Exquisite El Salvador - Juayua

An early start again (0530)......& numerous chicken buses finally got us to the border of Guatemala & El Salvador. The instant we crossed the bridge over the river (border) we noticed an amazing difference in the people.....SO friendly & helpful....& smiley ! We endeup getting a bus to the town of Sonsonate, then another up into the hills to a small place called Nahuizalco. There was nowhere to stay there (& was a bit of a backwater town) so we had some lunch, then got yet ANOTHER bus further up the hill to Juayua.

What a wonderful little town this was...very pretty & quite affluent. We managed to find a great hostel there (Hostel Anahuac) run by an absolutely  gorgeous El Salvadorian (Caesar) & his girlfriend (Jean) who were so friendly. We ended up going to his cousins´ restaurant in the evening & met Carlos, who was not only the owner but also the chef ! Lissa & he hit it off straight away & he really was a funny, kind & aimable kind of guy......HUGE too !!! We ended up meeting the following day where he took us round the "food Festival" that they hold in the Central Square every weekend. It was great fun, trying all sorts of new foods such as Pacaya, which was a kind of bitter vegetable that looked like tiny, tiny corn on the cobs ! ......... & even "Rana".....or FROG !!! Yep....& it really did taste like chicken !!!!

We had such a great day & we were in our element with all that food around us !!! In the evening, we went back to Carlos´s restaurant (R y R Restaurant) & he cooked us up something special....& very tasty !

The following day, he then invited us to go hiking with him up to a laguna in the mountains. He picked us up in his truck & we set off at 0630.....beautiful views & the morning air blowing through my hair (yep...I was in the back !!). We did a small hike around the laguna...very pretty....then hiked up a hill to a point overlooking a vast  valley beneath us........WOW ! The rest of the day was spent slobbing at the hostel & chatting to a really lovely Dutch girl called "October". She was really interesting as she had travelled loads & lived in many different places, so we ended up swopping stories & getting on really well. Together we all watched a film ("Innocent Voices") about the civil war in El Salvador (1980 - 1992...very recent) it was really quite harrowing as it was portrayed through the eyes of a young boy who had had survived the horrors.

Our third & last day in Juayua was spent, again, with Carlos, as he took us to the beach (La Mizata) where his family had a plot of land & were building a house & cabañas. It was perfect........great weather (got a bit of a tan) & swimming in the pacifc...sooooo warm !!!! Loafing in Hammocks & eating freshly caught & cooked fish with tortillas...YUM !!!! & I thought I was losing a bit of weight !!!!!! No chance here !!!!!

After the beach....Carlos then drove us up to Tacuba, where we were going to stay for the last couple of days. On the way....we unfortunately hit a stray dog (now in "dog heaven") & then got a flat tyre....so it was all a bit of an ordeal ! We eventually got there though & met up with Manolo (our guide & son of the owners of the hostel). Many cervesas & pupusas  (tortillas filled with cheese & beans !) were consumed and we danced the night away, until Carlos had to leave then Lissa & I headed back to the hostal for some kip !