San Salvador, USA

¨The U.S. Embassy considers El Salvador a critical crime-threat country. El Salvador has one of the highest homicide rates in the world ; violent crimes, as well as petty crimes are prevalent throughout El Salvador, and U.S. citizens have been among the victims. U.S. citizens in El Salvador should exercise caution at all times and practice good personal security procedures throughout their stay.¨
If I had read the U.S. Department of State´s website regarding travel in El Salvador prior to our trip through Central America, I probably would have had us either flying from Guatemala to Nicaragua or even taking our chances in Honduras, where a military coup was underway. I would have been constantly looking over my shoulder and assuming the worst in every Salvadoran man and woman I came across.

Lucky for me, I didn´t check the website.

After our amazing time at Playa El Tunco, we headed back to San Salvador, apparently one of the most dangerous cities. In this hostile city where even the houses in the ¨nice neighborhoods¨are hidden behind bars, deadbolts and razor wire, we somehow survived.

Let me tell you how we managed to survive...

First, we got our dirty clothes together to be washed at our hotel.

Next, we braved the streets of San Salvador by walking two blocks, crossing a busy street (from what I hear, pedestrian-vehicle collisions are common) and settling down for a savory meal of burgers, fries and cokes at Wendy´s.

After this scary ordeal, we continued several blocks down the street to the Metro Centro, a mall that is possibly only dwarfed by Mall of America. At one point, I found myself alone. Kyle and I were separated! I realized that I would have to do the unthinkable. I swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and went bra-shopping in San Salvador. The horror!

Unsuccessful in my shopping needs, we made our way out into the mall once again.

Here, surrounded by hordes of Salvadoran men, women and families, we fought for our lives...

to make sure and get tickets for the next showing of the new Harry Potter (in English with Spanish subtitles). Man, this city is tough.

After the movie finished, we walked out and found outselves standing in the dull afternoon heat. Our eyes met and we now knew what we had to do. Bravely, we crept along the main street again, cars zooming past mere feet from the sidewalk that we stood upon. Before we knew it, we were there. That´s right, home of the 5 dollar foot long (even in El Salvador). We ate our Subway sandwiches and made the arduous 3-block walk back to our hotel.

Collapsing on our bed, we turned on our T.V. just in time to watch Swing Vote, starring Kevin Costner (in English). Man, this day was tough.

Our time in El Salvador´s capital city was a terrifying ordeal of American burgers, movies and television. We walked the deadly streets and somehow managed to make it back alive.

El Salvador

14 July 2009

Ahh El Salvador, I have long awaited to stand in your country.
What?
Come again?
What do you mean our backpacks are still in Guatemala?!?!?

It had already been a long day. Having shelled out for a tourist bus, Kyle was already on edge. And now, when we get off the bus in Santa Ana, we find that our bags were taken off at the border, and never put back on.

The next bus will bring them, the bus driver tells us. One problem. We have to continue on to San Salvador to pick them up.

Yikes.
16 July 2009

I can't believe it's been 40 days already. And now four countries. I am sitting here at Playa El Tunco in El Salvador and it's amazing. Two pelicans soar just above the saves of the Pacific, and I realize how much I've missed the ocean.

These are the last two pictures I took before my camera burying itself in the sand, never to be used again.

I am considering taking some surf lessons here. I feel a need to do more adventurous, outdoor activities, and I've never surfed before. I think that it would be exciting.

The limonadas here are ridiculously delicious. I think that only those at Capitan Tortuga's in Flores are better. Just sitting here in this oceanside restaurant sipping this frozen piece of heaven is amazing. I am so happy here. It's a true surfer's paradise. Everyone is so laid back. There's no rush. It's a refreshing change of pace; to do nothing but walk the beach, eat fish, and sip limonadas. What a fabulous introduction to El Salvador. I'm excited to see what else this country has in store for us, but for now, I am more than content to do absolutely nothing.

Volcan Pacaya

July 13 2009

The word ¨volcano¨fills the mind with distinct images of smoking craters, billowing ash, toxic gases and flowing lava. On our travels through Guatemala, Kyle and I have seen some of the country´s volcanoes from afar, in places like Lago de Atitlan and Antigua. They seem to me impressive-looking, yet ordinary mountains. Here in Antigua they have a tour available, a hike up Volcan Pacaya just outside of Guatemala City. Apparently we may be able to see lava. Let´s see if this is for real.

