Javier's house and hiking our first volcano

Having moved on to a new town in El Salvador, we took the recommendation of our friends from Juayua and decided to lodge at Casa Frolaz. It is an actual home, owned by a really nice man named Javier Diaz. He is from El Salvador, born and raised as the 10th of 11 kids on a coffee plantation nearby. He basically rents out 3 rooms in his house to travellers and makes you feel like you are his house guests. We were able to use the kitchen, cook our own food, watch movies, hang out on the couches or in the yard...we loved it. Basic hostels usually do not feel like homes and do not open their lives to you so this was a nice change. And, our friends from Juayua came too (the Italians and the Mexican!) His name is Eduardo but everyone, including himself, calls him "the mexican" so we feel comfortable referring to him as that!

Volcano Izalco

We hiked our first volcano, Volcan Izalco. Central America is filled with volcanoes, some of which are active and cannot be climbed and others that are accessible and open to hiking. It was definitely the most physically gruelling day of our trip so far. Most hikes in Central America are with a guide and/or police escort for safety (rest assured, mom, we were safe!) The hike started by climbing down a bit over 1000 steps through lush mountain terrain to get to the base of the volcano. When going down the steps I was engaged in conversation with a gal we'd met from France so I didn't realize how long we had been walking. I got to the base of the volcano (i.e. the start of the hike up) and my legs were shaking from the downward descent. The hike was straight up over rocks and dirt (the pictures will give you a good idea). I could hear my heartbeat in my ears and it was rapid...translation= this was hard. It took about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the top and then we had amazing views of the surrounding towns, mountains, and a part of a volcanic lake. This particular volcano was not inexistence until 1770 when a cone began to form where smoke had been coming out of the ground. It is now 1910 meters high and last erupted in 1957. At the top there are some rocks from which steam still arises and when you get near them it feels like the heat you feel in a sauna.

James, Peter and Ashleigh

The trip down the volcano was really fun. Most of it was through a channel of sand and you just sort of slid your way down, taking steps but feeling more like you were going down an escalator. We took some video to show you...

However, if you recall I mentioned the 1000 or so steps that we had to walk down in the beginning...well those were awaiting us to finish the hike. Thank goodness for the tree cover that provided shade, otherwise it would have been a killer. It was pretty much straight up, back and forth, for 45 minutes. And the steps were more intense then any stair stepper I've ever encountered at any gym...ranging between 1-3 feet in height. All that said, we are so glad we did the hike and were incredibly surprised that we weren't more sore the next day. It feels great to get outdoors and see so much of the natural beauty of this country.

At the top!

view from top of volcano

Top of volcano

Sporty spice

Going down!

Javier, the ultimate house host and Eduardo