Hard Travel on a Rugged Coast

It didn't take long yesterday to get to the coast from the Salvadorean coffee highlands, but once I was there I discovered a largely undeveloped but beautiful region of high forested cliffs, rocky coves and small isolated beaches with big waves(but possibly dangerous undertows).

This is the back way, or the slow route, from Sonsonate to La Libertad. What I thought might be a simple day trip from the quiet fishing village of Los Cobanos (The Coves) to El Zonte beach turned out to be a half day's hard travel on local buses. In fact, I didn't even reach my destination. After a 90 minute trip the bus went down the coast only so far as La Perla where I would've had to change for another bus, but by the time I arrived in La Perla it was getting late already--I needed to be back "home" well before dark.

By the end of a very hot day (93 degrees Farenheit) I'd decided to give the rest of this coastal area a miss but only because there are almost no hotels to choose from. The dubious room I ended up with in Los Cobanos was perhaps the worst value I've encountered thus far: an overpriced $15 for a hot (and not so clean), mosquito-infested hovel with no windows, AC, TV or any other amenity. The only things this place has going for it is it's right on the beach and the attached restaurant serves an excellent $7 fish dinner.

So I made straight for the capital city San Salvador early this morning to grab what turned out to be the best value so far in a very clean $20 room at the Hotel Villa Florencia (Centro branch). This room is terrifically graced with windows, AC, TV & the other amenities! I'll be here for two days, then it's on to San Miguel in eastern El Salvador, then on to Honduras & Nicaragua.

Since I need to start making miles, I'm seriously considering booking a seat on a Tica bus--the first class airconditioned option--to go, if not to Panama City in one fell swoop, then maybe as far as Managua. I'd like to revisit the grand colonial city of Granada & the quiet little paradise of San Juan del Sur before crossing into Costa Rica.

Daytripping on the Ruta de Las Flores (Day 9)

Considering the fact that this part of western El Salvador is a major coffee producing region, it sure is difficult to find a good cup of coffee! Sure, I´m a latte snob but this is getting ridiculous. Today, however, I scored a home run with the discovery of The House of Coffee, an upscale joint in the village of Ataco which has the first espresso machine I´ve encountered since Guatemala City.

Follow the winding Ruta de Las Flores east out of hot, stifling Ahuachapan for just a few miles and you are transported into a totally different climate of misty, fog covered mountain greenery dotted with several large finca--coffee plantations--and just two or three very easy-going market villages. Ataco is one of them.

Further along the route you arrive in Apaneca & Juayua, where I´ve snagged a room for the night. Up here it´s cool enough not to require AC & it looks as if it might even rain again. We hope not, however, as El Salvador also suffered its share of mudsliding this past weekend--the evidence of which is apparent all along the roadside where workers are still busy cleaning the debris three days later. MSNBC says El Salvador reported 10 killed in the storm.

My cash situation has mysteriously resolved itself: yesterday I was able to draw enough dollars to last me for the week.

Tomorrow: to Sonsonate & then Playa Mizata/El Zonte for some Pacific beachside doings. . .

Sat May 29 (Day 6) & the Rains

When it rains it pours! And it`s really coming down today. I took advantage of a brief lull & grabbed a bus into town so I could check the ATMs again. I still can`t get cash from my account, though I`m still able to use the card for debit/credit. This is very inconvenient long term because I have only a limited amount of cash dollars which are a hassle to change and which I need to preserve for emergencies. I can last a few days but I hope I don´t have to call the bank.

The rain is so relentless today that I really didn`t feel like dealing with any travel at all, but I took advantage of the time to research the next leg or two. One option, which I`ve just about rejected, is to make my way to Guatemala`s nearby Pacific coast. The town of Monterrico in the coastal preserve Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii looks kind of interesting for the turtle sanctuary but the hatching season doesn`t start til June. Meanwhile the guidebooks tell me that Guatemala`s Pacific beach towns are either run down or sleazy (or both). Much more interesting would be the stretch of beach towns just west of La Libertad in El Salvador. Apparently this little corner of Central America has some of the best surfing in the world--and lessons for $10!

Tomorrow, rain or shine, I think I`ll make straight for the El Salvador border and then to Ahuachapan, a pleasant colonial city I visited in 2008. This town is close to a couple Mayan ruins sites & some little-touristed mountain villages in El Salvador`s western coffee plantation region. From there I can visit the beaches then proceed to the capital San Salvador & points beyond.