Yesterday we toured all around El Salvador. After paying our $30 fee, we loaded up on 3 buses and took off. From Santa Ana to Lake Coatepeque. Coatepeque is a lake made from the hole of a volcano. The view from there was tremendous.
While we drove through San Salvador, I saw many familiar sites from home….Burger King, Blockbuster Video, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut…. All seemed to have larger seating capacity…obviously to accommodate the wealthy American crowds which probably came through there looking for decent food. On the other hand, there is a local burger chain called “Biggest” which apparently is really big here. There was even a Biggest Burger in Usulutan. They have a unique way of delivering pizza and chicken around here. The drivers have motor bikes. We are talking off road motor bikes with little storage bins in the back. I’ve been trying to catch a picture of them, but they are way too fast and I’m slow with the camera.
Lunch was less to be desired. It was included in our $30 tour. Some kind of cheese and bean bread patties. Smelt funny. Someone said they thought it was made from goat cheese. The restaurant which served it, also had a bakery in it. The people in our group who tried the cakes said they needed more sweetness.
We went to several shops to buy souvenirs I got a couple of statues, some marindas, and a bunch of other junk. The first store we went to was a specialized art store. Then there was the store which supposedly sold authentic Indian artifacts. We did go to a pyramid, but unfortunately due to holy week, it was closed. But we did get to view it from the fence.
The bus ride was long and the roads were not in the best conditions. Phil helped everyone pass the time by singing hymns throughout much of the busride. I’m really glad I was able to see a unique country with a group of dedicated like-minded Christians. Everyone has been very positive. I’m glad I came.
Also along the way, we stopped at a Texaco station. I’ll call it an “Inconvenience Station” because it didn’t have much else but gas and Gatorade to sell. The inside of it was completely bare. We stopped to use the uni-sex bathroom (some of us peed in the woods nearby).
This initially entry might be deceptive. I have not had a chance to post my previous entries. This has not been all fun and games. We worked hard at the school in Usulutan. Sweated alot. Cold showers at night (but at least they had running water). I never thought I would crave a cold shower, but I did at that point. However something odd would happen as soon as you stepped out of the shower. You’d get dirty again. There was no escaping it.
In order not to burn up on re-entry, we’ve got to assimilate ourselves to American culture. Otherwise the shock to the system would be too great for our bodies. Hence the stay at this hotel. It’s pretty much a slice of America here in El Salvador. The hotel has pretty much everything a hotel in the US would have. Except you can’t drink the water. Close your eyes and don’t open your mouth in the shower. Use bottled water when brushing your teeth.
Tomorrow we are going to San Francisco, El Salvador (don’t confuse that with the California one). We’ll be seeing some of the congregations which we’ve done campaigns for in the past few years. We also might visit a hospital. We get to sleep in til 9 or so before we leave at 10 for the tour.
On Saturday we’ll be at the airport at 10AM. We need to get there 2 and a half hours before our departure, just in case something goes wrong.
Well I need to get some sleep and let someone else use this computer. There are only 2 computers available for us gringos. See y’all later.
By the way, here are some pictures from the trip. There is only one of me.