The Flower Route


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Published: May 2nd 2016
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Waterfall Up CloseWaterfall Up CloseWaterfall Up Close

One of the seven waterfalls - probably the best one - that we saw on the Seven Waterfall hike.
I did have my reservations about going to El Salvador – in fact, I was originally going to skip it – much like I did with Honduras, mainly due to the murder rates of both countries. Things are always different once you get on the ground though and the more travel I had done in Central America and the more people I had met who had been there, the more convinced I was that there really wasn’t anything to worry about and that this small country was worth at least three days of my time.

I took a shuttle directly to Santa Ana from my hostel in Copan Ruinas, which although was pricey, saved me from having to catch a series of chicken buses and a whole lot of time.
Having managed to get an entire shuttle all to myself, the van actually took me through Guatemala first before going south into El Salvador. Crossing the border, I rather curiously didn’t get a Salvadoran entry stamp.

The journey took about five hours - it could well have been double that on the chicken buses – and I was dropped off at Casa Verde, perhaps the most famous hostel in
AtacoAtacoAtaco

Another colourful Salvadoran country town.
El Salvador. Carlos, the owner of the place, really has thought of everything. The hostel had not just one but two kitchens, each dorm had two bathrooms and each bed had personalised power sockets, lamps and overhead fans. The kitchens were the most well-stocked hostel kitchens I have ever seen.
The place was characterful as well, colourfully painted, and had two massive courtyards, a TV room, a pool, and loads of other hangout spaces.
I was hoping to get to the small mountain village of Juayua but had missed the last bus from here. But in Casa Verde, I had an excuse to stay a night in Santa Ana.

Not that the town itself was a shithole.
Yeah, it’s a bit crusty but it is colourful at the same time. All buildings are two stories max, and none of them are new. The place is devoid of tourists and everyone is staring at me – I finally felt like I was somewhere really authentic.
The main square is actually quite nice and the main theatre on it is lovely. The cathedral is gothic – which is unusual in Latin America – and impressive. The central market was like most
Countryside Scenery, JuayuaCountryside Scenery, JuayuaCountryside Scenery, Juayua

View on the Seven Waterfall hike.
markets in Central America – dirty, lively and full of strange things on sale including this thing that looked like a pile of dried fish stuck together, only that it was being sold in a place selling beef.
For breakfast, I stopped at a local comedor where I had a wet tortilla with cheese inside – that white, wet cheese common in Latin America that has a texture of shredded mozzarella – covered in a tomato sauce, served with warm boiled vegetables (which in itself seems like a popular dish here) and a sausage.
There is nothing flash or modern about this rural town – it has a charm to it and I liked it.

Catching my bus to Juayua, it’s amazing what people try and flog off on the buses before before they leave. A non-stop stream of people would board the bus, walk down the aisle, and exit out the back door selling anything from the more usual and expected food and drinks, to anything else from socks, shavers, medicine, padlocks, tampons and jewellery. This parade would have lasted about twenty minutes before the bus departed the station and for about another twenty minutes as the bus
Cathedral, Santa AnaCathedral, Santa AnaCathedral, Santa Ana

Santa Ana's gothic cathedral - an architectural style that is not too common for churches in Latin America.
left town.
I had to catch two buses to get to my destination which in total took about two hours on packed chicken buses.

Juayua itself is smaller than Santa Ana, and has a relaxed vibe and a pretty main square. There are a few more tourists here than Santa Ana, but again not a huge amount.
Juayua is one town along the “Ruta de las Flores” – “The Flower Route” – which is a 36km-long trail through colonial towns, waterfall-scattered scenery and local gastronomy. The Pacific Coast beaches apart, this is probably the most touristy part of the country yet it really didn’t feel like it. Apart from the arts and craft stalls on the street, it really did feel like locals getting on with their lives in beautiful surroundings.

And it was said surroundings that I decided to explore the next day. Not before starting off with a plato tipico breakfast of beans, rice, scrambled eggs, bread, sausages, fried plantain and coffee for just US$1.75 though. For a country that is on the US dollar, it is perhaps the cheapest in all of South America. One thing for sure is that it is the most authentic
Rappelling Down The WaterfallRappelling Down The WaterfallRappelling Down The Waterfall

Moritz takes on the waterfall (helped by the guides) by clambering down it by rope.
country I have travelled to in Central America so far – untouched it seems, by Western commercialism and too many tourists. It was so nice.
The hike that Moritz – a German in my dorm who I first met briefly in my hostel in La Ceiba – undertook was called the “Seven Waterfall Hike” which is exactly what is says on the tin. It wasn’t a difficult hike and there wasn’t too much climbing involved, and all seven waterfalls were pretty – and pretty impressive.
Our guide walked us through some private coffee farms to get to the waterfalls and gave us information about the farms along the way, much of which wasn’t too different from what I learnt in the Zona Cafetera in Colombia, as well as info on some of the other plants growing there and the local wildlife. The most fun – and most treacherous – part of the hike was when we had to rappel down one of the waterfalls. My hiking shoes have been through a lot in the last six months or so and the grip is starting to go underneath them which didn’t help on the slippery rocks. We both managed to negotiate it however and at
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall

