Saturday we finally got a late start which I was grateful for. I was desperate for some sleep. Our tour guide, Caesar, picked us up for a “ruins and volcanoes tour” around noon. Caesar claims to have vast knowledge of the rich history of the Salvadoran people and Mayan culture; I also suspect that during the 1980’s he stole cars in the U.S. and sold them in El Salvador, but I'll address that in another blog. Our first stop was a visit to the Pompeii-style Mayan ruins of “Joya de Ceren”, which was buried under lava and ash after a volcanic [View Full Entry]

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Friday July 17 On Thursday we spent most of the day at the volunteer house because of the flu. We helped sort donations and i got to relax a bit. so i am not allowed to go to the malnourishment center any more because of the influenza. It is affecting sooo many people down here. So today i got to go to Las delicias and play with some children. Las delicias is a place run by the nuns were the poor kids can come and play. And we painted the library that the nuns are building down here. Today, I also [View Full Entry]

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We managed to leave Antigua almost on time, which for various reasons seemed a long shot. I´ll say no more than that Antigua can be a rough town on a guy like me, all the more so on a night when Tequila fell from the sky. The most of ride to the border was fast and beautiful, winding between volcanos and ranchland. The only exception was Esquintla. As soon as we hit the town I stopped to ask directions because we were told we wouldn´t have to go through it. Before I could flip up my visor or find someone to [View Full Entry]

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Leaving Nicaragua, we got a bus to the Honduran border which was easy to cross. We had to walk to the other side of the border, crossing military men holding guns. There we waited for a mini-bus to take us to a bus station in Honduras where we could travel the PanAmerican Highway to the El Salvador border. We had to take rickshaws (looks like a red 3-wheeled golf cart) to our next destination where we were stopped a few times to have our passports checked. We arrived to Santa Rosa de Lima, El [View Full Entry]

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We swung up to San Salvador to visit my buddy Toby, who I met and got to know during my Semester in Egypt . He instructed us to go to a donut shop in 'Mexicano', and to give him a call once we arrived. After a slight delay with a hearing impaired taxi driver who did not know there was a donut shop in that part of town, we did arrive and give him a call (I usually just pay people to use their cell phones). He then took us one by one on his motorcycle to his new place. He [View Full Entry]

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After two hours of sleep, a four A.M. wake-up call, and an almost near death experience with a sub division gate, my cousin Jason and I boarded the plane to Atlanta. We endured the misery of listening to a baby scream bloody murder for the duration of the flight. Even the tunes of Michael Jackson could not muffle the obnoxious antics of that child. Our flight to El Salvador was delayed for two hours due to mechanical problems. Finally, after eleven total hours of travel we arrived in San Salvador. We were greeted by a tall Salvadoran chick and her posse [View Full Entry]

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Wednesday July 15 So today i went to the Las Telicias area again. But today, i made home visits with a nurse. We checked in on babies one year and below. Today, we visited some of the poorest people in el salvador. It was very difficult for me to understand how thes people live their lives tthe way they do. Most of the house were made of trashbags and tin. If they were lucky they had some bricks. But I'm telling you, it was sure a sight to see. It was so sad. But the people were so friendly! Everyone was [View Full Entry]

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On Toby's day off, we took a trip over to the twin volcanoes of Santa Ana . Since his work (ANADES) was taking some supplies over that part of the country, we were able to get a ride to the feeder road. Justin and I rode in the bed of the pickup, which was really nice. When it is summer, riding in the back is better than in the cab with A/C. We caught the bus that goes to the foot of the mountain, and then shortly thereafter some contractors gave us a lift in the bed of a large truck, [View Full Entry]

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Two rows behind us a young mother tried to quell the persistent cries of her toddler. This had been going on for approximately one hour. The passengers of Delta Flight # 2073 to Atlanta were losing their patience. Even my cousin Christina, an elementary school teacher, could tolerate it no more. From across the aisle I observed her rolling her eyes; I mock committed suicide by running my index finger across my throat as if though it were a razor. Unlike most parents in this situation this particular mother seemed to demonstrate no remorse for her fellow passengers. Her child exhibiting [View Full Entry]

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Here are some great pictures from the volcano! [View Full Entry]

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