Dancing Saddle

I had finally arrived in a new country after spending way more time in Guatemala than expected. Low moments aside it was a beautiful and kind country that I would have no problem returning to. Leaving Guatemala was pretty uneventful and I headed straight across the bridge to the El Salvador side of the Rio Paz. I was stopped for a preliminary check of my passport and was told I would have to pay $12 fee. This turned out to be not true and I got through for free. There was a little issue about finding me in the immigration system entering Guatemala, but it was soon resolved.

Across the river valley you could see the welcome to El Salvador sign. The last little bit of Guatemala, probably my new favourite country.

The road immediately kicked up and combined with the heat and humidity made for a rough welcome to El Salvador. It was a constant struggle for very little progress. I had barely made a dent in the distance that I needed to cover on the day when I stopped at a restaurant to get some ice-cold drinks. When I stopped, I wasn’t hungry and by the time I did get hungry the kitchen was closed. I did have a fun conversation about how delicious pupusas are and how much better they are than other regional dishes. After that I was purely focused on getting some food. Eventually I found a place. I was so exhausted I ended up passing out in their hammock for a while. Considering how dirty and sweaty I was, it was still heavenly.

If you understand Spanish then you will get to enjoy the same moment of confusion. Water storage is a big thing throughout central America.

By late afternoon I made it to Ahuachapan which is the start of the Ruta de flores. I just sat down on a random roundabout for about ten minutes trying to catch my breath. I was way too exhausted to do much that evening so I passed out pretty early. I ended up staying at a family run hotel. By the time I woke up the next morning. The father had already returned from a morning hike up one of the mountains. They were such wonderful hosts and quickly reminded me how amazing the people of this area of the world are. That morning, I got to try one of El Salvador delicious desserts. It was a dense bread cake soaked in fruit juices. It makes a great way to start any physical day.

The delicious bread cake which should power you through a marathon. One of the many interesting buildings.

The start of the Rute de Flores was gorgeous. The road was hard but the scenery stunning. There were so many butterflies floating around. As I was going up there were locals heading down on homemade go karts carrying their load of fire wood. They had found a way to take advantage of the hilly terrain. By the time I got to Ataco I was exhausted. I stopped for food and soon realized I was done for the day. I had nothing left even though I had barely covered any distance. I pretty much got a place to stay right at the café.

There were so many butterflies floating around. To get a photo I had to stop and wait so that one woud land and then approach slowly. One of the many homemade go karts that would fly down the hills.

Ataco is a tiny town on the Ruta de flores and is a colorful and peaceful place. I loved wondering around the cobbled roads and colonial buildings.  Fray Rafael Fernandez Plaza was a favorite congregation point amongst the locals. The trees colorful lights and peaceful atmosphere was perfect. The Parroquia Inmaculada Concepcion de Ataco was next to the plaza and was a beautiful simple little church. When the rain poured there were some beautiful cafes and art galleries to go spend some time in. They have a beautiful little art scene. Overall, it was a great little place to slow down for a few days and appreciate all the beauty.

The beautiful and peaceful plaza. The inside of the Parroquia.

The next stop for me on the Rute de Flores was Juayua. It was an easy day’s ride with some more beautiful scenery and literal flowers. And yes, I did stop to smell the flowers. I stopped to grab some lunch while it rained in Apaneca. It is another of the famous towns on the Ruta de flores. It was way to early to stop but it had a very similar atmosphere to Ataco.

Some days you have to literally stop and smell the flowers. A mural in Apaneca.

The town of Juayua was not as interesting as Ataco but the view from the hostel was stunning. I had to take a long walk in the rain to go get my first try of pupusas. It was fried dough stuffed with a variety of ingredients. I tried one cheese and one chicken. It was not too bad but wasn’t as good as everyone said it was.  

Juayua was not as beautiful as the other towns on the Ruta de flores but the view from the hostel was great. Some of the stained glass windows are stunning.

The last bit of Ruta de flores was the ride to Santa Ana via Los Naranjas. Los Naranjas is a stunning little village though the clouds blew in to block some of the views. Thankfully after the insane climb in the rain to the top it was all downhill to Santa Ana.

The road to Santa Ana was stunning though the view was certainly lacking on that day.

One thing that was notable about Santa Ana was the obvious signs of poverty. El Salvador went through a huge transition over the last four years. The newly elected president clamped down severely on the drug cartels that sent tens of thousands of people to prison. Unfortunately, the social security net has not quite caught up. Out of all of central American countries I had visited the poverty was most obvious here. There were a lot of vagrants and I saw a food bank passing out food to a long line of people.

The long wait for food from the back of a car for those in need. The live music being played in the plaza.

The plaza was a bit of a walk from the hostel but I got to enjoy some live music and delicious street food. It wasn’t the most comfortable walk back. There were no other people on the street and it was nearly ten blocks of only me walking. The next day I headed to the second-hand store to get a duffel bag. I would be leaving Lorraine behind for a week while I returned to Guatemala to catch up with some friends

The church at night was beautifully lit up. The raspberry ice cream and honey was blady delicious.

The hostel I was staying at was called Casa Verde and run by Carlos. It was an amazing place to stay and so well organized and thought out. Carlos was quite the character and went out of his way to make sure everyone was happy. He had no problem with me leaving my bike there and I am truly grateful for his help.

Lorraines home for the next couple of weeks. One of the many written messages all over the hostel.

The vibe was amazing and we all had a great time playing shit head and drinking Sangria. And of course, sharing stories. The highlight story was the tail of a Russian who shall not be named getting up to hijinks on a boat in the Caribbean. I shall not say more

It was a great group of people staying here, with card games, sangria and chats.

The next morning Carlos let me watch the rugby. I really appreciated that. It felt like the taste of home that I needed. With a beer at hand at 9 am and a few of the other guests occasionally watching along. That afternoon we went to the theatre to go watch a live concert. I didn’t know any of the songs but it was a good laugh.

Nine in the morning rugby and trying to convert some new supporters. The concert was fun to watch but didn’t know any of the songs.

I made sure that that evening I was all packed up for the 4 am shuttle back across the border to Guatemala. I know a lot of people struggle with this but I am never able to sleep when I need to get up. But my internal alarm clock is amazing and was ready to go without even needing my alarm clock.

The hostel dog was absolutely gorgeous and there was a strong temptation to kidnap. The streets of Santa Ana at 4 am.