Dear El Salvador
To my ancestors and family who have roamed and currently live in this small country I want to say sorry for the misconception I had of you.
We recently embarked on a big family vacation to celebrate both my mother’s 50th birthday and the vow renewal of my grandparents. It had been 11 years since I last set foot in this beautiful country. Even though I can go on and on about our family reunion, I want to make this about bringing light to this misunderstood country.
El Salvador went through a civil war not too long ago which has contributed with its struggle for its people financially and socially. Unfortunately in the past decades it has also endured of a very violent gang situation, which sadly has been the main center of attention for the country. Luckily in the past year newly elected President Bukele and his administration has been working very hard to clean up the gang situation, but also the image of the country through social media. Shout out to President Bukele because he is doing a extraordinary job making it known the beauty the country contains it is culture and landscapes.
First, the type of weather makes it a destination that can be visited year round. There is rainy months, which usually is a passing thunderstorm. We were visiting on Thanksgiving week and had clear sky’s with the temperature around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
There’s so much to do especially if you are one for adventure and nature. There is beautiful scenery as you drive through the country. The beaches oh the beaches, the glory of the Pacific Ocean borders El Salvador. For those who love to surf El Salvador has one of the best waves for you. While we were there La Playa El Tunco was hosting a surf tournament (which yours truly visited). We had lunch at one of the oceanfront restaurants. Seafood by the beaches is always fresh and flavorful. We also visited La Costa del Sol and stayed in this lovely oceanfront beach ranch with 5 star service. We were served breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also included a pool and hammocks throughout the property. All our rooms also had AC units, which was a plus. You’ll find a lot of rentals like these throughout the beaches.
Photo credit: AlonsoK Photography
We had the pleasure of having lunch at La Pampa Coatepeque, which has a stunning view of Lago de Coatepeque (Lake of Coatepeque. This lake is famous because throughout different seasons it changes to a turquoise color. There are so many different restaurants around the lake at different price ranges as well.
We visited the ruins of el Tazumal and had a history listen in it’s museum. What use to be coffee grounds is now populated with street shops and houses. We was an honor to walk the grounds of my ancestors. That same day we went into the city of Santa Ana. We went in the beautiful and famous cathedral and did a little souvenir shopping there. If planned right given that the travel time between locations can be an hour away you are able to visit multiple tourist spots in one day.
One of our families favorite part of the trip was the mini hike we did to the inactive volcano of El Boquerón. Once we made it to the top we had the history of the volcano told by three beautiful children. We then had lunch at the beautiful restaurant with an amazing view at Picnic Steak House.
We visited many other cities and ate as much as we were able to. Of course we couldn’t leave El Salvador without eating pupusas or Pollo Campero. Pupusas is one of the most traditional food in El Salvador and you will see food stands throughout the country.
Overall, this was an amazing family trip filled with beautiful memories. Don’t miss out on visiting this amazing country. Not only is it very economical, but the people are probably the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. Don’t believe the negative spew that the media tries to portray of El Salvador. I was able to walk around safely with my professional camera and phone at hand. Like any other place in the world there are areas where you shouldn’t enter, but that doesn’t take away from the wonderful scenery, food, and people you will experience will visiting.