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. 

Dog Bites, Hospital Visits, and Van Breakdowns

 

So sorry for the delay everyone! I wrote this ages ago but then the van was starting to limp its way along the highways (again), so we decided to get back home as fast as we could. That meant long six-hour driving days  - and delayed updates. 

But rest assured we are alive and well, despite the doom-ridden title of this post!

Since there is waaaay too much to update you on in a single post, I'll get past the drama today and focus on some fun highlights of our return journey in later missives. 

Before I begin, I'd like to share one piece of big news: my podcast - Haunted by CBC's Personally- is coming out Spring 2027. It's getting real folks! I'll keep you posted as the date gets nearer...

But let's get back to our adventures over the last month ...

Recommended tune for this post: Supervan Vacation by 1000mods.

Heading Home

After a relatively incident-free travel to Panama (not counting when I walked into a holdup in a Guatemala, or the ringing nighttime gun shots in Costa Rica), we encountered a series of unfortunate events. Luckily they turned into some pretty fortunate events as well. 

Van Troubles

It all started with our brakes, which we tried to replace in Costa Rica.

Vanny undergoes a brake replacement

Vanny in a very compromising position

Should have been an easy enough fix. Only when the mechanics were replacing the breaks, they cracked the ABS sensor. They also discovered that our tires were wobbling. Seriously wobbling.

We kinda let the problems "ride" as we drove towards Nicaragua. But the screeches and shudders got worse with every Nicaraguan bump and hairpin turn. We couldn't find any mechanics n Nicaragua, so crawled our way to San Salvador in the hopes that somewhere in the city, someone might be able to help us.

The Curious Incident With the Dog in the Night-time...

Our last night in Nicaragua, just before crossing into El Salvador, our van wasn't able to risk the steep hill to Claudia's beautiful farm, where we'd stayed during our ride down to Somoto Canyon. Instead, we stayed in the small parking lot of the family on the top of the hill. They pressed to take us on a tour of the canyon. When we told them we had already done the tour with their neighbour, Claudia, they were not overly happy - with us or Claudia. The vibe from the get-go was strange.

But most awkward of all? The rustic and rather foul-smelling long-drop behind the house, which was the only bano shared by all of us. 

The "incident" happened just as it got dark. I followed the route to the bano around the back of the house, as I'd been guided earlier in the day. At that time, I'd observed only lifejackets and touring paraphernalia lurking behind the house. In the evening, however, the back area was in full shadow, and I never heard or even saw the dog. 

But the dog saw me. I was only a few short steps from the bano when I felt something hit me hard from behind. Then two piercing stings in the back of my leg.

Los cadejos, the dual demons of Mayan folklore. 

The wife of the owner came out and shooed the dog away, and immediately, I thought to los cadejos, the hellhounds of Nicaragua. The white one is benevolent, the black one evil. I suspect I got the black one, because it moved so fast back into the shadows that I never even glimpsed its shadow.

I was in such shock I didn't know what to do. I had Ivan clean the wound and then we went through the motions of an uncomfortable (and reluctant) dinner prepared by our hosts before heading to bed.

It wasn't until midnight that I finally woke up, leg throbbing, and thought: rabies. Which was when I made the mistake of consulting AI (in this case Apple Intelligence on my Safari browser).

Immediately, I was instructed to "put down my phone" and go to hospital and get rabies shot. And then was told such help was over two hours away. And that without the shot, I was clearly going to die. 

I began to panic. Seriously panic. I tried to wake Ivan, but that man sleeps like the proverbial rock and there was no waking him or even turning him over to stop his snoring. And there was no way I was driving two hours when I was the one about to die.

After a half hour I finally thought to google old-school style. That's when I found out that the last incident of human-contracted rabies had occurred in Nicaragua was in 1999. That rabies symptoms generally appear days to weeks to even a year after the incident. That the shot can be administered anytime before symptoms develop. And that there was a clinic 15 minutes, rather than hours, down the road. 

Puncture wounds before the bruising came in.

