Suchitoto Has the Perfect Church

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"Suchitoto is widely known throughout El Salvador for its Church and for its cobblestone roads. Suchitoto is one of the few areas in El Salvador were there are still cobblestone roads.

It has an excellent view of the Suchitlán lake, which is an artificial lake formed in the Lempa river and the Cerrón Grande dam.

It is a very popular weekend destination for Salvadoreans. It has a broad cultural activities, such as: gallery arts, cultural centers and handcrafts." from Wikipedia.

I had no idea we were going to stop here. It does not seem that there are real cobbles ( hand hewen stone) forming the streets but rather smooth stones placed to form a somewhat flat surface.


We left Cecilia's Yard in good time and arrived at Suchitoto early in the afternoon. The cook group was anxious to get started because today we were to eat the fish caught in La Liberta. Did I mention they hired a boat an went to fish in the sea, coming back with baracudas, small bassy looking things an two or three nice fat round fish ... these tasting the best.

Somewhere along the way in the cab of the truck it was decided to camp at Suchitoto at a place listed as Vista Congo .. not correct Lonely Planet! Since the Planet people have visited the offer of camping has been recinded. Apparently some jerks made off with some of Renee's collected bits and pieces. NOT NICE... spoiled it for others...Royally!!
It is the nicest place to pitch your tent ... I put mine by the beer frige an others also put their tents under the roof of the bar.

The vista is truly impressive...the beer cold and unending...the people helpful... the whole place is just great. I was happy to realize we were going to stay in a place that was true to its description.

The Vista Conga is situated in a cul de sac. Entering thru massive wooden gates we come upon a garden decorated with an eclectic collection of old stuff, antiques, contemporary pieces of art, a fountain incorporating the original pillars of a lean-to, comfortable furniture, a herb garden in pots and painted animal sculptures.

By walking to the edge of the garden you come to a stone wall that protects customers from falling down a sharp precipice and into the rain forest, river and farms beyond. In the distance the houses built as rewards for resistance participants can be seen amongst the tropical greenery. Renee has a little herb garden with all necessary to make delicious dinners which is what is the primary purpose of Vista Conga now.

Slept two nights here. Some of the group went with Renee to see the numerous water falls in the area. There was even an opportunity to jump over and into the falls.

I concentrated on getting a parcel of "stuff" sent home.
That took all morning.
1. Fnd a cardboard box. (frozen mackeral box from grocery store)
2. Find paper and tape to wrap up box. (two oors own from the grocery store)
3. Find the Post Office. (across the square ... but it is a courier service)
4. Convince the woman that there is no contraban in the box because she want to see wat is inside andd I have enveloped the
whole softish box with tape.
5. Wait for the most agreeable woman to type on a manual machine the receipt for the package at the same time not getting the
spellings quite right ... did not have the heart to correct her... the address is correct.

The first night we were at Vista Conga, Zane used the smoking oven to do the fish ... sorry to say it came out a bit dry and tasteless. During the next day I drank coffee and ate panini sandwiches at the tourist info centre where the young guy offers Internet access, good coffee and a most delicious limonada.

Did the obligatory wander to the market with Minnie. Did not visit the lake ... too hot. Did go into the most beautifully presented church! It is made out of wood. It is old. The paritioners take good care of it. It was a joy to visit ... and such a surprise in this little town.

From locals I learned that Suchitoto is being used as an example of what can be accomplished if the tourist industry is to be nurtured and mae a success. Kudus Suchitoto... you are a success!

A school was on the same dead end street. It was sad to see the state of the school and how sparse the classrooms were. Watched the kids do their morning excersises and when I passed the front of the school did to see them all eating their tortilla snacks.

When we were ready to leave Suchitoto, the "monster" tore a very large part of a tree totaly off the main trunk. Renee was alerted by Zane or Rob .. don't know who. On the truck the one comment was ...that's not the first time ... found that callous... it was a shade tree ... I'd be pissed if it were my tree!

I will ever remember Suchitoto because of the church, the good coffee, the cleanliness, the houses on the stone streets and Vista Conga.

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Photos

Simple Cotton
The motion of the white cotton was startling and effective as the fabric waifted in the small breezes of morning.

The Garden at Vista Conga
Meals and beers were pleasantly enjoyed.

Seating Area
Vista Conga serves good coffee and nice meals in a congenial area covered by shade trees that have edible fruit.

A Small Peek into a Classroom
A high fence surrounded the schol and the main gate was locked while the children played in the yard.

At the Market
A place where anything and everything can be bought at a good price... especilly if you are a local.

Containers at the Market
Plastic has replaced the earthenware pots to be seen in museums.

Comments

[manny]

great piece
I was actually there (la vista conga) last December it was reggae night with a live band, lots op women lots of alcohol, had a great time. The whole week is party week between the 6th and 12 of December is "las fiestas patronales de santa lucia" nothing like it, live music every night at the central plaza (free)

[Ursula Orellana, Lcda]

The city of the flower and the bird, a paradise like destination; is located in Cuzcatlan, south east of San Salvador. Suchitoto is one of the most enchanting places in Central America. The weather is pleasant all year around, the views of the man made lake Suchitlan are awesome, breathtaking. The people are hospitable and always make the turist feel welcome. Suchitoto is settle on rocky soil, and has been able to stand many earthquakes. The Old Spanish architecture with tile red rooves, and open corridor gives the town the magic of traveling back in time just by enjoying a stroll thru such charming city. Suchitoto is a place to visit, a place to meet! Una hija agradecida de el calor de la gente de tan linda ciudad.