San Salvador and Surrounds

As mentioned in the last post, we had an unanticipated stop in San Salvador to fix the van, and are so glad we did. Music for this post: cue San Salvador by Azoto. It is a seriously fun track, don't skip this one.

So I already showed you the fun "living in the city" excursions. Here are the top highlights from our two-plus weeks stuck in El Salvador getting Vanny ready to go home.

1. Visit to the the Old City Centre (Centro Historico)

Of all the historic centres we've seen, this one was the most ... mmm ... concrete-y? That's the best way I can describe the inordinate amount of grey stone and concrete.

To be fair, many of the original historic buildings have been lost, with most having been destroyed in the 1986 earthquake. The government has since undertaken numerous projects to bring back some kind of grandeur, or at least some kind of imposing presence, to the area (and to decrease the crime that had proliferated here previous to the current regime).

We came on a Sunday, so the area's famous markets (erected to house the illegal street vendors that used to swarm the area) were closed, but we did get some pretty clear vistas across and over the city square. We were also able to tour the National Palace, which had so much gold it would make Trump jealous. 

Walking down the concrete promenades

These flags have seen better days. But haven't we all?

Police outside the palace.

Climbing the steps of the new National Library, a gift to San Salvador from China, largest in Central America, and a "valuable tool during [the President's] campaign to promote his image as the "world's coolest president". Spoiler alert: not as many books there as you'd think, but some pretty awesome gaming consoles.

Ivan and I at the top of the San Salvador-China National Library looking towards the Metropolitan Cathedral.

National Palace.

Without a doubt, THE really coolest building in the centro - El Rosaria Church. It was built in 1971 and though it looks like a cheese grater on the outside, the inside is lit by hundreds of stained glass windows of all colours--it's like being inside a kaleidoscope. We couldn't go in (Sunday service), but the remains of a revolutionary are reportedly entombed here as well.

Touring the San Salvador Palace. Every room is a different colour theme.

2. Suchitoto

Under an hour's drive from the city is a beautiful, mountain-top town called Suchitoto, where you can eat looking over the nearby lakes and mountains and visit a number of small, eclectic museums.

The town's iconic, all-white church, Parroquia de Santa Lucia. The church was recently painted all-white in preparation for the Miss Universe pageant held here in San Salvador in 2023. It was a BIG event.

Entrance to the best museum in town...

Museum of a 1000 Plates and More! We got a tour by the owner through all the Elvis, Princess Di, and plates from every country. (Ivan says this photo makes me look like I'm deciding which one to steal!)

At the end of the tour, the museum owner's wife gave us a taste of dragon fruit. So good!

View from the restaurant at the top of the town

Suchitoto cat and dog looking out over the colourful street.

Rocking chair at the Casa 1800 restaurant. There are four different Casa's, each with a rocking chair, that comprise "The Rocking Chair Route". Interesting fact: there's a Salvadorean legend that you shouldn't rock an empty rocking chair. To do so will invite malignant spirits...

Art museum in town

On our way out of town, stopped at the famous Los Tercios Waterfall.

I thought it was an easy decent, so wore a skirt, I was very wrong. It's a steep clamber over hexagonal rocks all the way down. 

But the view is worth it!

3. Bitcoin Beach

As noted in the last post, we spent over a week on Bitcoin Beach, where we stayed in the only cheap hostel, essentially am air conditioned room with a toilet (luxury!) and a shared outside kitchen strung with hammocks under an awning. Plus a pool (essential in the heat) that we never saw cleaned and grew increasingly sunscreen-cloudy over the course of the week-plus we stayed there. 

Basically we walked around town, watched the surfers ride waves we weren't able to even imagine , hopped in the waves for the two hours the tide was sufficiently high to reduce the rip tides, played on the outdoor gym, and watched the sunset over the Pacific every night. Pretty peaceful.

The "Black Witch Moth" that we saw on the door to our outside kitchen. It's generally considered in El Salvador to mean that someone is going to die, but I am happy to report that no one did (at least not while I was there).

El Zonte Beach - where the big surfers go

Local fisherman casting with a net where the river meets the ocean.

El Zonte at sunset. You know I will put in a sunset somewhere in every post if I can!

Here's where we stopped for a $3 "tipico" breakfast spot along the highway. Tipico comprises: casamiento (translates as "marriage" because the rice and beans are cooked together), queso (a hard, feta-like cheese), eggs and bread. 

The owners were locals, and they didn't have much. Some crumbling stairs and a shed for a house. 

But they had THIS for a backyard.

And this...

Typical street art in Bitcoin Beach. Surfboards everywhere.

Drinks at the pub just a bit further down along the highway. A step up in classiness - and a leap up in price.

They also had a spectacular view! Here's what we looked over from the seat shown above.

View from the hammock at night.

4. Tamanique Waterfalls

Some days, we ventured out of town.

One day trip was about half an hour out of town to one of El Salvador's top tourist hikes, Tamanique Falls. There are actually four falls to see, two of which you can swim in, one of which you can jump from into a deep pool. 

Although we'd already seen some amazing falls in El Salvador, like the Seven Waterfalls, I loved these for the coolness of the water and the relatively limited crowds. Plus, they let us take a huge leap off a cliff, even if it wasn't exactly sanctioned by the tour guides.

We drove to the small town and joined a group of ex-pat El Salvadorians and an Isrealiate, grabbed a hiking stick and descended into the jungle.

Descending with my stick.

The view before the descent into the valley.

Ivan in the waterfall.

Me, doing the old 80's Breck commercial.

Swimming in another of the waterfalls.

Me jumping off the cliff.

5. Mercado del Mar 

Half an hour in another direction is the Peurto de la Libertad. The fish mercado building is another Chinese "gift" to the country, and is full of thousands of fish and seafood hawkers as well as a long pier. In front of the market is a huge "parking lot" full of simple, wooden fishing boats, which is quite beautiful on its own. 

There we had the freshest ceviche followed by cocktails on the pier.

Me, eating ceviche at the pier.

A close up - pescado ceviche for us!

Police patrolling the piers

Long view of the pier.

6. Gobbling up El Salvadorian Treasures

Van fixed ,we headed back to Guatemala. But first, we had to stop for some of the best Salvadorian treats that we'd experienced along our trip.

Before leaving El Zonte, we hit up the best pupusa shop ever. If you have not had these ooey-gooey, fresh-fried treats, you have not lived.

Jeisi's Pupusa Shop - the place to hit in El Zonte.

Here they are, the lovelies! The shop had an extensive choice of flavours, but our favourite was the classic reveulta, which includes chichirron (which is pork crackling in Mexico, but more of a pork confit in El Salvador), cheese and refried beans, all topped with pickled cabbage.

Another favourite: a roadside stand selling 6 deep fried potato samosa-like nuggets covered with Salvadorian tomato sauce and cabbage, all for $1US.

A delicacy I only discovered at the border: quesidillia salvadorean. It's a cornbread made with a dried cheese specialty of the region and sweetened with honey. The cakes are made the same day and sold by women on the side of the road. This one was still warm when we bought it.

Other foods you must have if you happen to be in El Salvador are roasted cashews, which the local farmers roast themselves in comals. You have never tasted such a good cashew. Unfortunately, we ate them before we could get a photo! 

Here's a blog about the local entrepreneurs who produce these fanstastic treats.

I am months behind now, but slowly making progress on our return trip. Next stop... Mexico City!

Catch up soon.