2014, Day 260 - Breaking

Sunrise over the lake in Suchitoto was magical and consistently a spectacular show.  Can't wait for me adventures close to the equator.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
33mm, f5.6, 1/15 sec @ 100 ISO

2014, Day 46 - Evening commute

Our second evening in Suchitoto and after a long day of exploring the countryside we decided to go for a walk and get some dinner.  Given that it is pouring rain and there are high winds I can't help but remember the warmth of the sun waning in the afternoon as we walked in long shadows and the slight breeze from the lake that seemed like a blessing as we walked sweating down the cobbled street.  Everyone was finishing their day's work and this woman was walking home with her basket empty of all the warm fresh breads that she was selling earlier in the day.  Soon the sounds of children playing and neighbors chatting in doorways will fill the air as evening approaches.  It is one of my lasting impressions of this small down, the feeling of community that was everywhere.

Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 100 ISO

2014, Day 10 - Grinding

On our second day in Suchitoto, after visiting a couple farms and exploring the countryside, we had a free evening in town.  Like the previous night we left our hotel and just started to wander.  Suchitoto is a small town and quite safe so we explored all the interesting streets and alleys when we came upon the town's mill.  This is where you bring your corn to have it ground and the picture below is the gentleman who runs the machinery.  After many years he was rather hard of hearing but quite welcoming and happy to show us how it all worked even though he was getting ready to leave for the day.  That is how things were in El Salvador, people were generous with their time, happy to share their knowledge, and quick to smile.  It was an interesting place to visit and I look forward to going again.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
70mm, f2.8, 1/320 sec @ 16000 ISO

2014, Day 9 - Loafing

I found these kittens sitting on their doorstep on an evening walk through Suchitoto.  We had just arrived and despite being sleep deprived we wanted to take a walk through the town.  It isn't big and as the sun started to set the temperature dropped to an almost comfortable level.  There were children playing in the street and people were chatting in doorways.  It was nice to see such a strong sense of community.  Even the cats and dogs joined in.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
65mm, f5.6, 1/250 sec @ 2000 ISO

2013, Day 335 - Pure

This is the Iglesia Santa Lucia Suchitoto and the restoration work was completed this past spring.  Although small compared to some of the other churches we saw this one is nicely scaled to the size of the town and to the central plaza which it borders.  They ring the bells to call the city to mass and given that El Salvador is a very observant Catholic country the ringing becomes quite insistent as the time for mass draws closer.  It is a beautiful building and very well maintained although I wonder how long that will last with all the pigeons perched along the facade.

I took this photo the morning we left Suchitoto and it was absolutely beautiful backlit by the clouds and the sun started to crest the horizon.  It it is one of the enduring memories I have of our time in Suchitoto.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f4, merged layers of 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, and 1/60 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 327 - Dash of color

Suchitoto may be known for its cobblestone roads but what I really enjoyed was the colors and textures displayed on the buildings.  On our first evening in town Francene and I wandered to find a good view of the lake which turned out to be lacking when compared to the view from our balcony.  Along the way I took pictures of windows and doors.  There is such a playful use of color throughout the city and the texture of the walls and the contrast of the prevalent ironwork was really nice.  As we walked we passed children playing, women chatting, old men smoking, and people carrying on with a leisurely evening.  Everyone called out greeting to each other and often to us as well.  I can see why it is a place popular with locals and visitors, the atmosphere evokes a kind of familiar nostalgia for all who spend even a little time in this quaint city.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
24mm, f5.6, 1/250 sec @ 640 ISO

2013, Day 296 - Meandering

There is a worrying pattern that we perpetuated today, getting a later start.  Because we were checking out of our room we decided that we wouldn't need to be out the door until eight o'clock.  That was because there would be breakfast and packing prior to our departure.  Given that it was our last morning in Suchitoto I got up early and wandered around the town when it was still half asleep.  There were women walking down the cobbled streets with baskets of fresh baked breads balanced on their head, dogs were napping in doorways, and people were cleaning the central square.  It was beautiful and tranquil.

