11-13th Sep - San Salvador and surrounds

San Salvador (city)

San Salvador city has two very distinct sides... the flashy american fast food chains, malls and wide roads... and the inner city gritty, central district with its market area and streetside prostitutes (that took a liking to phil!) We went for a dose of english at the local cinema only to end up watching a russian vampire movie with spanish subtitles and not a hint of english despite being reassured it was in English. (Naomi where are you when we need you!?!) For those that know Phil, you´ll know that he chose the movie, (it´s called Nightwatch back home).

The highlight of the city was Iglesia del Rosario... the lighting was unlike anything we´ve seen to date.

Joya de Ceren
An hour NW out of the city, these are ruins of a Mayan society preserved by the volcanic ash from the eruption of Laguna Caldera Volcano in AD600. Intact are local houses, kitchens, a Mayan sauna. It wasn´t made from the same stone of other Mayan temples, but a variety of building materials available in the local environment.

It provided a really great insight into how local Mayans lived instead of the huge temples around which ceremonial life has been uncovered.

Lago Ilopango
This was a great day. Karen and I went diving in this freshwater active volcanic crater lake. We saw underwater thermal vents, with albino algae growing nearby the white hot rocks... much like the black smokers you´ve seen on documentaries that exist kilometres underwater in the oceanic trenches... quite amazing... plus it was crab season, and hundreds of them all over the bottom. (Karen´s first really low visibility dive - about 2m).

The weird part of the day was the presence of Manuel and Ozvaldo... the star and cameraman of ¨Mas Deportes en 90 Minutes¨... an El Salvador Extreme Sports tv show. It´s on this Sunday, Cable 7 or Local Channel 33, if you get a chance (and happen to be in El Salvador). We were interviewed on camera, and filmed doing backrolls off the boat, and doing tricks and playing with crabs underwater... EXTREEEEMMMEE!!
We´ll try to record it if we can...that is if we´re not on the cutting room floor! I think he tried to sell the two of us as Steve Irwin style aussies doing Extreme Sports around the world.

La Libertad
Flying visit through this Surf Hot Spot, and Fishing Port. There was a great break off the point, but the chocolatey colour water and rocks were a bit off-putting. The pier held a fish-market, with every stage of gutted fish imaginable (you´d have loved it Chuka). There were the odd contraband, including turtle eggs and baby hammerheads. You´ll see the pictures.