El Salvador, a dangerous country?

Buenas dias amigos!!!

Ahora estamos en Guatemala, y la pasamos muy bien! Estamos en el tranquilo pueblo de Lanquin, esta mañana fuimos a Semuc Champey, las maravillosas posas de aguas azules y verdes... Increible... Tambien vamos a descubrir pronto las grutas de Lanquin, el famoso sitio Maya de Tikal y el lago Peten Itza ... Hasta ahora El Guatemala nos parece muy hermoso! Nuevas historias mas tarde, hoy voy a contar a ustedes nuestra semana en El Salvador...

As I told you in the previous article, El Salvador has a really bad reputation in terms of safety. With an average daily number of 10 people murdered, this country seemed to be scary. Moreover, the bloody ultraviolent gang "La Mara Salvatrucha", which was born in the USA, is strong here and bad news can be read everyday in the local newspapers! But actually, Vladi and I spent a wonderful week in some little villages located in the highlands, far away from big cities and their safety problems. Come with us to get to know El Salvador better...

JUAYUA Y LOS CHORROS DE LA CALERA

After a long day of bus(es), we arrived at night in Juayua, a pretty town surrounded by volcanoes and coffee plantations. We found thanks to a local guy a great hotel with private bathroom & TV for 15$, breakfast included. In El Salvador, prices are more expansive than in Nicaragua or Guatemala, and believe me, that was quite a good deal! So we stayed there 6 nights, using the chicken buses to visit the nearby villages rather than changing every 2 days our accomodation.

With its bright colored facades and its lovely people, Juayua is a friendly "off the beaten path" village in a "off the beaten path" country! We spent some nice days at the rythm of the church bells, and enjoyed the local weekend food celebration a lot... Moreover the staff in our hotel El Mirador was very kind and full of tips, and nature outdoor activities  were waiting for us all around!

Within hiking distance (a 30 mn walk) are the numerous waterfalls called "Chorros de la Calera", an enchanting place in a gorgeous nature setting. Here you can chill out, swim or even try the underground corridors diggen out in the rocky hills! To explore those hidden tunnels in the darkness, taken away by the current, is a interesting but frightening experience... Each waterfall was beautiful,  and as the weather was very hot, swimming in the cold pools was a real treat! I was also colonized by some tiny translucent caterpillars, which where moving in an odd way, almost walking by bending completely their body...

SAN JOSE LA MAJADA Y EL MUSEO DEL CAFE

Not far away from Juayua is San Jose La Majada and its small coffee museum. Here we learnt everything we wanted to know about coffee, and tasted good capuccinos chilling out in the hammocks of the lovely backyard garden...

Then we hiked randomly through the peaceful coffee plantations, spotting here and there amazing hairy caterpillars and colourful butterflies. We came back hitch-hiking (what a great feeling to hitch again!) so easily that it was almost a joke! We definitely started loving El Salvador at that precise moment...

APANECA, LAGUNA VERDE Y LAGUNA DE LAS NINFAS

The next village on the "Ruta de las Flores" was Apaneca. Smaller than Juayua, with its cobbled streets and quiet atmosphere, it´s the village that time forgot. Few people in the streets, plenty of stray dogs. On a nearby hill, I had a cool conversation with local people working in the coffee plantations. They invited me to see their house and to climb a wood ladder to the top of a tree, where I enjoyed a nice view over Apaneca.

Apaneca is also the starting point to hike the steep roads that go to the green lagoon (laguna verde) and the lilypads lagoon (laguna de las ninfas). Both were totally green and peaceful places, but I prefered the lilypads laggon for its flowers and butterflies.

At the lilypads lagoon, I was bluntly attacked by dangerous plants, some kind of nasty powerful nettles. Look at the spots on my arm! Nevertheless it was a delighting place to be, cause I was alone all afternoon watching the butterflies flying in the sun. I must admit I took a royal nap in the clumps of grass, feeling the warm breeze on my face, smelling the pinewood and listening to the bugs life! Of course I had a thought for you working at your office...

CONCEPCION DE ATACO

26km away from Juayua, I found in Concepcion de Ataco a lot of colourful facades, and more cobbled streets than in the other villages around. Add a nice church and plenty of laid back (traveler-friendly) unhabitants, and you get a sweet afternoon in the El Salvador countryside...

In El Salvador, we also discovered that every meal comes with its corn tortillas called "pupusas". They are basically the main component of the meal, so you have to love them! Most of the little local restaurants are "pupuserias". If you come one day to this country, you will eat rice (arroz), beans (frijoles) and a lot of chicken (pollo)!

As a conclusion, our short week in El Salvador was very relaxing, and if I´m sure this country has much more to offer despite its small size, we were happy to stay in this lovely area in our comfy room.. Little villages, coffee plantations and volcanoes: a good mix, isn´t it? So is El Salvador a dangerous country? NO!!! Go and discover it, don´t be afraid of Central America, just use your common sense and avoid big cities... Safe trips and see you later!

IN FRENCH FOR THEO

Salut mon filleul! Le mois de juillet est déjà bien entamé maintenant, comment se passe le centre aéré? Ton parrain est actuellement au Guatemala, toujours en Amérique Centrale. Avec Vladi nous venons de passer une semaine dans un petit pays, El Salvador. Cette destination a une réputation redoutable, car il y a 10 meurtres par jour et apparemment des gangs très violents. Heureusement, ces problèmes se rencontrent seulement dans les grandes villes, que nous avons évitées bien sûr. Nous avons plutôt visité des petits villages entourés de volcans et de plantations de câfé. La population locale était très gentille et on a vu peu d´autres voyageurs. Nous avons découvert les secrets du câfé, de la fleur à la tasse, et nous nous sommes baignés dans des cascades extraordinaires. Les villages étaient très tranquilles, avec des rues pavées et des facades de maisons colorées. Dans le village de Juayua, nous avons aussi profité du festival de plats locaux le weekend pour goûter plein de bonnes viandes grillées accompagnées de tortillas. Hmmm... Bon ca vaut pas la cuisine de mamie Régine, mais c´est bien quand même! J´espère que tu vas bien et que tu t´éclates pendant tes vacances. Embrasse bien fort Eléa, papa et maman de ma part... Ciao Théo...