Being the independent, outdoorsy person that I am, I am not quite ecstatic at the idea of hiking with a big group of people and hiring a guide. However, in order to climb Volcan Pacaya, this is what was required. So we made our reservation and, the next day, 14 of us climbed into a van and off we went.

The drive to Volcan Pacaya was scenic enough. We were able to look out over the sprawling madness that is Guatemala City. From a distance, Pacaya barely resembled what I thought a volcano, much less an active one, should look like. We drove higher and higher up dirty, bumpy roads until we finally reached the trailhead. We headed up.

Upon hearing that most of the group had failed to bring the required flashlight, our guide realized that our leisurely afternoon/evening hike would have to step it up a notch so that we could make it back down before dark. I didn´t mind, I was long overdue to a tough hike.

And tough it was. Up and up and up we went. Breaking through the trees, we were given views out over Guatemala City. More hiking and more views, this time of previous lava flows reaching out into the neighboring hills.

Finally, we stepped around a curve in the trail and saw the volcano...

If you look closely, you´ll see the red lava at the far right.

From this point on, we were hiking up the steep side of the volcano, scrambling up volcanic rock ranging from tiny, sand-like particles to boulder-size rocks. And in between were sharp, abrasive rock that was ready to tear apart any shoe that came its way.

Finally we reached a spot where our guide stopped. Being the first behind him, he turned to me, pointed down at a crack between his feet, and said ¨Careful, step over.¨He continued on. I moved forward to follow him and began stepping over the crack when I saw a red glow. There was lava just under my feet! Freaked out, I hopped over. Everyone else was similarly amazed and a bit taken aback by how close that lava was. Little did we know what we were about to encounter next.

Our guide again looked back and me from up ahead and grinned. ¨Finale. Finale!¨He yelled, waving me over. I hurried over to him and found that we were now standing mere feet from flowing lava.

It was unlike any experience I had ever had. It was both exhilirating and terrifying all in one. To be standing on a volcano within 5 feet of a hot torrent of lava; there´s no way to describe it.

I sat down to eat a snack and noticed that the clouds were moving in and the wind was picking up. After whipping across the volcanic landscape, the wind that hit me was shockingly hot and delicious.

We stayed for about 20 minutes until our guide called for us to start back down. Descending the steep volcanic rock was both difficult and entertaining. The clouds were whipping around us. If it wasn´t for Kyle´s shoes in the following picture, I may have lost him!

We continued down and ran into a ridiculously long line of tourists being shuttled up. Our group was incredibly lucky to have had the lava all to ourselves. We watched in amusement as this long line of fifty? sixty? people slowly made their way up the volcanic landscape. Exhausted, they looked enviously at us as we slid downhill. We looked enviously back at them, wishing we could head back up for one last peek at the fiery redness of the volcano.

Antigua

July 12 2009

We´ve been here in Antigua for several days now. It is the loveliest place I have yet seen. The colorful, colonial buildings; the cobbled streets; the unique blend of locals and travelers. It all comes together to form a place that I could easily fall in love with.

I sit in a retro little cafe looking out over Parque Central. The cathedral shows itself rising high above the trees. It is beautiful and white and just lovely. I look out over the cobbled streets and watch as life happens. People walk around the fountain. Shoe-shinersboys dressed neatly in slacks and collared shirts hunt for their next customer. Young couples sit on park benches, lost in each other´s eyes. I love to watch the old men with their hats sitting for hours, watching the world pass by, perhaps reminiscent of a time long ago. I watch the travelers and tourists, young and old. Some are here to learn spanish. Others have come to see this beautiful colonial city that is nothing like the rest of the country it is situated in. I look at my boyfriend beside me, lost in green tea and Paul Theroux. I feel like I think too much. Too much about the things that do not matter and not enough about those that do. Or perhaps not.
We have plans to do a volcano tour to Volcan Pacaya. Apparently we would be able to see lava up close and personal. How cool would that be? Perhaps that will be my next blog.