I returned to our hotel a short time later to have breakfast with Francene.  Once we had eaten I headed back to the room to finish packing but got sidetracked by a couple of jumping spiders.  Fortunately the call of nature needed answering and kept me from too much distraction.  I answered and finished packing just as Robert arrived.

We packed up the truck and headed to our first stop, El Salvador's only UNESCO World Heritage site, Joya de Ceren.  It is a Mayan farming village that was buried in ash after a volcanic eruption in the year 590.  That ash fell quickly and covered some areas up to eight meters deep; these conditions helped to preserve their community very well.  Fortunately they have found no bodies which suggests that they had plenty of notice and were able to evacuate before the eruption.

Next we made our way to Cerro Verde National Park.  It is at the top of a volcano and is covered in dense jungle.  When we arrived at the top there was a thick layer of clouds obscuring the view.  Undeterred we went on a short hike to the abandoned hotel and restaurant and the accompanying viewpoint.  It was a neat place, very obviously built in the fifties with some impressive modern architecture.  Francene and I explored the area which Robert tried to keep an eye on us so we just split up and frustrated his efforts completely.  It was beautiful to walk through the rainforest as it was obscured by the clouds, that is what is pictured below.

From there we started our journey along the Ruta de las Flores, the path of the flowers.  It consists of a series of mountain communities with some distinct features but united in their proliferation of flowers and for coffee cultivation.  Given that we were on a bit of a time crunch we stopped first at Juayua which is known for its weekend craft festivals and for their black Christ in the community's largest church.  After we stopped in Apaneca to appreciate some amazing views and we ended up in Ataco where we toured the brightly-color city and were able to purchase some of the local coffee which is supposed to be the best in the region.  Before hitting the road again we stopped off at a restaurant called Portland after our fair city that is owned by a gentleman who lived there before returning to El Salvador to get a little refreshment.

Our next stop was San Salvador and on our way into the city we stopped off for dinner.  I had a very nice meal of pupusas, stuffed tortillas that are lightly fried; the ones I ordered were filled with a combination of beans, cheese, chiles, leafy green, and a local squash.  All were excellent and I already know I will miss them when we leave.

Once we filled out bellies we proceeded into the Zona Rosa where Tim's apartment it located.  It is in the nice part of town and his place on the twenty-second floor has an incredible view.  So we unloaded our bag, bid farewell to Robert, and settled in for the night.  Tomorrow will, with a little luck, be a more leisurely day but I am going to get some rest.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f5.6, 1/4 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 295 - Guided

Another early start this morning but we did get to sleep in a little later than yesterday.  I leapt out of bed when I saw the sun was just beginning to rise over the lake to grab my camera and get out to capture the moment from our balcony.  Despite being a number of viewpoints around the city our balcony has the best view with the least obstructions.  I am sure there are better vantage points elsewhere around the lake but in Suchitoto this is the place to be!

Robert picked us up shortly after the sun climbed into the sky and we set off in the direction of Cinquera.  Along the way we stopped off at Cascadas Los Tercios, a waterfall over basalt columns with rather steep and treacherous access.  It was a brief detour that was followed by coffee and pastries out of the back of Robert's truck after we crossed a recently rebuilt bridge.  After our refreshments we walked on a private road that parallels the river we had just crossed to do a little bird watching.  A partial list of the birds seen includes swainson's hawks, cooper's hawks, gray hawks, kingfishers, sandpipers, herons, egrets, orioles, hummingbirds, flycatchers, cormorants, doves, and vultures.  The raptors we saw in the hundreds, mostly from a good distance, as we are on their migration route.

We then hopped back into the truck and continued further down the road towards Cinquera.  Not more than a couple miles had passed when we took another detour, this time to a farm.  There we met Tomas (pictured below), his wife whose name escapes me, and his granddaughter Estephanie.  His wife and granddaughter proudly showed us their embroidery and jewelry respectively.  Estephanie's jewelry was made from seeds and nuts on thread.  They were pretty impressive and some were rather ornate.

