El Salvador II: Fresh Fish & Camping with Navy Seals

Small recap. So I just met up with Nube and Fernanda, the two Argentinian cyclists. Now Nube has to rush to Honduras to get his visa renewed, which means it’s just Fernanda and me that’s left.

We leave our hosts Nancy and Guillermo after a nice, slow breakfast. We take advantage one last time of the kitchen to prepare eggs and toast. Once on the road we try to avoid the bigger highways that lead to and from San Salvador. However we didn’t anticipate that this means that these smaller roads go up and down with incredible gradients. The first few hours we spend as much time pushing our bikes than actually pedalling them. After only 20 kilometers we’re dead already. When buying some last ingredients for lunch a raging reporter comes flying in to do a quick interview with us for the local newspaper. He scribbles some unreadable keywords in his little notepad, quickly takes some photographs and then flies off again. When typing this I wonder if we ever made it to the newspaper of the town of Santiago Texacuangos, I guess we’ll never know.

After lunch we take the Ruta Panoramico towards Lago Ilopango, but strangely enough the panoramic views are all on the wrong side. At least for me, because I want to see panoramic views of the lake, and not of the mountain range on the right. Well, I guess it will have to do for now. The last 5 kilometers are a steep downhill on gravel towards the lake. I try to not think about the fact that we have to take this road back up tomorrow. Instead I try to enjoy the views of the lake that we are presented with every now and then when the trees open up. We arrive at a beautiful location. The sun is shining its golden hour over the lake and fishermen are busy with the last catch of the day. The shore has plenty of brilliant camping spots for us to choose from. Fer comes with the brilliant idea of buying a couple of fresh fish directly from a fisherman. The friendly man is also willing to clean them out for us and on top of it all we can borrow a grill for the campfire to put them on. I take a dip in the water, with the sinking sun in the background. We cook the fresh fish on the grill accompanied with rice and a cold beer. What a perfect day for equipo Argentina/Hollanda!

Lakes are the best places to wake up to: the tiny rippling waves, the sound of birds, the sun slowly coming over the top of the hills surrounding the lake. After breakfast and breaking up camp we do what we already feared for yesterday: climb back up to the rim of the crater lake. It’s tough, but like always: we make it. After a few more mountains and bumpy gravel roads we make it to a, what I would call, normal road. The road passes a string of little cute villages and around 4PM we stop at one of them to ask around for a camping place.

We decide to pay a visit to the municipality and the friendly man gives us two options: we can either camp at the municipal sports fields (there are showers there as well) or here under a roof in the premises of the municipal building. We choose the first and drive to the sports fields where we take a shower. However the guy over there tells us we cannot camp here. A little noise on the line of the alignment of the different municipal workers.

Back to the municipal building in town then. We set up the tent and walk around town. The walk is short because the town is small. We get stared at like we’re from a different planet. We treat ourselves to icecream and a beer. After that somebody invites us over at their table and gives us some pupusas for dinner. Much appreciated!

Time for bed. When returning to our tent under the roof of the municipal building we get slapped in the face. The heat is unbearable and it seems like the heat is not escaping from under the roof. It’s hard to catch sleep.

The municipal buildings here in Centro America really act like a communal place to gather. Around 5AM we are woken up by screaming cleaning ladies and around 6AM we are woken up again by rumbling and stumbling constructions workers that gather their equipment to get to work. Not the best night of sleep.

The route today is not noteworthy. It’s flat like a pancake and I like it, but it’s also alongside carretera 2 which comes with heavy trucks and lots of cars. We pass a big bridge spanning over a big and wide river and decide it’s a good lunch spot. It’s hot as hell so it doesn’t take long before we’re in the water. These days cooling down in the river feels like a necessity instead of just for fun. Early in the afternoon we arrive in Puerto El Triunfo. For Salvadoreans this is a touristic town where you can take little boats that bring you to the mangroves.

Since we are early we chill for a bit on the pier. When it’s getting late it’s time to look for a place for the night. From the pier we see another pier just north from it and it looks a bit more remote and quiet so we decide to check it out.

