Justin and I felt that we were missing out on too much while we were sticking to the coast. So we rented a car and went inland to see El Salvador for Christmas. We drove up into the mountains and made Santa Ana our home base for a week.
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| Justin and I enjoying a relaxing breakfast in Santa Ana |
Ruins were on the top of our list. So on our first day, we headed out to Chalchuapa to see the ruins of Casa Blanca and Tazumal. These sites were small, but had great exhibits. Casa Blanca even had placards in English.
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| Ruins of Casa Blanca |
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| Justin and I at the ruins of Tazumal |
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| Justin at the ruins of Tazumal |
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| Me in front of the ruins of Tazumal |
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| Justin at the ruins of Tazumal |
We had the afternoon free, so we went to have dinner at Lago de Coatepeque, a lovely volcanic lake.
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| Lago de Coatepeque |
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| Justin enjoying the view |
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| Me enjoying the food |
The next day, we headed out to the Parque Nacional Los Volcanes to hike Ilametepec Volcano. We met Jose and Victoria from El Salvador and chatted with them throughout the hike. They translated all the pertinent information to us, except that there might be snakes on the hike. Well, they did tell us after we finished the hike.
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| Our new friends from Guatemala, Jose and Victoria |
Hiking up to the summit, we got fabulous views of Izalco Volcano with the ocean behind it. When we reached the summit, we got to see Lago de Coatepeque. We were amazed at the strength of the wind at the summit. We had to lean in towards the crater to maintain our balance.
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| Me hiking up Ilamatepec Volcano |
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| Justin and I in front of Izalco Volcano |
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| Hiking up Ilamatepec Volcano with Izalco Volcano in view |
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| Justin at the summit of Ilamatepec |
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| Summit of Ilamatepec |
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| Justin at the summit with Lago de Coatepeque behind him |
The following day was Christmas Eve. We tried to visit some ruins, but they were closed. So we drove the Ruta de las Flores to Juayua. We explored the town and visited the Tourist Information Centre. From there, a guide took us to the nearby waterfalls.
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| Justin and I at the waterfalls in Juayua |
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| Justin traveling through the caves between the waterfalls in Juayua |
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| Justin coming out of a caves connecting the waterfalls in Juayua |
We spent Christmas day relaxing at the hostel, Casa Verde in Santa Ana, watching movies, exercising, and calling family.
We visited the Joya de Cerenia ruins and Ruinas de San Andres on Boxing Day. These ruins were larger and are UNESCO sites.
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| Justin and I at the Joya de Cerenia ruins |
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| Justin at the Joya de Cerenia ruins |
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| Justin and I at the Joya de Cerenia ruins |
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| Justin at the Ruinas de San Andres |
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| Me at the Ruinas de San Andres |
We couldn't get over how friendly the people of El Salvador are. Everyone says hello when you're walking down the street. And the people are very helpful, even when you have no common language.
Alas, our week in El Salvador was over. Justin had to fly back to Fort McMurray on the 27th for a week of work. So I hopped on a bus to Guatemala.
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