Juayua, El Salvador
April 9-13, 2012
Juayua (pronounced "why-OOH-a") is another mountain village on the western side of El Salvador. Since it was still Samana Santa week while were were here, we wanted to stay away from the coast and within smaller villages to escape the crowds. Juayua is also along a route they call "Rutas de las Flores" (The Route of Flowers) which is a series of small mountain villages each with a unique vibe and during the right time of year, flowers abound! Juayua has proved to be another amazing choice with its cobblestone streets, colorful murals, and a friendly atmosphere. It was a gentle place to simply enjoy the local culture.
Our Accommodations - Hostel Dona Mercedes
Located in the central area of town, we found a fantastic place called Hostel Dona Mercedes. Owned by a local family and run by the extremely warm and friendly mother named Socorro, it was like being at "mom's" place.
Connections to Home
We found a great restaurant called R & R owned and operated by chef Carlos who studied English and cooking in
Regina, Canada of all places! He was such a nice guy and we had a really great chat with him including a really great meal.
Photo's of Juayua
Villages of Apeneca and Ataco
These nearby villages (along the Rutas de las Flores) were both really cute and we especially liked Ataco. Lots of cobblestone streets and a great assortment of neat cafe's and shops. Unfortunately, for some random reason, many of the stores were closed on the day we visited but we still had a great day wondering the around.
Volcano Izalco: Sucked into the smoking fire of a volcano!
We decided that it would be fun to explore a nearby park called Parque Nacional Los Volcanes (National Park of the Volcanoes) which encompasses 3 volcanoes named Izalco (still active and smoking), Santa Ana (not active but more pretty) and Cerro Verde (has nice views and a crater lake). We caught a bus to the turn-off of the park and quickly discovered that it was still 9km to the park entrance! So, we started walking. Luckily about half hour into our walk a car came along that happened to be a van full of young men studying to become priests and they graciously offered to pick us up and take us the entrance.
Upon arrival, one of us had a nice relaxing day planned that included a leisurely walk around the rim of Cerro Verde and then a nice lunch. However, the plan went off the rails the minute Doug looked across the terrain and saw Izalco smoking from the top. He was hooked and wanted to see it up close!
Upon arrival, one of us had a nice relaxing day planned that included a leisurely walk around the rim of Cerro Verde and then a nice lunch. However, the plan went off the rails the minute Doug looked across the terrain and saw Izalco smoking from the top. He was hooked and wanted to see it up close!
As it turned out, the group of young priests that picked us up were hiking to the top of Volcano Izalco and they convinced us that we should join them. A hike to an active volcano sounded a lot more thrilling than a picnic by the lake! So off we went with our guide and two police escorts (this is common in areas where paths are isolated to help prevent robberies). Let's just say it quickly became clear that we bit off more than we could chew. The first part of the hike was an hour of steep decent to the base of the volcano. At this point we were already exhausted with only two banana's and one bottle of water between us, we were not prepared for this kind of hike AND we still had to climb UP the volcano (keeping in mind, this all had to be reversed to get back). About half way up, I decided to stop and Doug continued to the top. By the time we reached each other again on our way back, Doug was completely delirious from exertion and exhaustion! We barely finished with any strength left....Only to be punished again for the next four days because neither of us could walk properly or bend our legs! What a day and what a memory!