Acahutla, El Salvador
Although most of us didn’t find out about it until this afternoon, today a couple of us were welcomed to El Salvador by a marine friend. While two guests slept last night with their window open in order to feel the cool ocean breeze, they heard a strange noise. They thought it was maybe a rope or something else, bumping against the side of the ship, and went back to sleep. This afternoon, when they returned from the day’s outing, the Hotel Manager for the ship told them that he had put their fish in the freezer for them. They replied that they had no fish. It turns out that a flying fish had “flown” through their window, flopped itself underneath one of their bunks, and was found by our conscientious stewards. It was nicely frozen in the galley freezer, just awaiting collection. It just goes to show that even the fish wanted to celebrate the Fourth of July with us!
We had a great day today seeing some of the best sights in El Salvador. We started off the day with a grand welcoming ceremony performed by the local indigenous group. This included music, dancing, and an official blessing. We were also officially welcomed by El Salvador’s Minister of Tourism. After these festivities, we loaded the buses for our trip to Cerro Verde, an extinct volcano ringed at the summit by a cloud forest. Here we saw numerous trees, plants, flowers, and a few bird species as well. We also walked along their orchid trail, which was spectacular, despite the fact that it was not the best time of year for these beautiful flowers. It being a cloud forest, the views were limited, but occasional brief opening in the clouds afforded a peek at Izalco volcano, which was formed in 1770, and recently ceased activity (in 1959). These volcanoes, together with the largest volcano in the area, Santa Ana, are part of the same system, and are probably connected at depth. As we were leaving, we saw Lake Coatepeque, which fills an even older caldera (the sunken roof of an evacuated magma chamber).
Following these amazing sights, we made our way to Joya de Cerén, a so-far unique Mayan archaeological site. This site dates back 1400 years, and provides a special view into the daily life of the Mayan people, as opposed to the view into their ceremonial and religious life provided by the more famous sites such as Chichen Itza. This site, accidentally discovered by a farmer excavating a spot for new silos, contains prosaic structures such living spaces, storage rooms, and kitchens. It has been called the “Pompeii of Central America” because it was covered by ash from a set of pyroclastic flows that were deposited over the course of just a couple of weeks. We were amazed to get a glimpse into the daily life of the Maya, including the food they ate and the way they organized their routines.
During our lunch in a lavish new hotel, we were entertained by natural fireworks in the form of huge displays of lightning and thunder, just perfect for celebrating Independence Day in El Salvador.