But then we encounter big fences and guards in uniforms. Turns out that we stumbled upon a Navy Seals quarter. At this point many people would have turned around. Not us. We explain that we are looking for a place to camp for one night and if it’s possible on their terrain. It takes two phone calls to all sorts of high-ranked officers but then we get a green light. If we can just sign our names and the countries that we’re from on a piece of paper please. Sure.

We pitch our tents at the pier that we saw earlier on. The Navy Seals that are stationed here are super friendly and bring us coffee, biscuits and later on also fresh fish for us to grill. The sunset is amazing.

Since sunset yesterday was phenomenal, I figure sunrise will be good as well so I put an alarm. Not entirely coindidental there is also an Ajax game and the World Cup cyclocross I want to watch. Both the natural phenomenon (sunrise) as the sportive phenomenas I watch on my phone are amazing. Results: the sun rose, Ajax wins 5-0 and Matthieu van der Poel becomes world champion cyclocross.

So I have to explain this situation with me and Fernanda a bit more. Ever since we had a little fling in Antigua we are a little bit more than just friends. To put it like this: we sleep in the same tent. But being together with a woman doesn’t only bring joy, it also brings problems. So apparently yesterday I said something wrong and now she is mad at me. And if there’s one thing I’m allergic to, it’s when a woman is mad at me. Now I can’t stress this enough: our communication is in Spanish and my Spanish is limited. So saying that you’re sorry and that you didn’t mean it that way in a language that you don’t completely master is no picnic. As a result I get the silent treatment for the rest of the day. God, how I’ve not missed that.

Despite everything, that morning, driving out of El Triunfo is amazing.

While we exit the Navy Seals quarters and enter the outskirts of the little town the sun throws a mesmerizing glimmering light at us through the palm leafs alongside the road. We cycle over dusty roads. Everywhere little clouds of smoke hover over the road, either from the old ladies baking pupusas on the side of the road, or from little trash fires. We pass an old fella, I think he might be in his eighties, on a tricycle with a big cargo platform on the front where his wife has elegantly taken place. It’s sunday and in this town of a couple thousand habitants we stumble upon church after church. Church chants rise up after every corner we take. One time I even see two churches right across from eachother. Everybody that’s not in church is on the move. Breakfast is being made and subsequently being transported and sold by bicycle. A man squeezes sugar cane into juice on an ancient-looking rattling machine. A beautiful morning.

We end the day in El Transito, where we have some food on the curb of the main road of the town. When suddenly we get called at. Are you Fernanda? It’s our Warmshowers host Erber. He welcomes us into his house and after we’ve settled in we take a walk to the near lake. To me Erber is a bit of an odd bird and I don’t seem to level with him. Maybe it’s because he is stoned all the time. Luckily Fernanda is with me and she does most of the talking.

Departure at Casa Erber. During the night and morning he has softened a bit and has made a better impression on me. Seeing him taking care of his daughter and wife helped. Another day on the road and the plan for today is to end at the beach. With Fernanda sometimes I feel a little bit like a tramp. I used to buy water, but that’s off the table now. No, we ask for water with the locals. Paying for accommodation is also not done, we ring doorbells to ask if we can camp in somebodies backyard. Lunch is tortillas with peanut butter or jam with some bananas on top and dinner is either rice or spaghetti. Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate living a little bit less expensive (I have a long way to go), but I feel like I’m being a bit too dependent on society. Maybe it’s a bit different being latina with dark hair, but I have the feeling that when I, a blond guy with blue eyes, ring a doorbell to ask if I can get some water people look at me like aren’t you a rich white gringo?! Now I know that also that is a prejudice and is wrong, but still it weighs on me.

We have a good day and make it to Playa Cuco without problems. I’ve seen the Pacific a few weeks back, but for Fernanda it has been months since she’s seen the sea, so she is thrilled. We kick out our shoes and run into the sea. The running is because of excitement, but also a little bit because the sand is too hot to walk on. We dive, swim and play with the waves like little kids. Life once again feels so small, so simple. No 9AM daily Teams meetings, no mortgage to worry about, no deadlines. Just cycling and swimming.

