Lago de Coatepeque and Juayua's food fair

When we hiked Volcan Izalco, we saw a volcanic crater lake in the distance. We had a chance to catch a bus to visit this lake. It's called Lago de Coatepeque and although most of it is inaccessible to the public because the properties are privately owned, there is a section of restaurants and hotels for visitors. We were excited to arrive to find a couple from Israel we had met the day before on our hike. Hila and Guy were enjoying the afternoon over a Pilsner (El Salvador's beer which is available EVERYWHERE and costs usually $1-$1.25 per bottle). It is a beautiful lake and the water is warm for swimming. One of the most interesting and educational parts of travel is the other travelers you meet. Hila and Guy are in their 20's and are from Jerusalem. I haven't met anyone actually living in Israel until now, so we were curious about what life is like there during these scary times of violence. The reality is that violence has been going on for so long there and it was nothing new to them. They both feel very safe where they are from and encouraged us to visit.

At the bus station

Traveling in Central America thus far has primarily been by bus. It is the way that many locals travel and it is so cheap. Rides of up to 3 hours rarely cost us over $1 each and provide for lots of people/culture watching. The afternoon we went the lake, we arrived at the bus "station" and ended up having to wait about an hour for our bus. In the meantime, we watched the controlled madness of the bus system here as huge buses (like school buses on steroids) are pulling in and out of spaces with inches between them. I have no idea how they do it but they do! And each bus has its own "flavor", if you will. They are often decorated very colorfully both inside and out, many adorned with religious phrases, some with stuffed animals and stickers. We got on another bus the other day that was blasting it's stereo so loud that we couldn't talk. The music was American-we couldn't help but groove a little bit in our seats...you'll have to see our video to experience it!

Bus Station

We decided to go back to Juayua (1 hour bus ride from Santa Ana) on the weekend to the famous food fair (when in Juayua before, we had missed the fair because we were there during the week). Basically, on the weekend the city goes nuts and food vendors set up stands lining the central park and there is music and art for purchase and everyone comes out. People from all over the country come, in fact. From what we've learned, this food fair really helps the people of Juayua to be able to live well. Although coffee is the main agricultural export from this area, the price of coffee has gone down so there has to be other ways to work. This food fair started a long time ago and has been crucial to the lifestyles of the people there. We went with our friends from Javier's house and loved meeting up with Cesar and Jenna (from the hostel we stayed at in Juayua). It felt like we were part of a little community of friends that were reuniting. That feels really great since we miss our friends a lot and have always appreciated being part of a community, whether it be with our families, friends, or church.

Lago de Coatepeque

jumper

Juayua food fair

Juayua food fair

Juayua

Catholic church in Juayua