So, after a fitful wait for the sun to rise, we confirmed that the hosts' dog had been vaccinated and headed into the local hospital where (communicating via Google Translate) a doctor declared the bite a relatively superficial one that didn't trigger rabies protocols. Then she cleaned the wound, shot my arm up with a fresh tetanus booster, and sent me into the adjacent park to fill out a prescription for antibiotics. Yes, I wrote that right  - to a park.

When they told me to go the "park", I thought they meant a tech park, or maybe a medical park. But no, they meant the local playground, inside of which is a taco stand and a pharmacy. Who would have thought?

We were in and out within an hour and a half, and on the road to El Salvador by nine am. And all of it (except the drugs) were free. 

Eddy to the Rescue

Before we crossed the border from Nicaragua to El Salvador, Ivan texted all the mechanics he could with the help of Google Translate. Not one of them wrote back. 

Until finally one did: the only English-speaking mechanic in San Salvador we could find - Eddie. I was a bit wary of him when I saw that he'd sent Ivan a Gif of a bearded man taking a selfie in a bathroom, his bare butt reflected in the mirror. Still not sure how to interpret that. 

But despite the man's obvious love of inappropriate GIFS, Eddie turned out to be a brilliant and very trustworthy mechanic.

View of Eddy's mechanic's yard

To get our van into his yard, Eddie had to repair an ancient jeep, then replace a battery on another car just to shuffle the vehicles and make enough room for Vanny. 

Unfortunately, a mechanic is only as good as his parts, and Eddy said we needed to order replacements from America. Given the current trade issues, this was not expected to be quick.

So we headed to San Salvador to wait out the delay.  

San Salvador Respite

We'd never planned to go to San Salvador, but the city turned out to be a fantastic diversion. The streets were new, clean, and surprisingly safe. We were a short walk from the city's Bicentennial Park (or By-Centennial as they write it), considered the city's "green lung" - a former finca turned park that has over 91 hectares (225 acres) of endless pathways for running, biking, and just plain hanging out.

We ran in the park and worked out on their free exercise equipment nearly every morning, and even spent a whole day - over 5 hours - just hiking its trails. 

A mango-lined path in the Parque del Bicentario .We were told by one Salvadorian that they don't eat mangos, so the fruit are left to rot all over the park trails, leaving a lingering odour of fermenting fruit everywhere you step.

Also, the World Cup was on, and the city offered free game viewing on giant screens at all the parks and malls. 

Big screen TV set up in the Park free for all to watch.

The mall set up for free soccer viewing as well

A few highlights of our city living below. I'll give you the details on our day trip updates in a coming post.

Fine dining at Brutto, just one of hundreds of top-notch restaurants

Selling crabs in the streets by the palace

Our AirBnB pool and avocado tree in the Zona Rosa neighbourhood. The tree would drop ripe avocados into the pool and we would just fish them out and eat them. Seriously good avocados.

View from our balcony.

Surprisingly, the car parts arrived in time - just at double the shipping costs. Thanks, Trump.

All looked good until ... our "new" ABS sensor cracked. This meant another week in El Salvador, waiting for sensor parts. 

So we decided to spend that limbo by the beach. 

The rusted parts of our van removed

It wasn't all bad - or bad at all, really. We got to hang out at Bitcoin Beach, or El Zonte, and eat the BEST papusas in the world. But again - that's in a coming post!

Just a few of our beach hammocks

The second round of parts arrived only a few days late. Still, Eddie warned us not to get our hopes up, said that it all could still go pear-shaped.

So it was a nail-biting hour's drive back to the city, not sure if we'd spend another week in Eddie's backyard. But when we arrived, we found a triumphant Eddie and a (mostly) repaired Vanny. 

Eddy, Vanny, and I, ready to hit the road again.

There were a few repairs Eddie wasn't willing to do, given the parts shortage, but advised us to address them when we arrived in Canada. Spoiler alert: the van made it back, barely, and is now waiting for treatment at Dr. Phil's in Ottawa.

So that's all the update for today, but there's still lots of highlights of our return journey to share, including night hikes in Costa, Lucha Libre in Mexico City, and death-defying via ferrata "extremo" in Monterrey (where you'll get another close-up of my injuries). 

Stay tuned!