Hotel Anahuac Juayua

... named after the wildflowers that bloom here around this time of year. It consists of a string of small towns all in approximately the same area. So John and I set out to explore. We visited three of the little towns: Ataco, Apaneca and Juayua. All three were small, quiet villages, connected by pretty scenery along the highway. Yes, we did see flowers!

... garden with hammocks.

Having gone to Santa Leticia, abandoned plans to see the giant rock carvings on finding they were 1km uphill on rocky road. Headed off to Ataco, a pleasant colonial village with an arty vibe, though only comes to life when the capitalenos come for the weekend.

Some of the people in the hostel bought a massive bottle of ron anejo with ice & mixers so had a bit of a sesh in ...

... barren cine after 2005 eruption, latter much steeper though less tall with poor igneous rock footing all the way - no brainer huh? Santa Ana also had the benefit of being tallest volcano in ES, plus great views of it's crater lake and lake Coatepeque.

So initially it was just me, the guide and 2 tourist police (due to previous muggings there) though picked up several more people on the way.

Hard work but worth it. Then I ...

... a paper and pen so we could wrrite down words that we were trying to say. He showed me his journal, too, which he kept during his trip -- the first page was entitled "Mis primeras vacaciones" -- After working for 46 years, he was able to take his first trip! I then realized why he was so excited to show me all of his pictures!

Sunday, 8/16:

-I decided to spend the day before work climbing one of the volcanoes ...

... don't calculate the figures correctly. So be sure to check the calculations yourself, before passing your money over.

On a brighter note Christina and I had no issues getting the permits for Wesley, which was free of charge…Bonus! Furthermore, passing through customs we forgot Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua have an agreement and it is one charge for all, with a 90-day travelers visa.

This ...

... a lot of subitance farming. Some of the places even seemed a little more upmarket than Guatemala, but then we hit Santa Ana, more by luck than judgement, we had misread the distance on the map and thought it was further up the road.
We found the Livingstone hotel after first ending up in the seedier part of town where there were lots of ladies on street corner selling something!
The hotel ...

... nieuw hostel (3 maanden open) genaamd Casa Mazeta waar we een private room beschikbaar hadden.
De eerste witte was gelijk afgegeven om te wassen, het centrum in op verkenning, een heerlijke liquade met aardbijen gedronken met zoete cake, zometeen lekker douchen, en daarna lekker ergens eten!

De rest volgt later!
Ik zag op internet dat het bij jullie ook lekker weer is vandaag!

Genietze!!!







Juayúa, Sonsonate, El Salvador micheleen

... along the same lines, but in Spanish, so I didn't realize that until we were talking about it on the way home. I had picked up a flag left over from the recent elections that was thrown into the bushes, still on the bamboo pole it had been set in the ground with. Trouble was, and I have been in the country long enough to realize it, it was for the losing party, which was backed by the 'bourgeoisie'. I was trying to find a clipper or pliers so I could take ...

... was to much trouble to hassle us for the fair, so he just ignored us. Next. We arrive in the real Ahuachapan and look for the places to stay as recommended in our tusty guide. Hotel San Jose was exactly as described, "clean, but cheerless". The town was intersting as well and we got lots of stares since apparently we were the only tourists in town. Everyones stares turned to big smiles after we said "hola" or "buenas". One night there was enough since it was ...

... any hostel or hotel. Yep, unknowingly, i had arrived at the start of their annual week-long fiesta. Stages were up everywhere, entire sections of town were cordoned off, a funfair had been set up and there were people everywhere.

Along with a couple of Israeli backpackers and an older couple, we blagged some mattresses and sheets on the roof of a hotel for $3. Sweet.

- Food fair was tasty. Big frog for lunch, beef for dinner and numerous snacks to graze on all day ...