Day 41

     After all this time, I guess the water finally got to me.  My journal reads sleep and more sleep with a quick recovery thanks to modern medicine.  Lady on the other hand felt great and ran lots of errands.  She must have been feeling good because she ate sushi for dinner in Guatemala!  All I could manage was a small bowl of steamed rice.
Hotel - $8, Food - $8, Random (Meds - $44, Internet - $3, Postcards - $1, Movies - $2)     TOTAL - $66

Day 42

     Figuring I could rest more easily at the beach than our hotel in Antigua, we decided to go to Monterrico.  Lady arranged for a "luxury shuttle" for greater comfort which turned out to be a rickety taxi.  Next came a small boat to reach Monterrico.  We immediately felt the heat and humidity. 
     Monterrico is on the pacific and has a long, black sand beach.  Great waves for body surfing too.  Because it was midweek, we had the beach almost to ourselves.  Monterrico is also known as a sea turtle nesting habitat, although the only turtle we saw was an unhappy one in a fish tank at the beach museum.
     Our budget accomodations didn't come with a fan.  This was a big oversight on our part and it was too hot to sleep.  The only other family at the hotel had an infant.  Another big oversight on our part because the baby cried all night. 
Hotel - $13, Food - $30, Trans - $20     TOTAL - $63

Day 43

     Perhaps needless to say, we were both grumpy in the morning and decided to kove to a beach just across the border in El Salvador.  It was a great plan, just poorly executed.  After some bad directions and not asking the right questions, we took a bus going in the opposite direction.  Everyone on the bus had lots of fun at our expense when they found out where we were going.  Out of necessity, we have developed a good sense of humor at our many misfortunes too.
     On the way, we ate along the roadside where the owner was more surprised than we were that were would eat there.  She gave us extra special attention and extra portions of a delicious onion stewed chicken dish and tortillas.  When Lady asked for the bathroom, she was personally escorted outside and advised any spot behind the building was ok.  The lady (not our Lady) was completely serious although our Lady (not the lady) wasn't.
     Anyway, it took the better part of a day to get to El Salvador and we arrived in Puerto La Libertad just at nightfall.
Hotel - $12, Food - $22, Trans - $10, Random (Entry Visa - $20)     TOTAL - $64

Day 44

     La Libertad is primarily a gritty fishing town.  Because it has a rocky coastline, boats are put in by crane at the end of the pier.  It looked like a scary ride.  By midmorning, the open air market on the pier was overflowing with all types of fishing and crabs for sale.  Some were so big you needed a wheel barrow to carry it home. 
     La Libertad is also on the international surfing safari because of its big waves and continuous break.  We met lots of surfers from the USA and Austrailia (most of whom were staying at our hotel).  Note: our packs are already heavy, we can't imagine carrying around surf boards.
     After a good day at the beach, watching the surfers, splitting a whole watermelon, etc., we were surprised back at the hotel with a fresh fish and beer dinner.  Two retirees from Massachusetts had asked us to think positive thoughts earlier when they went deep sea fishing (and going in off the pier).  They were so happy with the result they shared their catch with everyone at the hotel.
Hotel - $44, Food - $10, Trans - $1     TOTAL - $23

Day 45

     Already feeling restless, we decided to move on to see the real El Salvador.  Believe it or not, we wouldn't see other tourists again until the Honduran border.
     We bused to the capital, San Salvador, and enjoyed a truly modern city with big malls, fast food and internet.  Because it was relatively expensive to do much of anything, we did lots of people watching.
Hotel - $16, Food -$28, Trans - $28, Random (Internet $10, Arcade $6)     TOTAL - $61

Day 46

     We spent the mornign exploring the bustling downtown area of San Salvador (yesterday we were in the suburbs).  It was crowded, smoggy and unattractive (partly due to frequent earthquakes that have destroyed any colonial architecture).  In addition,  we found the people to be aggressive and unfriendly.
    We also visited the National Cathedral (destroyed several times by earthquakes and only recently reopened) where a catholic bishop, Oscar Romero, was assasinated during the civil war in the 80's.  Speaking of the war, it is still an open psycological wound here, and it is not uncommon to see men missing hands, arms, feet and/or legs.  **Warning** The following is an editorial comment.  The US government clearly supported the bad guys in the war (in the name of anticommunism).  Also, the divide between rich and poor is especially ugly here.
     In the afternoon, we decided to go San Vicente, a mountain town in the east.  The bus driver had a death wish which made the ride even more interesting.  Then we arrived just in time for a thunderstorm.  With unhelpful directions, we wandered up and down flooded streets looking for a hotel.  It didn't take long and were soaked from head to toe (including our backpacks).  It took several drinks to cheer us up.
Hotel - $10, Food - $24, Trans - $3, Random (Arcade - $1)     TOTAL - $38

Day 47

     Determined to have a better day, I went hiking in the mountains and Lady read a novel.  The highlight of my day was a rewarding conversation with a mute man on a donkey.
     For dinner, we ate a typical El Slavadoran meal of pupusas at a very small family restaurant.  Pupusas are fried tortillas stuffed with beans, cheese, pork, chicken, etc. and are really delicious.  Dinner was a great value at $2.
Hotel - $10, Food - $11, Trans - $1, Random (Phone - $3)     TOTAL - $25

Day 48

     Honestly, we were starting to understand  El Salvador is not a must see in El Salvador.  That is until we reached Sanat Ana, a charming city in the Northwest close to the mountains.  Leaving our guidebook behind, we had a great day just exploring.  We visited churches, goofed off in the park, went shopping, and followed locals for great meals in small places.  The best part was our discovery of a 2 for 1 ice cream shop.  Jumbo milk shakes, while not exactly typical, became part of our daily routine.  We also made lots of friends including the always smiling Rene who worked at our hotel.
Hotel - $13, Food - $21, Trans - $4, Random (Laundry $4, Postcards $3)     TOTAL - $45

Day 49

     We went exploring around Sanata Ana.  First, we visited Tazumel, a small Mayan ruin.  Next we went to Lago Coatepeque.  It is a beautiful volcanic crater lake surrounded by green hills.  Unfortunately, the weekend homes of El Salvador's elite had very high fences whick obscured the view.   Milk shakes were excellent today.
Hotel - $13, Food - $17, Trans - $2, Tours - $6, Random (Postcards $4)     TOTAL - $42