Welcome to El Salvador 2019
Lots of images here. Enjoy.
I hope you can let go of American prejudices and viewpoints and see these people, lands, intersections of international cultures old and new, the economies of subsistence and privilege, and the whims of the photographer's baggage.
The upper right blue button can lead you to the each topic described below.
There are often images that lead to the topic and images that end the day of the topic.
Two Index Boxes below
Click on each below gray header label and see the simple description and then click to that web page.
The Arrival Page is below the two index boxes.
Welcome to humidity, heat and colors. After arriving at the beach hotel, the Brompton and I make our way down CA-2 Highway to stretch after sitting on 8 hours of flight. Ah, a home of shades, near equator sun downing and the smells and sounds of the Pacific on the black sand beach.
Sroll down
to the
Arrival page
Below
La Libertad is the largest coastal city of El Salvador. A busy town; biked there to get sim card for phone and ended up bike/walking up a very steep roads to the top of Libertad. Single rooms, most residents bring water from common fountain up to their homes. the view of the Ocean is humble to the barrios of this coastal high point of neighbors why this gringo is here.
GO to La Libertad page
The Dock of La Libertad is a universe to itself. Boats with fish are winched up to the dock, unloaded, and sales of the catch start immediately. 5 bucks for large yellow tailed tuna.
GO to the Dock page
Standing at the intersection in La Libertad witnessing the orchestration and ballet of cars, trucks, buses, wheel barrows, goods, foods, crops, cow ribs, all passing by without incident, without rancor...fascinating...and No Stop Signs, no red-yellow-green light, no street police...just a cosmic harmony of diversity in movement.
GO to the El Traffico page
Surfers abound here; Brazilians flock. This year I see and meet more El Salvadorians who are Canadian and American citizens visiting families and spending days on the beach. Weekends fill with dread-locked twenty year olds on some kind of extended adolescent procrastination road stop of beer, dope and surf.
GO to the Tunco page
This is Z at his best. Wandering without purpose, a map at hand, a direction chosen, a photo being chased...what else could there be as a traveler. Being at home where one has no terra firma of identity but understanding the melange of many decades in many places. This is the gestalt of provision to good travels. To see what is there. And El Salvador has such a resonance for me. It reinforces the irony of landing in Oregon with hills, mountains, volcanoes, geological strata of pumice, multiple ejecta here and there...and of course the people. The absolute friendly, welcoming nature of all these folks where selling coconuts sliced top to drink the refreshment or just allowing the photographer to click. This traveler's home in many ways.
GO to the
Country Rides page
Z toutles around the city, visiting los Ilustros Cemetario where Marilyn Owings Zelada is buried, the immense markets of the central city, the great bicycle group, Pedaleando which does a ride from San Salvador to Santa Techla up some 1300 feet!
GO to the City page
Iglesia Rosario: This church is tucked in the central historical district, is a somewhat new church, and is a celebration of light and sculptures depicting the stations of the cross (Christ's movements from court to cross to tomb to arising). Not a Christan nor Catholic but the sculptures are intense.
Finding this delightful visual treat is thanks to Martine's thoroughness of research.
GO to the Iglesgia Rosario page
la Palma, birthplace of Fernando Llort says it all. This town born in 1882 was a crossroads of military and guerrillas forces and also a site for negotiations toward the end of the 1980's war.
Llort artist's hand-print and development of the artisan community is on every corner.
GO to the la Palma page
lEl Pital is the highest point in El Salvador and adjacent to Honduras. A fall tree allows to cross into Honduras between a cracked boulder. Lovely hike up and down. Walter the guide helped Martine go up an down the scramble of roots saying how we reminded him of his aunt and uncle. Lovely hike with met Canadians up to the top and back to Rio Chiquito, small village with a vibrant economy of vegetables and coffee.
GO to the El Pital page
M and Z bus and back to Panchimalco, another artisan town. An Evening Market by candle light is a lovely way to end the day with towns people mixing with one another, kids playing, women begging is a sweet manner and smiles unlike the world's needy.
GO to the Panchimalco page
Food talk about El Salvador diets always starts with the region's pupusas which are ever present on road side stands, street alcoves, and all types of restaurants. Nahuizalco sausages are a simple visual treat and basic palate of garlic, basil, pepper, onion and meat...the presentation is in a strand casing of ingredients with corn husks separating the individual rounded sausages.
GO to the Food page
The Arrival
Southern Rockies south west Utah; Below is entering El Salvador with its vulcan landscapes.
The plane had one of the smoothest landing in a long time.
The blast of heat was a strong armed envelope of hello to 95 degrees and many people awaiting Houston's embarking passengers. The sign Armando Zelada and the driver holding the paper collected me and we were on the road to the black beaches. Ah, the pupusas, the drinks, the coconuts, the chips, the water in plastic containers all pitched their wares to us automobile contents as we sped to the Pacific. I went for a little bike ride...stopping at a previous shop to buy water. The owner remembered me and pointed to the front of her house where her granddaughter was celebrating her 12th birthday.
All was as I had left in 2017.
The Pacific Blues from sky, beach, shoreline, airplane window.
The colors of the welcoming Salvadorians
greet our blurry selves...
After checking in, out on the roadway,
Pan American Highway numero dos (CA-2)
The bar next door providing a bizarre light show on a natural feature, El Tunco and a whiskey fix which promptly putting me on the road to sleep after arising at 330 am.
And catnapping at 9pm by the Pacific waves...
Go to Top
72km.org
Travel
Our trips traveling by bicycle. Our trips in Central America, Europe and Across the USA.
Always following the Rule:
A mile at the beginning of the day is not as long as the mile
at the end of the day.
Voices & Words
Articles published, articles written, histories of the families, and of course food seen and enjoyed
