El Salvador

Well we cross into El Salvador on 3/3 and head for the Ruta de las Flores (more on the later).

On our way Google lead us down a road that turned into a dirt road that turned into a trail and then ended and was so narrow you couldn’t turn around.  So Edel’s and Matt unhook the trailer and manually spin it while Tracy backed her rig 200 yards uphill to find a turnaround spot.  She then backed the rig back down the same 200 yds to hook up the trailer and then Edel’s somehow maneuvered his rig around so we could all get out.  Actually this was awesome and the kind of stuff you run into.  Keeps it fun.

What this did do is delay us from getting to where we wanted to camp and so we found this unique restaurant/food court/jungle play area that had a large, flat (always nice) and empty parking area we could camp in.  So we set up camp, ate in their restaurant and settled in.  In the morning we were greeted with some kids and aunts of the kids who lived nearby.  One little boy Tracy named Freddie (red shirt and who we later found out had a different name) loved trying to talk with Tracy as she gave him a tour of the rig in English – Freddie had a little English to keep it interesting.  Initially Freddie was the only one who came over, but within 30′ we had a crowd.  Super sweet group.  Bracelets for all!

3/4 Ruta de las Flores Stay at Gilma’s in Salcoatilan

We had read about the Ruta de las Flores on serval sites and decided it would be fun to check out.  The route goes through 5 small towns and the flowers in full bloom are supposed to be beautiful!  We stopped in the first three small towns along the Ruta and, candidly, they were a little disappointing. Cute but nothing truly unique and inspirational was happening in these villages. We searched for pupusas to no avail.  Papusas are a local meal we were dying to try.  We finally found some in a local supermarket and grilled them up one night for dinner. We tried deep fried yucca in one town which was good but not extraordinary. We’re at the tail end of the season along the Ruta de las Flores so we aren’t sure we’ll see any flowers.  For the most part we were too late.  We did see some trees with white blossoms on the route but mostly just wilted blooms. It is still a beautiful drive going through hillsides covered in foliage even if they don’t have blooms.

We needed some breakfast and so stopped in one of the towns, Concepcion de Ataco, that was supposed to be known for it murals.  We grabbed breakfast at a local joint and walked the town and we were not disappointed.

Tracy found a waterfall hike outside Juayua, one of the towns on the route.  Unfortunately this is definitely a hike you want a guide (I think the guide helping us park was trying to tell us this but our Spanish is a little lacking).  We got to the first waterfall and had to turn back since we couldn’t find the trail and it looked like we’d have to swing Tarzan-style on a vine down a cliff  to continue.  So we turned back and climbed the huge hill we had come down in the first place. We’re very hot and tired at this point.  As we finished we met a group that had actually gotten a guide, finished the hike and loved the swim they got to take at the last one (not what we wanted to hear).  But actually Tracy got the hikes confused, we were supposed to take the 15 minute one into the crater for a swim not the 5-6 hour waterfall hike – no talking the others into it now.

We found a wonderful host for the night in the town of Salcoatilan.  Hidden behind big gates down a narrow dirt road we found Gilma’s place. Inside the gates she had a beautiful home and gardens she opened up to campers and guests that could stay in her casitas.  We camped in her yard which was lush with tropical flowers and she allowed us to shower in her extra casita. We cooked up a big meal for dinner and relaxed after showering, eating and washing and rinsing the dishes. The next morning, Gilma personally shopped and made us an El Salvadoran breakfast the likes we had never seen. It was one of the best meals we had and we ate every last morsel on the plates.  Gilma had lived in the states at one time and was very well traveled and was a great host.

3/5. Teotepeque Cocolito

We were tipped off that we should stay in Cocolito by a few different overlanders. We arrived late afternoon and the forecast was for heat and humidity to continue to rise through the night. We pulled in which was difficult because Cocolito had rows and rows of picnic tables and palm trees very close together. Matt had to find another way into the camp and we had to drop the trailer at the front entrance, otherwise he couldn’t have navigated the area very well. We got set up and all we wanted was a little breeze to pass through to cool things down but that never happened. A couple of other van lifers and surfers pulled in including a young German couple and their 18-month daughter Emily. She took a liking to us and hung out with us until bedtime. Unfortunately, the heat was too much for her and she was up, most of the night, crying. And so were we, haha!   Poor thing. The parents told us they couldn’t get their money out of the bank so we paid for their camping spot and Tracy, bless her heart, gave them some money for food and water. As it turns out, we ran into them several more times throughout our journey.  Overall, the campsite was dirty, strewn with garbage and the bathrooms were crusty. We were happy to leave Cocolito in the morning.  This may be our only photo of the camp – LoL

March 6-7 Camp in El Salvador Near Intipuca (The Pelican site near Tortuga Verde)

We drove through volcano country and bee-lined our way to the beach hoping it would cool down. We tried to camp at La Tortuga Verde but they wouldn’t have us so we popped down to Pelican Park. This was a nearly abandoned event space on the beach and had showers and toilets that were only mildly dirty and run down. We had the entire place to ourselves and stayed cool under the giant shade of their large event buildings. Everyone went for a swim in the ocean to cool off and we watched panga races from our campsite. Several countries were competing against one another in these boat races where they would blaze out from the beach about 5 miles full speed turn and the first boat to hit the beach wins. It was amazing to see these boats hit the surf and get tossed in the air like a missile with the entire boat getting airborne. Each wave they would catch air and come crashing down…..making their way to the beach. Each would hit the beach at full speed. Exciting stuff.  It happens every year only on March 6 – talk about timing.

We made our way back to Tortuga Verde and after swimming, ate lunch at their restaurant. We met the owner who was a total character. He spent at least an hour with us talking about how he discovered the hotel and has been working with the local government, the drug cartel and locals to develop his business. He could have talked for hours….and we could have listened. It was a fascinating story and a really wonderful hotel and restaurant. We returned later that evening for a swim at the beach and cocktails.

We met another overlander in a new Jeep Gladiator who popped into Pelican Park. He talked incessantly for an hour about himself, his exploits and sharing his political opinions in which no one really cared or asked about. Unfortunately, we couldn’t shake him and we had to see him and experience his opinions several more times as we hit several border crossings together at exactly the same time – funny how that happens.  It is so much nicer when you run into overlanders who are more balanced and interested in how their experiences may benefit others vs the puffery you can run into.