Blogs from El Tunco, Western, El Salvador, Central America Caribbean

Buenas! After an early morning run on the black sand beach, a freshly brewed coffee and a breakfast of granola and yogurt, we opted to drink fruit smoothies and eat fresh coconuts whilst basking in the tropical sun with the awesome Pacific hammering the shoreline in front of us. The playa at El Tunco was not a bad spot for a bit of beach-bumming. Just for the record, Dave did the running....and did he run! We were traveling with a nice Aussie guy (also called Dave) who was in El Tunco with us. When Dave invited the other Dave out for a run, little did Dave know that Dave was a former military exercise trainer. He had Dave doing pushups, sit-ups and drills of sprinting, all at 6 in the morning! Dave was walking a bit ... read more

Today, after two and half great weeks, we finally left Guatemala for El Salvador. I'm currently sitting in my hostel in El Tunco on the Pacific coast, the first time I've seen the ocean since Tulum in Mexico. Due to its notorious reputation and some previous advice, I hadn’t planned to go anywhere near El Salvador but travellers I’ve met out here said it couldn’t be missed. In my first day on the coast I've been greeted by a stunning sunset, friendly locals (who sang British songs to me in a restaurant and invited me to a local festival) and a huge meal for just four dollars - so far so good. This time last week we (I'm still travelling with Amber and Rob) visited the Guatemalan mountain town of Chichicastenango. Every Sunday they hold a ... read more

Getting up at ridiculous hours for tours or buses has pretty much been the norm for us now for the past 6-7 weeks, and we therefore felt a well-earned break was on the cards for all our ‘hard work’. In particular, this seemed to come to light one evening during dinner, when after a gentle yawn I said to Donna that I was knackered and that it was probably time to ‘hit the hay’ after dinner, to which Donna responded, ‘Mike it’s 7:30pm!’. The days of staying up till silly O’clock at home seem a long way away at the moment, as we appear to be evolving and morphing into what we once feared….morning people! Hopefully, this is just a phase though, and we will continue to try work through it. So, a break from buses ... read more

I couldn't decide whether to do 3 blogs for this or not, so I think I'll go for 1 blog with 3 parts... After a few nights in Santa Ana, it was time to hit the Pacific beaches, mainly reputed for their surfing (not something I would be partaking in). Even though I hadn't exactly pre-planned the itinerary on that stretch, I ended up staying for 3 nights in 3 different places (hence the 3 parts blog): Los Cobanos, El Tunco and La Libertad. Los Cobanos: Although it had a brief mention in my guidebook, I hadn't really thought of going there until I asked the owner of my Santa Ana hostel and he said this was the place to be and also recommended a place to stay. So I left Santa Ana on Sunday morning, ... read more

So what’s happening with the Simo - Well in a nutshell I have recently become single, got my first taste of central America, have been travelling insane amounts for work and am hopefully about to become a “Big Brother” to a child who needs a positive male influence in their life here in Charleston South Carolina. My soccer season starts up soon which I cant wait for, theres a roller derby bout this coming Saturday and im two weeks and 80 kilometers into training for a marathon that takes place on December 11. yep its all happening! Heres some pictures for you to enjoy. Hope youre smiling where ever you may be : ) Take care Simo ... read more