When we’re done playing I want to ask a guy if he can watch our bikes for a bit since we want to go into town to get some water.

But instead of just acknowledging to watch our bikes he starts talking to me in English. Of course, another Salvadorean that has worked in the US and is now back in San Salvador to not only spend some good US buck, but also wants to show the world that he has some good US buck. We happily let him draw us into his little play. We get beer after beer and honestly we are pretty happy about it. I can feel that I’m not being used to drinking anymore (I guess since Jacko left me) because after two beers I can feel the buzz already. We get back on the aluminium horses to cycle a bit further south. Fer is festive because of the regalos that we got from the friendly man. I feel bad for celebrating the fact that we got some beers. We have a discussion about it. My point is that we should feel grateful, but not festive. Fer’s point is that people like to give gifts and that there’s no harm in celebrating this. We put our tent at the beach on the quiet end of town.

I try to make a camp fire but I just won’t succeed. Luckily it’s just for fun and no necessity to warm up. In the middle of the night Fer wakes me up. I am startled and my first thought is that somebody has stolen our bags or something. But nothing of that. No, the water has risen crazy high and with every wave now is touching our footend. How is that possible?? We put our tent like 30/40 meters up from where the water level was before and now it is knocking on our doors?! No time to think, time to handle. We quickly move everything upward. First all the way into the bushes of the dunes, but when multiple thorns are piercing through the soles of my bare feet we put it back to the edge of the sand. Seconds later I see my sandals being swallowed up by the sea. Like little boats they conquer the waves to sail into the horizon. But I manage to keep them with me just a little bit longer.

Yesterday we did not have a proper dinner and also we didn’t get breakfast, so my stomach is rumbling. The next village is 4 kilometers and two hills away and when we reach it we throw ourselves at a good batch of pupusas and horchata. Fer is feeling a bit ill, so we just lie on the benches in the park and sleep and rest a bit. When her stomach settles a bit she feels good enough for some cycling. We take it easy though and thankfully the road has mercy on us and is flat and has a nice layer of tarmac. At the end of the day we leave the tarmac. We enter a little town and want to take a road that is way to steep and way to cobbly. When failing to cycle it up we are approached by some friendly villagers. We get some tips about the road, but basically the advice is to turn around to go back to the main road and to circumvent the hill.

I immediately fall in love with the little village that we find ourselves in the middle of. The vibe is super relaxed, everyone is messing around with each other, has time for a chat, thinks along with us with good intentions. The sun is setting and we decide to just put our tent in the middle of the football field that we saw. We immediately attract more attention and left and right people are being drawn to the football field to see what odd birds have settled there. Kids play around our tent and ask a thousand questions. We get offered water by one of the villagers, we can get a shower (read: a bucket with rain water that we can throw over our heads and a bar of soap) at another and are gifted some cookies by another. Que bueno.

We are being sung awake around 5AM by around 34 roosters. Shortly after the complete village is awake. Little cars with a tape recorder and an improvised speaker installation on the roof are driving around with advertisements for tomatoes and mangoes. People are walking towards their workplaces. We have a great breakfast and Fernanda is preparing some Argentinian mate for us. After that we pack up and rush to the nearest Texaco to do a number two.

The plan for today is to make it to the top of a mountain with the magical name El Espiritu de la Montaña. Up there there is supposed to be a very nice campsite with the most beautiful view on the Bahia de la Unión. When we cycle towards the mountain and I take a glimpse at the elevation profile and show it to Fernanda, she is getting a bit pale in her face. I think if I were to be alone I would have managed to cycle it up, but Fer initiates the idea to hitchhike to the top. More than fine by me. In the last village before it gets really steep we do some groceries, fill up on water and throw our thumbs in the air.

