Hotel Posada El Encanto Juayua

... We've been getting along really well but I can't help but laugh at her for being a bit motherly towards me. The kids and I have also been getting along although I'm not exactly looking forward to sitting in the car for them for 5 hours this weekend :-/ We're going to take them to Lego land in south Germany. I'm trying to pretend to be as excited as they are, but it's not Disney we're talking about here and it's cold, not ...

... 1088;а 74;ляйте& #1089;ь на пикни 82;. Какой к черту Лувр… Не трать 90;е время на банал 00;ности, особе 85;н ...

... or some other negative topic.
Westport is a small town, so we spent a lot of time just soaking up the atmosphere--taking long walks through the town, along the coast, or through the fields. We spent a day climbing the local mountain, Croagh Patrick. Like almost everything around the town, Croagh Patrick is a pilgrimage site. Every year, thousands of Catholics climb the mountain bare-footed to reach the church that lays on its peak. The ascent is mostly sharp ...

For the past week or so, we´ve been primarily in large cities, between San Pedro Sula and San Salvador, watching soccer games and soaking up a bit of modern conveniences. Today we broke away and headed for a change of pace -- weee little tiny towns.

Specifically, there´s an area in western El Salvador known as the Ruta del Flores (route of the ...

Mama & papa & hijo kindly dropped me in Ahuacapan so easy 30 min bus ride to Juayua in the middle of the Ruta de Flores.

People I'd met had recommended Hotel Anahuac & so decided to splash out & base myself here for a few days enjoying the weekend food feria & some quaint local villages by day trip.

Got a really nice room, wifi, kitchen use (including espresso coffee maker) & ...

... time it was the tallest building in the world.
It was awesome inside with the high vaulted ceiling and beautiful stained glass windows. It has a golden alter which contains their relics, supposedly some of the bones of the Three Wise Men.
This afternoon was the time to pack as we arrive in Amsterdam tonight. We’re in the first group to leave tomorrow for the airport and have to be ready by 5:45 a.m.

... awed. The church did have a 'sanctified' feeling, and I was asked to remove my hat inside the building.

We took a few tasty and large pretzels and apfel strudels for lunch, once again enjoying the delights of German pastry shops. Unfortunately we did not have the time to visit the German-Roman museum, but we did manage to buy a few things at their gift shop.

Saturday, 8/15:

-Finally got to San Salvador around 11:15 local time (1:15 am at home), after being delayed in Miami for quite awhile! In Miami, a nice Salvadoran man helped me pass the time by showing me around 300 pictures of his vacation to South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana with his daughter who lives in South Dakota. My Spanish isn't great, and neither is his English, but we got by; he was very patient with me, and took ...

El Salvador- Boarder Crossing and Juaya

Guatemala will sadly be missed, but it was time to move onto our next country, El Salvador. We arrived at the small boarder crossing around mid-afternoon and upon arriving we were inundated by 6 or 7 men exchanging money on the black market.

NOTE: For travelers making this boarder crossing, be aware these men are a bunch of rip-offs as the calculators they used are messed up ...

The bus ride up here was stunning. Winding roads up into the highlands through coffee plantations and fantastic vistas all round. The town itself was small and quaint - a bit like a tiny Antigua.

Every weekend there is a food fair, drawing both internal tourists and international ones. There´s no denying that this place is touristy (tourist police everywhere and ministry of tourism employees interviewing whoever they can find) - but something was amiss.. There was no room ...