This port stop was originally scheduled to be Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, but the US State Department issued a warning about crimes against tourists in Cabo. That was ten months ago or so. So Viking heeded the warning and substituted Acajutla. I noticed that Cabo is back on the schedule for next year’s itineraries. Been to Mexico but never to El Salvador, so I was glad of the change.
Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting. We read every comment and appreciate them all. The blog will continue for five more days on this trip, but it will be fairly boring as all five remaining days are at sea on the way to disembarkation in Los Angeles. But back to today.
Acajutla is El Salvador’s main port city. Population right around 30,000. We actually spent no time at all in Acajutla except when passing through on the bus. The bus looked great.
It wasn’t! The seats were built for people 5’8″ tall or less. I couldn’t even put my legs in front of me in my seat. And we were on the bus for four hours. Not pleasant. Worse bus seats ever! But I persevered. Our tour was to two of the five mountain towns of El Salvador on the Ruta de las Flores.
First stop was in Juayúa. It’s a bustling little town that was celebrating with a Christmas market selling just about everything but especially locally made candies. Our bus seemed to bring the only tourists to the town today. Interestingly, we had a police presence at all times. (Five years ago El Salvador was the murder capital of the Americas. Now the new president has put the gangs in jail and it’s one of the safest countries in Central and South America.) Juayúa is one of three cities in the world (another is in Guatemala) that celebrates a black Christ as you’ll see in pictures from inside the impressive Santa Lucia Church. Here’s a picture fiesta (with Elaine hiding in one):
Click on the galleries below to bring up scrollable windows with full size pictures – the gallery previews may show just thumbnails of the pictures. By the way, the pictures look much better on a tablet or a computer than they do on your phone. Just saying.
On the way to our next stop in Concepción de Ataco, we stopped at an overlook to take pictures of some of El Salvador’s volcanos. There are more than 150. Many are dormant; some are active but not at the moment. In the valleys below coffee beans are growing.
Then it was on to Concepción de Ataco. Slightly more modern. Still bustling with locals. Still a police presence. You’ll see our guide (in blue shirt) in one picture.
These towns are of Mayan heritage and Mayan ruins have been found. These stone are all jaguar stones.
Finally we stopped at a very upscale restaurant, Casa 1800, for a taste of El Salvadorian coffee and a piece of cake. Like Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica, El Salvador is noted for its coffee. I have never drunk a cup of coffee in my life. But I finished a cup here. I don’t think I’ll become a coffee devotee, but it wasn’t half bad. Elaine said it was the smoothest and best ever! The last two pictures are views from the restaurant down into the town. Police still with us.
Then it was a long ride back to the ship in our prison bus. We sailed at 6:00 PM. Next stop, five days from now, in Los Angeles where we disembark. I’ll keep blogging but it will be boring. Well, for you it will, but we love sea days!
We had a band at the port to send us off:
Lots of bright colors with the clothes, love the churches, truck being used as a shoe display and seeing Elaine drink coffee (never before). Sorry you had rough time in bus Joe. Thank goodness it is over! Happy New Year and may we all be blessed with good health and more special life moments!
Like Mexico, Costa Rica and some of the Caribbean islands we’ve visited, El Salvador looks colorful, bustling, beautifully and naturally landscaped and lush! With interesting people, markets, products and materials, food and delicious coffee! Fun lively?
P.S. What do you drink for a beverage in the morning, if not coffee? You don’t come across as a tea man!😉
Maryd
Orange juice on cruise, tea when traveling on land and Coke Zero at home
Elaine, I see you in the “U”. Joe, that sounds like the worst bus ride ever. At least you got to have coffee and cake. I can’t believe that you’ve never had a cup of coffee (until now) in your life. How could I not have known that.
I have to admit that we were worried about your stop in El Salvador. We heard that the new government had cleaned it up, but I’m glad they still have a strong police presence for visitors. We’re glad to see that you’re back at sea and en route back to the US. Enjoy your five sea days.
Joe, At 6’1” I can appreciate your dilemma on the bus. Buses are the bane of us tall folks. Sometimes I need an aisle seat and let my knees go out into the isle. Some times I race to the back of the bus hump seat and get that center seat. But then you miss the views.
Too bad about Cabo. The “Love Boat” called there all the time. Glad the alternative was safe. Perhaps these countries will appreciate the value of a tourist and prepare accordingly.
I first tried coffee working 3rd shift in a grocery store. I never developed a fund taste for it. And in the 70s changing the prices upward every single week gave me a clue about what was to come. Drinking Mountain Dew gave me the same zing. Now I’m down to drinking zero sugar tea, and no carbonation. And a funny thing when I’m traveling is just a plain old bottle of water tastes really good!
Nice colorful pictures and looks like they got you to a lot of nice places. Great memories. Happy new year to you, Joe & Elaine!
Had there been a center seat in the back, I would have been in it. It had a restroom in the back and just the normal two seaters on the other side. Oh, and by the way, if I had sat in the restroom, I wouldn’t have been able to close the door. Fortunately I didn’t need to use it. Oh, and 6’1″ is short (j/k)!