Traveling Again. At Last! Greetings from El Salvador.

It's not been an easy day. 3AM alarm, 6AM flight, connecting in Miami. But at last, we arrived at our destination, where a torrid day awaited us, with temperatures in the 90s and enough humidity to make my shirt look as if it just came out of the washing machine. Still, it's so good to be back on the road.

I have mentioned in my previous post the reasons why we picked El Salvador as a destination. So far it has not disappointed us. We left the airport, located about 25 miles south of the capital, in our rented Hyundai 4x4, heading toward the town of Suchitoto. This is the rainy season here, which makes the vegetation super luxuriant, if somewhat wild. The GPS took us along some back roads, where we had to cross two flooded riverbeds and pass through minute towns where the poverty is quite apparent and wild, yet tame, dogs seem to own the place.

Poverty is a turn-off to many people. It certainly does not excite me, but there is something redeeming about it, Many people living in poverty lead very simple lives, and are the kindest people you can meet. They have nothing, but will give you their heart. So far, the people we have met here are the nicest and kindest humans we've met anywhere (except perhaps in Cambodia).

After a couple of hours we reached our destination. Suchitoto is normally a very touristy place in this country, but since COVID, tourism has all but died, and the economy is hurting. Badly. The owner of our hotel tells us that he used to have to turn away tourists as he was always solidly booked; now he goes days without a guest. What a shame. The town is simple and unassuming, but it is a jewel nonetheless. Colorful homes, dozens of restaurants, spectacular lake views easily endear you to it, and it is safe. People enjoy speaking with you and greet you with big smiles. Even the dozens of dogs roaming the street seem to happily share the town with the townsfolk and are intrigued by you.

We walked around for a few hours, taking in the aromatic scents coming off the carts of street-food bodegas, and exhausting ourselves, until we finally decided to stop for dinner at a superb French restaurant where I ordered a filet mignon/shrimp combination (Diane had Jumbo shrimp in an aioli sauce). Add a beer, a Sprite, an espresso, and the tip, and the entire bill came to $40. Simply amazing.

Our hotel (the Mayan Grouper) is at the end of a dead-end street on the outskirt of town. It is somewhat humble, but it's a gem of a place. The owners, their dogs, and the views are amazing.

Next door we heard the sound of a Mariachi band and walked by to see if we could see the performers. The lady of the house saw us looking through the door and happily invited us in. Her husband is a Mariachi, and he was practicing, singing beautifully with his two young boys. It was heart-warming to see how easily they welcomed us into their home. We hope tourism re-starts soon to provide these wonderful people the financial opportunity they so deserve.

But we are pooped, and we are going to call it a night. Tomorrow we shall awaken with renewed vigor and make more happy trails. Until then, Buenas Noches desde Suchitoto, El Salvador.