After our couple of cold nights in the El Salvadoran highland town of Perquin, we decided that since we were in El Salvador, which has some of the prettiest beaches in Central America, we should head to the Pacific coast next. We had only stayed in one beachside town on the Pacific coast so far, and we had had a bad experience in San Jan del Sur, Nicaragua. We were not impressed (partly because the beautiful beaches in Southeast Asia have spoiled us)!
However, we decided to give the Pacific beaches another try. El Salvador is well-known as a place to go to surf. It has some of the world’s best surfing beaches. As non surfers, this meant nothing to us, but at least we had an idea of what to expect. Long, wide sloping beaches that go on for miles and the breaks the waves make as the sea comes crashing in. After not feeling very well over the past couple of days, we also wanted to get back to warm weather, and we knew being on a beach, next to the sea would definitely do us both some good. It was a rainy morning when we left Perquin, and we had to catch several buses to get to our next destination, El Cuco. From there, we caught a pickup truck to playa El Esteron (El Esteron Beach) and our next hotel, La Tortuga Verde.
This massive flag of El Salvador hung at the entrance to La Tortuga Verde, our hotel on playa El Esteron.
Rick had found this place on the internet, and it looked like a reasonable place to stay. However, when we got there it was clear that this place would not be cheap. We opted for the dorm which looked pretty amazing. Only four big double beds in the room, the place was much more luxurious than what we had become used to. The crisp white sheets and towels and the new mattresses were the icing on the cake, as was the quirky theme of the room. Food, on the other hand was a different story. Guests were not allowed to bring their own food into the dorm. All food and drinks were purchased from the restaurant at La Tortuga Verde since there was nothing much else on the beach. There was a limited, expensive menu to choose from, although i was pleasantly surprised by the quality and size of my seafood soup. We would find out at night the real reason why food was not allowed to be kept in the dorm..
Our beds in the dorm. More luxury than we were used to!
Rick and i went to the beach immediately after dumping our bags next to our chosen beds and changing into our swimwear. Rick went for a swim but i just watched the sun set and enjoyed the breeze. The next couple of days were spent on the beach either in a hammock, sitting on the sand, wading through the waves and enjoying the breeze. There were a bunch of nice people staying at the place, it had a good vibe, but it was more expensive than what we were used to. We even met the only other tourist who was staying in Perquin at the same time as us, a guy from Columbia, who worked on the road, remotely, as a programmer. He shared the dorm with us, along with a German biker. We got tips from an American guy, Harry, who was working at La Tortuga Verde and decided that we would head back up into the highlands to a place known in the country for its natural beauty.
Rick wasted no time and was splashing about in the waves as soon as he had changed.
No lift off for this kite. Not enough wind!
Further along the beach.
Fishermen coming back to shore in the late morning.
A small cave at the narrow estuary.
The estuary turns into a river.
These flowers brightened up many parts of the Central American scenery.
Dead puffer fish dotted the shoreline, presumably thrown away by fishermen.
The skeleton of another puffer fish.
Taking a break! You can’t get more relaxed than this!
Nights were mosquito-ridden and noisy. There was a family of rodents living in the rooftop scaffolding, so we were ready to leave after our second night. Before i move on though, our brief stay on this beautiful beach was a special one for me in more ways than one. It was on this beach, while the sun was setting, that i had my first ‘real’ conversation in Spanish. I was sitting alone and a local woman, the wife of a fisherman, came and started talking to me. It was nice, and it sort of came naturally after a while. Without Rick to help me when i was stuck, i managed to fumble through, and after the sun had set, and i was walking back to the dorm, i felt proud of myself.
Sunset from Playa El Esteron. Taken from the spot where i had my first conversation in Spanish.
We left early in the morning, feeling excited and happy to be heading back up into the picturesque coffee-growing country around Alegria. We had read that it would be touristy, but so far, we had not seen many other foreigners (outside of La Tortuga Verde), and had started to get a good feeling for El Salvador. We met yet more friendly locals on the bus that day, who helped us make our way onto the several buses we needed to get to our next destination, Alegria (which means ‘joy’ or ‘happiness’), known for its coffee, stunning mountain views and colourful flower-growing nurseries.
Anita's Wanderings 