After half an hour a pick-up is willing to take us and our bikes to the entrance of the park. At the entrance they tell us that there is a fee to get the bikes in, on foot is free. So we decide to pack two bags that we will take to the top and leave our bikes with a lady that is living next to the entrance and is willing to have our bikes next to her house. So far so good. With backpacks and on foot we move forward. Not far in another pick-up passes us and asks if we want a ride. Sure! Talking about smooth sailing. On top of the mountain the security guy at the famous campsite with the good view asks 7USD per person per night. That’s too much for us.

We turn around and roam the top of the hill to find a place that we can put our tent ánd has the good view on the bay. But apparently the campground has completely occupied the good side of the hill. We do find a nice pine forest with good flat spots for the tent. It will have to do for now.

We set up the tent and explore the area. We find a hole in the fence that will lead us onto the campground. We risk it and climb through the fence. We find some nice vistas but it is not the vista on the bay. We walk towards what we think will be the good side of the hill but then before we know it we stumble upon the same security guy that we already talked to before. It is too late to retract because he has already spotted us. We try to act cool, but of course he knows us and he friendly asks us to leave the property. With our tails between our legs and blushes of shame we leave again. Mission one failed. Tomorrow in the dusk, before sunrise I will try again. I consider this one as a first scouting trip. Now at least I know where the hole in the fence is and where the security guy is posted. What’s the worst that can happen when he catches me again? I just want to see this beautiful sunrise.

Back in the pine forest we make a fire, cook another delicious meal on the fire and make tea. Another perfect camping spot and meal. The dry pine leaves burn a little bit too easy and I get scared and picture a big forest fire in my head. We decide to keep the fire small and fence the fire off real good.

It’s one of these rare moments where I’ve put an alarm on my phone. When it goes I’m awake quickly, because I know it’s going to be an exciting morning. Fernanda decides to skip and sleep a bit more. Something I cannot wrap my head around. It’s just me then. I am going to sneak into the campground again, try not to get caught and watch the sunrise over the bay. Normally it takes me a good hour to wake up fully but this time I’m wide awake fast and adrenaline is pumping through my veins. I find the hole and climb through it once more. I feel like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible or Sylvester Stallone in Rambo. I sneak from tree to tree and all of my five senses are working at 100% capacity. When I approach the place where we got caught by the security guy the last time I don’t see anybody now. I walk on. I’m already farther than yesterday but this is new terrain for me. I encounter some more buildings but there is no sign of life. When I finally walk through a small tunnel I stumble upon a veranda and from stories I heard I know I’ve reached the campground. I made it. The adrenaline drops because I’m safe now. The stories were true: it is a beautiful camp spot and I’m glad I’ve reached it. The sunrise is amazing, a beautiful sight to see the sun creeping up from the horizon, shining its golden light over the little islands that are sprinkled out across the bay of La Unión.

After that I go back to the tent where Fernanda has just woken up. I tell her about the beautiful sunrise and decide that it’s worth the risk to go back one more time to take her along.

Still no sign of the security guard, so once again we are lucky. The sun is up but the view is still impressive and I’m glad Fernanda got to see it as well. We retrieve to the pine forest where we have a very nice breakfast with eggs and coffee. When we walk down the mountain once again we are picked up by some workmen. It’s the third ride we get in two days and I start to believe that it is obligated to pick up anybody you encounter when you are in a car. We don’t complain. Are bikes are safe and sound and we thunder down the mountain into the city of La Unión. We do some last groceries because the plan is to go into Honduras today.

Back on the bike we soon find out that our plan is too ambitious for today. Just before we reach the border we encounter a nice man that tells us that we can put our tent on his front porch and take a shower on his premises. He is a wise man. My mother always told me that we should help out three sorts of people: orphans, immigrants and widows. Apparently we fall under his category of immigrants. And he spills out more wisdom. At this moment, who is the most important person for you to help you out when in need? I think about his question for a bit. The most important persons I know are back in The Netherlands but at this moment they are of no use to me, so I respond: you. Exactly, and that’s why I feel obliged to help you out in the best way I can. Tomorrow we will hit Honduras and I surely hope that the people over there also live according to these same words.