Our time in Antigua has been amazing. It´s hard not to become entranced here. As much as I love the ¨real Guatemala¨with its dirty roads full of potholes, its bright and vibrant locals with their colorful clothing, and the random scattering of animals everywhere you look, I can´t help but put Antigua up there with my favorite sights in this country. It´s truly breathtaking.

Semuc Champey

28 June 2009

We took a long, 8-hour direct bus from Flores to Semuc Champey. The ride was both windy and bumpy and, having had no breakfast, I was recalling the remnants of a motion sickness I thought I had left in my childhood.
The evening was spent at our lodging, Las Marias, where all guests were given a set meal served at 7pm. It was one of my favorite evenings spent so far on our trip, as we shared good food, live music and interesting conversation with two other American couples, John and Dena, and David and Claire. I hadn't realized how closed off a couple can be when traveling, and it just felt so great to have others to talk to.
The following morning, we set off for Semuc Champey.

Semuc Champey includes a natural limestone bridge on top of which lie a series of stepped pools of cool, flowing river water. We started off our visit here by clamboring up to the Mirador, a tough 1 hour 15 minute climb from pools to a platform high above where you get a full view of the pools.
Descending to the pools, we arrived dripping with sweat and ready for a refreshing dip in the cool waters. That, however, would have to wait. Not planning on staying in Semuc Champey for a second night, we stored our bags in John and Dena's room. After we left for the pools, the staff had come in and taken our bags out.

Worried about the security of our bags and angry about the whole situation, we marched back to Las Marias, grabbed our bags and took the next truck back to Lanquin, the closest lodging and where we had planned on heading later to spend the night. In the end, it all worked out. We returned to Semuc Champey the following day and were able to enjoy the pools.

It was a hot, sunny day. Perfect for swimming. When I sat still in the chilly water, I was surprised to find small fishes nibbling at my toes! It tickled and I found myself, again, giggling like a school girl.

We swam. We picnicked. We had an amazing time at this beautiful natural wonder. When we began to tire, we took a side trail along the pools. Semuc Champey's limestone bridge lies over the Rio Cahabon, which comes rushing out just below the pools. It was a pretty amazing sight to behold, and even more amazing to think that we had been swimming in pools on top of this roaring river.
Our time in Guatemala has only begun and already I feel overwhelmed by the awe-inspiring ruins, quaint little colorful towns, and unique and gorgeous natural wonders. I can only imagine what else we will see.

Flores, Guatemala

6 June

Evening - Loving Life

I love the quaint little town of Flores. It is set on an island in Lago de Peten Itza and covered with narrow streets and colorful houses. We took a leisurely afternoon stroll along the edge of the island and, to my delight, it only took 25 minutes to go full circle.

We found a pleasant room at a friendly place named Hospedaje Dona Goya where I proceeded to spend much of my afternoons and evenings on the roof, where there was a thatched roof under which I took siestas, read my book, or simply gazed out over the lake.

The next morning - Hating Life

A long, frustrating, horrible night. From the moment I lie down until even now mid-morning, my legs and feet have been screaming. No matter how much I itch, any form of relief is simply nonexistent. Throughtout the night, I found myself unable to sleep - a slave to the bites that I have amassed. I silently curse the entire Central American realm of sand flies, mosquitos, bed bugs and who knows what else. I have never known itching of this magnitude and, even though I'm severely sleep-deprived and on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown, I find myself on the cusp of laughter.

This is, after all, what I wanted. An adventure? Adventures are not made up of easy travels and idyllic situations. No! Adventures are in fact the bug bites that keep you up all night, all but scratching your skin to shreds in that all-encompassing "hurts so bad yet feels so good" mentality. Adventure is that stomach bug in Roatan that has you running full speed to the bathroom again, and again, and again. It is the long and arduous travel days and the boring and monotonous rest days. Adventure is what I wanted and, like it or not, it is what I am not struck with.

I know the itching will eventually subside, and perhaps someday soon I will find myself completely free of bug bites. But I will always have the story.

Whatever else Central America has for me, I am ready.

Tikal

24 June 2009

Day 19

3:59 pm

The path was deserted, which only fueled our excitement. Heart thumping in my chest, we made our way towards the Gran Plaza. We were alone. Where were the hordes of camera-toting, fannypack-rocking, loud, obnoxious tourists? I don't know, nor do I care, for at this moment we enter the Gran Plaza.

