We left La Palma early Sunday morning on the 119, a local bus headed for the capital. The 84km trip to San Salvador took about 2 1/2 hours, as we stopped along the way to pick up travelers and vendors, who were selling everything from ice cream, cold drinks, candy, fresh strawberries, and even medication.
We unloaded at the Terminal Oriente Bus Station and waited for Marcelo, our taxi driver. Marcelo is the "go-to man" in San Salvador. Referred to us by our PTO in Belize who served as a Volunteer in El Salvador and later worked as an APCD, Marcelo is trustworthy and dependable. He is often called upon by El Salvador Peace Corps Volunteers in and around the city, and he is always ready to help. Marcelo loaded us into his taxi and took us to our next destination, Playa El Tunco on the western Pacific coast of El Salvador.
The western Pacific coast is known as the La Costa del Balsamo for the basalm trees that produce the unique aromatic oil, Balsam of Peru. Thousands of families once worked in the basalm trade business that dates back to pre-Hispanic times, however today only around 400 men harvest basalm. La Costa del Balsamo is known to have the best surfing waves in Central America.
La Libertad is about 30km south of San Salvador and is well known around the world for Punta Roca, the best wave in Central America. Just down the road from Libertad, about 10km, is the beach-side community Playa El Tunco. A favorite of Salvadorians, El Tunco is quiet and not as crowded as La Libertad with beautiful black volcanic sand beaches. When we arrived on Sunday morning, the beach was packed with families enjoying the warm weather.
We stayed at the Totuga Surf Lodge, a nice and quiet place with beautiful grounds and a pool. We spent our time in El Tunco relaxing on the beach, laying in hammocks, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, and watching surfers ride waves throughout the day. Playa El Tunco truly is amazing, and it was hard to leave this beautiful place.
We are hanging out in San Salvador, exploring the capital city before we begin our journey back to Belize.
Great pictures and interesting information--Stay Safe--We sure do love you!! GiGi & Bill
Posted by: Aletha Anderson | January 08, 2009 at 09:54 AM