Why We Spent Only One Short Week in El Salvador Part 2 (and Our Next Crazy Challenge)

With the sun always comes new hope and perspective. The darkness of the previous night dissipated with the suns rays.

Greg was feeling better, we had a filling breakfast at the gas station ‘buffet’, and reconstructed our plan.

We'd give El Salvador another chance or two. There were a couple of beach towns still further south. We could check them out, and if we still didn’t find something, then we would head to Nicaragua, per the recommendation of Greg’s surfer friend in El Tunco.

Most importantly (for me), I just want to find a comfortable place where we can get clean, do laundry, and get some work done. Is that too much to ask?

So we drive, destination either El Cuco or Tamarindo. Several hours (and minor adventures) later we reach a fork... one toward El Cuco, one toward Tamarindo. Which should we take?

“Quick Parker, pick a direction!”

“Ummm.... El Cuco,” he says.

Okay, that’s where we’re going.

We drive up and up, and the air gets fresh and cool and the vista is green and lush. Then we drive down and down toward the coast. It gets warmer and muggier. Of course the A/C hasn’t worked since we left Guatemala (we didn’t need it there in the highlands), so the windows are down and I have my own personal plugin fan blowing directly on me.

Arriving in town, I can see right away it’s not much, and probably won’t be a place we’ll stay long term. The nearest big town was at least an hour back. But for now it’s just a matter of finding a place we can ‘recoup’ before we continue to Nicaragua, if that's what we decided to do.

Driving along the beach frontage road, we peer in through a gate. The driveway is lined with coconut trees and the shade is so appealing. Greg pulls over a few feet ahead.

"I'll go check it out, and see if they won't charge us an arm and a leg."

A few minutes later he returns. "Ten dollars a night to camp, use the pool, shower and bathroom."

We'll take it.

For the next three days we enjoy the 'good times' we'd been searching for since arriving in El Salvador. No, we weren't in a house. No, we still didn't know where we would live, or where we would have this baby. But we had a comfortable place to stay, with a few luxuries that sometimes make all the difference.

Everyday I would walk into the centro of town and use the internet, or I'd work poolside while the kids swam.

In the evenings we'd walk along the boardwalk...

And then get pupusas for dinner (a traditional El Salvadoranian dish). Only 3 for $1.

And Greg and Kyah even taught a wandering mariachi band how to play the ukulele. (Watch the video below.)

All in all, we're refreshed and rejuvenated. We were thoroughly enjoying our time and wish we could explore El Salvador more. But to everything there is a time and season, and the season of having a baby was fast approaching.

So we decide that Nicaragua is where we'll head next to look for a house. Hopefully we'll have better luck than we did here.

After three days, we feel revitalized enough to take on a new challenge... we'll cross TWO borders in ONE day (El Salvador/Honduras and Honduras/Nicaragua) and head to León in Northern Nicaragua.

We must be crazy.

Good-bye El Salvador. Wish we could have got to know you better.

Have you been to El Salvador? How was your experience?

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