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Published: July 20th 2009
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More Mayan Ruins
According to the Mayan calendar come 2012 we may all be F#%@ed! So I wanted to pay my respects just in case... 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 eruption in 595 A.D. Exploring the ruins was a unique experience, but is accurately described by Christina’s tour book as “underwhelming to the novice”. Every ruin looked similar to me; it was difficult to distinguish a shaman’s home from a storage house for corn. If only those ruins hadn’t been so badly ruined.
After our visit to the ruins we continued our trek towards Cerro Verde about an hour away. On the way to Cerre Verde, we caught multiple great views of Coatepeque Lake, a volcanic crater lake nestled between three volcanoes. We captured numerous beautiful photos at
Coatepeque Lake
Coatepeque Lake, a volcanic crater lake nestled between three volcanoes several lookouts. Once we arrived to Cerro Verde, a national volcanic park, we marveled at the close-up views of volcanoes like “Izalco.” We took a brief hike around a volcanic crater overgrown with dense forest (the last eruption was approximately 25,000 years ago, give or take a millennium). The hike was long-overdue and welcomed exercise.
That evening we had dinner with some of Liz’s family members that still reside in El Salvador. It was true cultural immersion, from the food to the conversation. Here, we learned about Salvadoran life, including children, schools, and crime. Gangs have become my Cousin Christina’s newfound obsession and are completely sabotaging her personal mission to enroll all Salvadoran children in school. Liz’s cousin and his wife are D.A.s in San Salvador’s homicide unit. The time Christina spent with “her new Salvadoran family” seemed to make her feel a little better about our safety until our ride back home. On the way back to our temporary residence we were caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Our vehicle inched by a body that was hit by a car (apparently a typical event in San Salvador - the locals are desensitized to this type of occurrence). The body of
the young woman that lay in the middle of the road had not been covered. This resulted in another sleepless night for my cousin. The lava lamp in her room provided no emotional comfort. Viewing this tragedy did not seem to have the same effect on Liz or me. Even though Christina got very little sleep I think it’s a good thing that she has such genuine concern for all people.
Today (Sunday)
Although we anticipated a six hour day, a series of blunders turned today into one long twelve hour excursion. We did not realize that the Apeneca Canopy/Zip Line tour departed only three times a day. We missed our initial opportunity to take this tour due to our visit to a food fest and market in Juayua. Our need to indulge in more food there made us late to our tour. In an effort to kill over two hours until the next tour, we explored the “Green Lagoon,” a crater lagoon covered in lily pads. This is a popular spot for locals, but is a very difficult destination to get to. The most interesting part of the trip to the “Green Lagoon” was the drive up
the mountain; the narrow cliff-side roads are deadly and unpaved. This jarring voyage was made in a Toyota mini-van clearly not meant for off-roading, a 4 X 4 would have been much better suited for this type of travel.
After a few hours, we finally made it to our original destination, which was well worth the wait. We were herded like cattle into the back of a modified pick-up truck where another bouncing ride awaited us. Luckily we made it to the start point of the canopy tour unharmed despite our doubts. Somehow, zipping 375 feet above the forest was much easier than enduring the ride up to the start point. Each of the 14 individual zip lines displayed an incredible view of the Salvadoran landscape. It was well worth the wait, and the journey. This concluded the day’s events. The two hour ride home was spent relaxing and reflecting (actually, mostly sleeping). Now we await dinner.
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Paola
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awesome adventures!!
So I just got back from the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. We did some pretty adventurous stuff, but I gotta say you guys have me beat!! Zipplining looks amazing, I can only imagine the views you saw. However, Jay, I am most impressed with the adventure you took in that bathroom...you're a true soldier!! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your journey. Be safe!