Templo I and Templo II were massive and stood facing each other. After picking my jaw up from the ground, I began an assault with my camera. Picture after picture was taken, yet none seemed able to capture the magic of the moment nor the grandeur of the scene in front of me. I climbed the wooden steps and ladders to the top of Templo II.

After quenching our initial thirst for the Gran Plaza (at least for the moment), we made our way to our other main destination of the afternoon, Templo IV. Along the trail, we were giver our first glimpse of Tikal's highest structure.

Seeing it tower high above us and knowing that we were able to climb to the top (via the ever popular wooden steps and ladders), we picked up the pace. Upon reaching the base, we took a deep breath and began the climb. 196 steps later (yes, I counted), we were standing at the top with a remarkable view.

The view may have been amazing, but the sounds were other-worldly and intoxicating. There was a colorful mix of birds, insects and howler monkeys roaring in the distance. I could have stayed there for hours, but there was much more to see, and my feet were itching to go. We headed back onto the jungle path and came across a sign pointing to El Mundo Perdito (The Lost World). Who could say no to that? We soon found ourselves among a complex of 38 structures surrounding a huge pyramid.

We walk around snapping picture after picture and still quite puzzled as to how we are among the few people found around this phenomenal this cool and cloudy afternoon. I am busy puzzling this when I hear a thrashing in the nearby canopy. Having watched way too much LOST, I fear a smoke monster is about to float through the jungle right at me. To my delight, I instead see something else swinging through the trees. Spider Monkeys!!!

Giggling like a little girl, I watch as a parade of spider monkeys jump, swing and hurl themselves through the canopy overhead. I just saw monkeys swinging through the trees in the jungle! I'm practically rolling on the ground laughing at the perfection of the moment.

It's nearing 6pm, closing time. Kyle and I walk side-by-side on the jungle path until we reach the entrance. We'll be back tomorrow bright and early at 6am, when the park opens.

Who knows what tomorrow holds for us at Tikal?

What to say about Belize?

22 June 2009
Day 17

Six days in Belize and I'm ready to leave. Not that there is anything wrong with Belize, it's just not at all what I expected. Our bus ride north from Punta Gorda revealed a dirty, broken down country. Beyond the array of ugly cement and ramshackle houses there were glimpses of a lush, beautiful place, but of these I'm not even for sure. When our bus pulled into Belize City, I was tired and somewhat unimpressed by my impression of the country so far. Our lodging for the night had bars on the windows and multiple locks and bolts on the doors. It was early evening and we were hungry. We darted two doors down to a tiny taco place where they took your orders through a cage. Needless to say, we stayed put in our hotel for the duration of the evening.

First thing in the morning, we caught a lancha to Caye Caulker, where we were to spend the next few days. It was a small island with sandy roads and colorful people, similar to Roatan with less beauty and charm yet more expensive. We had a good enough time here. It was the beginning of lobster season and I was eager to try whatever kind was on the menu. From lobster tails to lobster pizza and, on our final night, a lobster dish so spicy that I couldn've sworn I saw steam coming from Kyle's ears. It was awesome!

We had intended on diving at the infamous Blue Hole during our stay on the Caye, but at almost US $200 per person for the day-long trip, we decided against it. Instead we treated ourselved to a much cheaper, and quite amazing day-long snorkel trip. It consisted of 3 snorkel sites, plus lunch and snacks. Our first snorkel site started with a bang. We saw a manatee. We were able to get up close and personal with it and it was incredible. It swam right under me! Our second snorkel was at Shark and Ray Alley in Hol Chan Marine Reserve and yes, we got to see sharks and rays. Nurse sharks, tons of small and large manta rays were in abundance. We also rocked it with a turtle and saw schools of fish. Really sweet Finding Nemo-ish schools of fish. The last snorkel continued the amazement with a huge shark, more sweet schools of fish and a moray eel! It was an amazing day. On the way back to the Caye, we had fresh shrimp ceviche, tortilla chips and a little too much rum punch. ;)
After our time on Caye Caulker, we were ready to get back to Guatemala. Enough of this expensive, english-speaking country. :)