The best waterfall that we saw on the Seven Waterfall hike.
the end of our hike we were rewarded with a swim in a pool created by another waterfall, the Chorro de Caleras. There even tunnels built into the cliff behind the waterfall that you could go through; it was a bit daunting and claustrophobic going into a tunnel with no light and filled to your neck in water, but if a few kids who were also there could do it, then we couldn’t exactly wuss out. It was more than safe in the end and was actually quite fun as we followed one tunnel from a secret entrance into the pool, and then another from the pool to a secret exit. All very exciting. The water was quite cool though, you didn’t really want to be lingering in the pool too long.
But overall it was a very enjoyable and satisfying – if a bit wet – hike. Definitely worth doing. I am really digging El Salvador.

The next day, I continued along the Flower Route to Ataco, another rural mountain village. More colourful and prettier than Juayua, Ataco is also smaller. It has a reputation for arts and crafts – Juayua is more famous for its weekly food
Street Art, AtacoStreet Art, AtacoStreet Art, Ataco

There is a lot of street art in Ataco.
festival which I unfortunately missed – which was evidenced by all the craft stalls and galleries here.
Despite the abundance of English signs geared for tourists, I felt like I was the only tourist in town – which was pretty cool. Intrepid. There isn’t a real hostel here but I got a special rate at a hotel that was once listed as a hostel. I think that it ceased to be a hostel because there doesn’t appear to be enough backpacker traffic to sustain one. Anyway, I couldn’t complain about paying US$10 for a night in my own private room with ensuite. It was also tastefully decorated and cae with soap and a towel like a standard hotel would.
Honestly, there isn’t a lot to see or do in Ataco – the mirador had a nice view over the town and nobody there seemed to know what, let alone where, a Lonely Planet-listed hot spring called the Chorros del Limo was. So I guess it either doesn’t exist or isn’t that great.
It all meant that I saw the whole town in an hour and I could take off to Guatemala City first thing the next day.

It was
Teatro de Santa AnaTeatro de Santa AnaTeatro de Santa Ana

The town's main theatre on the main square.
a short but sweet visit to El Salvador but I really liked it. I loved the vibe and would recommend visiting for a week or so. I wished I could’ve stayed longer.
Ever since I booked my flight out of Cancun, I have felt a bit more rushed than I would’ve liked but that is what happens when you put a definitive limit on your time and you still have all of these places to squeeze in.
The people here do stare you a bit but they do warm to you once you start speaking to them, particularly when you do so in Spanish. They aren’t as used to tourists here as they are in other places and because of that you don’t get the hassle and hard-sell that you get in so many others. This is part of why I like it so much here.
Ironically, in a place with the world’s fifth-highest murder rate, I’ve ended up feeling about as safe here as I’ve felt anywhere else in Central America.

A couple of final observations about El Salvador;
- The first thing I noticed in the 66th country that I had visited, was that there were ladies
Daily Life In Santa AnaDaily Life In Santa AnaDaily Life In Santa Ana

I loved the authenticity of Santa Ana, which seems untouched by Western commercialism and tourists.
– loads of them – selling peanuts on the side of the road, beckoning drivers to stop to buy some. Not something I have really seen before.
- Ayote is like a zucchini/courgette and is nice in a pupusa – a thick, toasted/lightly-fried corn tortilla stuffed normally with cheese and other assorted fillings. Pupusas are a Salvadoran staple, much like Colombian arepas, though I would say I probably prefer the Colombian version, which are bigger and have more stuff – usually beef – inside them. Zapote is guava, and if not, then is something very guava-like.

It is now time to switch countries again – this time to the well-spoken-of Guatemala!

Hasta luego,
Derek


Additional photos below
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Church, JuayuaChurch, Juayua
Church, Juayua

The church on the main square in Juayua.
Last WaterfallLast Waterfall
Last Waterfall

Chorros de Calera - the waterfall we finished up at after the Seven Waterfall hike.
Chorro de CaleraChorro de Calera
Chorro de Calera

Second set of waterfalls at the Chorros de Calera.
Taking On The WaterfallTaking On The Waterfall
Taking On The Waterfall

I have a shower in the Chorros de Calera.
Streets Of Santa AnaStreets Of Santa Ana
Streets Of Santa Ana

A crusty but colourful town.
Chicken BusChicken Bus
Chicken Bus

In case you didn't know what one looked like.
Parque Central, AtacoParque Central, Ataco
Parque Central, Ataco

Main square in Ataco.
Streets Of AtacoStreets Of Ataco
Streets Of Ataco

There are lots of colourful murals in Ataco.
Road By The Square, AtacoRoad By The Square, Ataco
Road By The Square, Ataco

Ataco is a delightful, cobblestoned town.
Mural, AtacoMural, Ataco
Mural, Ataco

There are a lot of murals in Ataco.
View Over AtacoView Over Ataco
View Over Ataco

From the mirador.


13th December 2016

Great blog
Great blog, thank you. I've just got to Santa Ana, and this is exactly how I've found it. Great to read your tips for the rest of the route

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