Central America - Days 4 and 5 (Copán, Honduras through Guatemala to El Salvador)

We left the hotel early, around 5:30 to head to the border that opens at 6 a.m. It was a good plan because there were a lot of people at the border to leave Honduras and cross back into Guatemala. We traveled through the countryside for a few hours until our breakfast stop where I ordered a ham and cheese omelet. There were multiple border control stops along the way where the police checked documents. After breakfast, we exited Guatemala and entered El Salvador. 

Our guide shared that El Salvador is very small with about 21,000 km and only 6 million people. The country is super safe and the currency is the US dollar. The violence before was terrible because of the local cartels, especially MS-13 and Barrio 18. In 2019 the president changed everything in the country and took control of the country. Apparently, the president put all of the cartel members in jail and they had to work for the community. Additionally, the president donates his salary to various organizations around El Salvador because he already had plenty of money. Now, the country is considered to be one of the safest in Central America.

Suchitoto, El Salvador

Once we arrived in the town and got settled, we walked around the town a bit before our tour. This town is extremely small and cute with nice people and charming colonial buildings. This was a scheduled three-hour tour to see most of the sites in town. Ask for Daniel. Here is his website. https://suchitotoecotours.wixsite.com/mysite

Cultural Tour

1. Rock Formation (Los Tercios Rock Formation of Hexagonal Columns) - We hiked down a short trail to see a natural rock formation caused by volcanos and shifting of the earth. It was a steep 200 meter trek down, but it was worth it. 

2. Arts for Peace Center (Centro Arte para la Paz) - This center was started by an American nun, sister Peggy, to bring arts and a safe place to Sachitoto after the civil war. The center is decorated with all types of art from the people that have come to the center. 

3. Indigo Dyeing - Indigo, a bi-product of the xiquilite tree, is an important export to El Salvador. When it was discovered, there were three different pools that the plant needed to be filtered until they had a bright blue powder. We saw ruins of these indigo pools on our hike. The legend has it that it was discovered by accident, but when the Spanish came over, they started to mass produce it. It was an important export until synthetic clothing came in and dominated the industry. Now, it is less in demand, but still a part of the culture. 

4. Cigar Rolling - This was one of my favorite events where we met Doña Laura, a 77-year old cigar-rolling grandma. Her skills were just a marvel to watch. It is so difficult to roll cigars!

Then, we went over to a local family’s house to learn how to make pupusas. Pupusas are a common food in El Salvador made with white corn or now, with rice flour for those who are gluten intolerant. 

According to Google, “A pupusa is a thick, handmade flatbread made from corn or rice masa. Cooked on a hot griddle, they are typically stuffed with savory fillings like cheese, refried beans, or seasoned pork (chicharrón). They are traditionally eaten by hand alongside curtido (a tangy pickled cabbage slaw) and tomato salsa”.    

We started out the cooking class with a shot of the traditional drink that the Mayans made called Chaparro, made from fermented corn which they affectionately call “fire water” and it very much lived up to its name. He showed us how to make a pocket of dough in your hand and add all of the toppings. Then, just cover it up again and grill it. Of course, ours was not as good as his. We made one ourselves and then he made two more of whatever we each wanted. I really enjoyed the cooking class because I love to eat and of course, if I can learn a new skill in the kitchen, I am all for it.

Civil War Walk - Cinquera

I took another half-day tour to Cinquera, the place where rebels hid out during the Civil War from 1980-1992. 

1. US Helicopter remnants - It is quite unsettling to see parts of an American helicopter with Russian and German guns attached to a fence just below it. Apparently, this centerpiece is important to the rebels because they shot down a helicopter with riffles, a way of taking a stand against those who were bombing them. The guide often explained the war as a fight between communism and capitalism, which I found very interesting. I do find that every country I travel to has some sort of story of being a victim of the US policies and often invasions. 

2. Church - This church was the only structure left standing after this town was leveled. There is a picture of Romero El Salvador (saint) on the church as one of the earliest religious martyrs. Again, quite unsettling to see unexploded US bombs next to a church, but a stark reminder of what they went through in this town. 

