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Published: July 22nd 2009
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Yesterday Liz provided Christina and me with a tour of the U.S. embassy in San Salvador. You will not see pictures of this tour posted on my travel blog because visitors are prohibited from bringing any recording devises on the premises. Personally I was quite impressed with the tour. The security of the embassy is unrivaled, yet subtle. Security cameras monitored our every step; armed security guards supplemented the U.S. Marines (though I doubt they needed the help). Christina and I had a pleasant chat with Liz’s immediate supervisor. She shared stories about various duty stations she had been assigned to. I was most impressed with my wife’s personal workspace, a corner office with a great view. It was immediately evident that Liz is well liked and respected by her coworkers; I am so proud of her.
After our tour of the embassy Liz’s mother and her friend Roxanne took us to a seafood restaurant. The three story restaurant is located on a black sand beach and offers majestic views of the Pacific. Liz’s mom knows the owner of the restaurant and introduced us to him. He was a tall Salvadoran man who wore a black cowboy hat and a
variety of gold jewelry (Christina thinks he resembles a rich Juan Valdez, or a cast member of “Blow”). After lunch we made a brief pit stop at the beach, and then went swimming at Roxanne’s vacation home. Each of us was served a coconut filled with milk during our swim. After finishing my coconut milk I used the fruit as a flotation device, and then as a prop in a series of crude gestures; Liz and Christina seemed only mildly amused.
That evening we went to dinner at an authentic Salvadoran chain restaurant called Chili’s. None of us dined on baby back ribs. At this point in the trip we all shared approximately twenty-one authentic Salvadoran and/or Guatemalan meals together. So any of you haters out there making fun of us for dining at Chili’s while visiting a foreign country can kiss my fiery hot ass. Over dinner we had some great conversation. Liz answered a series of questions from Christina, and Christina is now better versed on Liz’s family history than I am. If I ever become President I will hire Christina as an ambassador, or use her to interrogate detainees in Guantanamo. Either way I am confident
she will be effective.
(Tuesday)
Today we intended to greet Liz’s sister Vanessa at the airport; she is a soldier in the U.S. Army assigned to Ft. Belvoir. Unfortunately due to a variety of logistical issues we were unable to do so. We ended up meeting her at a local mall in San Salvador where we had lunch together. Liz was especially happy to see Vanessa; I would describe my happiness level as “moderate” to “slightly exceeds fully moderate” (just kidding sister-in-law).
Our morning was spent shopping at a local street market. Liz and I wanted to purchase an original work of Salvadoran art to display in our home. We were unimpressed with the selection of paintings, until we discovered an artist who painted these incredible bold colored prints. The only problem was none of the prints were suitable in size for the wall space we had allocated. After speaking with the artist, and sharing our vision with him, he agreed to paint an original print for a whopping $45.00!! (ironically having the large painting framed and matted in the U.S. probably will cost several hundred dollars). We were shocked and amazed at this incredible price; we
were willing and glad to pay it. Liz is going to bring the print home when she returns. I can’t wait to see it. If this works out well I intend to commission this artist to paint a nude portrait of me, free reprints will be made available to all of my travel blog subscribers.
Our afternoon was spent visiting the Volcano San Salvador. We toured the top of the volcano and took some terrific views of the crater. The hike to the top of the volcano was impressive, an array of exotic flowers including orchids thrive in the rich volcanic soil. Afterwards we “celebrated” my last night in San Salvador with a trip to an Italian restaurant. The food was actually fairly decent; afterwards we shared a night cap at a local pub.
This trip has been an incredible experience. Touring volcanoes, Mayan ruins, pre-colonial towns, and zip-lining through the Salvadoran mountains has been an experience like no other. The best part of this trip, hands down, has been visiting my wife. I can’t wait until she returns home. I will also miss the friendship of my cousin Christina, a perfect travel companion. She is a true
sport. She never complains, and is sincerely interested in getting to know people. I wish her luck on the next leg of her trip; she will be visiting Costa Rica. As for my sister-in-law Vanessa, I will see her in a couple of weeks before she gets deployed to the Middle East. I hope El Salvador provides her with many rich and rewarding experiences; I know it has for me.
Thanks for reading (The Howard Family, and Guevara Family, San Salvador Division).
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