Wow, Wow, Wow!

We have left the Ruta de Las Flores, thinking that it would be unlikely that other places in this small country would be equally stimulating. We were so wrong!

We did finally manage to visit the Mayan ruins at Tazumel, but the museum was closed, so we had to make do simply walking around the perimeter of the main pyramid. Having been at Chichen Itza, this smaller settlement pales in comparison, but we are still left in awe of the expanse of this ancient empire, this being the southernmost remnants.

After lunch in Santa Ana, where I enjoyed talking football and the European Cup with the parking attendant, we headed toward the Cerro Verde Nature Park where we were hoping to find accommodations for the night. Somehow I had missed a day in my planning, so today had not been planned when booking hotels.

I had heard and read much about Lake Coatepeque, and as we headed uphill, once again into the clouds, we came upon a viewpoint where the volcanic lake made a proud showing of itself.

I wanted to see if we could lodge at the Finca Campo Bello, a coffee plantation covering 140 acres on the slopes of Santa Ana, El Salvador’s highest volcano, which is active, and last erupted 10 years ago. To reach it we had to drive a few kilometers over a single lane dirt road, through amazingly beautiful rain forest, that reminded us of the arduous roads we had travelled in Tanzania. But it was so worth it. First, because we had success booking an “igloo” for the night; secondly, because the location and the views are so stunning they can leave you speechless.

None of the pictures I am posting do a tenth of the justice this place deserves, and it is easily explained. Seemingly the entire country is perennially (at least in winter), enshrouded by a haze that makes picture taking extremely challenging, especially when photographing at mid-day, or against the setting sun. Just trust me when I tell you that views from this place are among the very best we have ever enjoyed, and we have several to pick from. I’ve mentioned that we are right on the slopes of the Santa Ana, but there are two other volcanoes immediately adjacent to it. You simply don’t know where to turn, one vista being better than the other. Our cabin is called an igloo, because it is shaped in the form of an igloo, with the addition of a small den at the entrance. It is quite unique.

When we checked in, the neighboring volcano, which you can almost touch, made quite a showing of itself, leaving us agape, but within minutes, it completely disappeared under cloud cover, as if it was never there. We are at a considerable high elevation, and it was simply amazing seeing the clouds slowly engulfing the entire property. I’m posting the following pictures (taken within a 10 minute span from the same location) to render the idea of how quickly the weather pattern changes here. Can you believe it?

For the afternoon, after booking a guide for tomorrow’s attempt to climb Santa Ana, we ventured into the Cerro Verde Nature Reserve, where we also had dinner. Cerro Verde is actually at a higher altitude than the volcano next door, so when the clouds temporarily dissipated, we were able not only to view the cone shaped mountain of Volcan Iztapo again, but to also clearly see its crater and the steam that emanates from it.

Back at the igloo, a hazy, yet mesmerizing sunset await us. The mountains we are facing are the mountains where we had spent the last four days. El Salvador, so far, has been quite a revelation.