3. Hike through Parque Ecológico Bosque de Cinquera - We took a hot and humid hike through the park to retrace the rebel’s footsteps and saw various places including indigo pool remnants, kitchens, campsites, and makeshift emergency rooms. We even tried some of the natural ginger that the rebels planted every where to use as medicine. The forest is actually privately owned by 500 owners. We ended our hike with a dip in a natural waterfall. 

Veteran Talk - Rafael Hernandez (this is his story)

We had the change to listen to Rafael Hernandez, a veteran of the Civil War fighting against the government. He shared his experience in the war and why the war started. One of the reasons the war started was because 14 families owned the land and monopolized everything. Peasants would work the land as slaves until they organized and created the Peasants Organization in 1970. Their objective was to protest again the rich families who owned land. They wanted to rent the land, earn a living way and have better working conditions. In 1973 the land owners got in touch with the government and the government essential tried to get rid of the social organizations. Social movements occurred in the late 1970s and increased social tension across the country. 

Eventually, they all united and created The Popular Revolutionary Party which united all of the social organizations. In 1975, the first massacre happened over 2000 students and this was to serve as an example of what would happen if they continue to organize. Even a priest was murdered in March 1977 and things became much more intense. 

Rafael  left to San Salvador at 15 to escape and work construction during the day and school at night. In Sept. 1978, he was captured by national guard and got beat up and returned Cinquera where he decided to join rebel forces at 16. The social situation got worse. In Oct. 1979 cups d’etat which according to Rafael gave the country a victory because this ended the military dictatorship where no civilians could run for president. Five men were selected to take over The Revolutionary Junta Government, but did not do anything. They declared war in 1980-1992. Rafa was sent to Cuba for 11 months to train to fight and in Feb. 1981, he was transferred back to Cinquera. The National Army for Democracy (fought against the Salvadoran Army). The gov. trained their soldiers in Panama. The first few years was training and then war intensified. 1987 was one of the toughest years. 1988 took down helicopters and international pressure came to end the war. The gov. refused to negotiate. In Nov. 1989, the rebels targeted the capital to pressure the gov. to negotiate. Despite 22 days of constant battle and international encouragement, the  gov. still refused to negotiate. In Nov. 1990, the rebels conducted another offensive targeting the army base in the north. They took over the base after 3 hours and pushed the gov. into negotiations in 1991. Finally, the signing of the Peace Accords in Mexico ended the warn Jan. 16, 1992. Rafael moved back home at the age of 30 to start his life again. 

La Libertad, El Salvador - We have arrived to La Libertad area, but since this blog has been so long, I will save it for tomorrow. 

Central America - Day 3 (Copán, Honduras)

I woke up early started off with breakfast (Welchez Cafe). I had a latte and a deconstructed yogurt bowl. The latte art for the cat was super cute.

Then, we visited to the Copán Ruins Archaeological Site, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This whole area is built on Mayan ruins, but only 30% has been uncovered. Our guide, Cesar, met us at the hotel and we walked towards the site. 

On the way, he shared with us some history of the town, where nearly 90% of the population is of Mayan decent with over 20 languages. In the site, we saw many statues, palaces, a Grand Plaza along with a football field. My favorite part was the incredible Escalinata del los Jeroglíficos (Hieroglyphis Stairway). It was a flight of 63 steps which displays a visual history of the royal house of Cópan. Because the stairs were partially ruined and the messages jumbled, there is a preservation effort to scan them to create a digital version of the original.  

Additionally, we walked through an area that has some preservation efforts for the macaws, Honduras’ national bird. They are very majestic. The guide told us there were fewer than 10 birds in the park and they have expanded them to nearly 100 birds. Apparently, people used to buy/sell them and they nearly lost the population in the park. 

We ate lunch at the this little grilled place, called Asados Copán, where I had garlic shrimp, vegetables and tostones. They also have this hibiscus drink called Jamaica that was really good. 

After lunch, we walked up the hills to a recommended place for cacao called The Tea and Chocolate Place. Chocolate and coffee are common grown crops here and this place came highly recommended by our guide and Lonely Planet. The place was super cute, with many little places to site surrounded by plants and overlooking a beautiful tropical oasis.  

After a long day of walking around, we came back to the hotel and chilled out before an early start tomorrow.