overcrowded public transportation. The first bus ride was an hour long and a man was standing at the front of the bus with his bible delivering a sermon. I had a realization though, because even though I was sitting on a bus with too many other people sweating and feeling uncomfortable, the man was talking about money not being able to buy hapiness. I realized that even though the locals don't have many luxuries that I take for granted, they are happier than most people. They have their family and their religion and are content with their life. It made me appreciate my life a lot more and it was really great to listen to this sermon and be able to understand it. I want to go to a church service here one Sunday because I feel like it will be an amazing experience.
So we got to a bus station in a different part of the country where we thought we only had an hour to kill before our connector bus. It turned out that we were given the wrong time, and had to wait 3 hours in a hot and sweaty bus station in what turned out to be an area of El Salvador with the highest gang activity. AWESOME! We were pumped to be the only tourists at a local bus station with locals and gangs nearby...sarcasm. Anyway, we sweat it out playing cards, journaling and buying water and finally got on our bus. It was going to be another 3 hours on the sweaty overcrowded chicken bus. YAY! I ended up sitting next to 4 different men, 2 of which who were talking to me helping me improve my spanish. It was cool to chat with locals and see what they were all about. Both men who I spoke to told me they dreamed of a life in the US...I felt privileged and almost guilty for being american but it was a realization for me to realize how lucky I truly am.
A little over 3 hours later, we arrived in El Tunco around 6pm!!! Finally!!! It was such a relief to get off the bus and air out my swamp ass that had been developing from my heavy backpack on my lap. LOL We dropped our things off at our hostel, found our friends who had arrived the previous day, and ran straight for the sea! I couldn't wait to dip into the Pacific for the first time! Unfortunately it was getting late and every rock and its mother was washing up on the beach. It was a painful walk into the water to try to swim and I got tossed around and scratched up a little bit. I was hoping we could find a better place tomorrow or else I was not going to try surfing and hitting my head on these crazy rocks! After a dip in the pool and a rinse off kind of shower, we all split up and got some dinner. I went with 3 other girls to a restaurant on the water and ate the most delicious grilled fish salad. Then, we started drinking $1 beers back at the hostel and went out for the night. Our huge group ended up getting split into several smaller groups and it was so hot anywhere we went. We found a couple bars where we had some drinks and danced a little. It is a surfer town and so many people that I thought were women from the back turned out to be long haired surfer dudes haha After a while I went back to the hostel, stopped for some pupusas on the street, and hung out in a hammock before bed. Oh! I also found $20 on the ground at the bar so that was like winning the El Salvadorian lottery! hahaha
The next day, we went to a beautiful oceanside place for breakfast, and then hit the beach! It was so hot on the beach so I spent most of the day in the water. I was skeptical to try surfing because the waves looked really intense, but after a couple hours the waves died down and I felt safe to give it a try. A friend gave me a quick tutorial and came into the water with me. It was SO FUN!! I really loved it and I want to keep trying it! I wiped out almost every time but there were a couple times where I was able to stand up for aobut 5 seconds which was so cool! I was very proud of myself! After a bangin burrito for lunch and some more pool and hammock chillin, 6 of us hopped on the shuttle and headed for Antigua. The rest of the crew stayed behind to enjoy another day at the beach, but I didn't want to take off another day from my volunteer placement....responsiblitiy kicked in and I had to come home. I will definitely be going back to El Salavdor again in the next 5 weeks because it was the coolest, most authentic, eye opening, challenging, and amazing experience ever!!
PS as soon as I got home and ate dinner, I took the most glorious proper shower of my life. Soap, shampoo, hot water, conditioner! The dreads that formed in my dirty, non brushed, seawater, chlorine, sanded hair finally came out with some conditioner and the sand and sweat was off my body for good! I have definitely learned that you can't be too picky about hygenie if you want to have a good time traveling. You have to rough it up and be a dirtbag for a weekend to get the full "authentic" experience HAHA until next time, El Salvador!