Tomas took us on a hike down narrow trails clogged with heavy mud and cattle dung, through the jungle into the cultivated fields and off to a large stone in a rather remote area with Incan petroglyphs.  It was interesting but perhaps not worth the grueling hike in the ninety degree heat ankle deep in mud and torn up by the thick brush.  Still, it was an interesting site recently discovered and proudly displayed by one of the farmers.

When we got back to Tomas' house Estephanie showed us where we could rinse off the mud caked all over our legs and feet.  Feeling slightly better we again returned to the truck only to stop five minutes later at a small women's cooperative where they make more jewelry with seeds and nuts.  Most of it had heavy Catholic influences and I fear to touch any of it lest I burst into flame on the spot.

And again we pressed on towards Cinquera.  It took a little while down bumpy unimproved roads to reach the small town where we stopped for lunch.  Again I had beans and rice with tortillas; the lunch yesterday was better but only because it was exceptional, this was quite good too.  We also found out why there are what looks like built-in baby gates, to keep the stray dogs from wandering in to beg.  It is always tempting to offer them a few morsels but it only encourages them to beg and when more come and competition increases fights will follow to which the people will not respond patiently.  So I resisted with difficulty.

Once we had eaten Robert introduced us to his friend Raphael.  Raphael was a rebel fighter during the civil war and talked to us, with Robert's assistance, about his experiences.  In fact the public square has the tail end of a downed helicopter on display as well as wrought iron fences decorated with old inoperable machine guns.  Now Raphael works as the senior park ranger for one of the largest national parks in the country and he is a leader in the community projects.

One such project is an iguana farm which we went to see.  They had large enclosures with corrugated steel walls that extended five feet underground topped with wire holding hundreds of young iguanas with a few large breeding females mixed in.  I asked what they intended to do with all these lizards and the response was that they hadn't decided.  Step one, breed lizards, step two, well, we will get to that once we achieve step one.  So now they have to start thinking about the future.  Do they make lizard hide products, do they sell them for food, do they work with the government to obtain permission to sell them as pets at home and abroad.  They even have a few green iguanas that are actually blue in color.  They are not the endangered blue iguanas but a mutation in the green iguana that causes turquoise blue coloring.  If these are what people in the pet trade refer to as axanthic they could be worth hundreds of dollars each.

By this time Francene and I were pretty beaten up and ready for some relaxation so we headed back to the hotel.  It took quite a while due to delays caused by road construction but we made it eventually.  We stopped by our room briefly, rinsed more mud and dirt off, and went for a swim.  It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon and we watched the storm clouds roll in.  Eventually we had a nice fish dinner on the veranda while watching the colorful sunset.  They we went back to our room to rest until Francene went out again with Robert to the old leftist bar in town.  I stayed back because I don't drink and wanted to get some photos processed and blogging done.  Now you're up to speed and I am going to bed!

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 8000 ISO

2013, Day 294 - Hormigas!

This morning we got started before dawn to ramble out to an organic farm where they grow and process indigo.  It was a pretty place and we got to see how they extract the dye from the leaves, aerate the water, transfer it into another massive tub where natural agents are used to pull the dye from the water, and how it is then filtered to dry and process into a powder.  Kind of neat and really great that the whole farm is organic.

After see the process we then took a tour of the farm to see the variety of crops they grow.  Along the way our guide Robert pointed out the different birds we were seeing and two of the more senior gentlemen who manage the farm identified all kinds of plant and insect life.  I love bugs and they did a great job indulging me by turning over wood, digging out grubs, and generally getting excited.  We also saw what looked like a wild gerbil with two babies dangling from it while it scampered up a tree.

We then made our way into a village called La Mora where we met one of the many farmers in the area.  After a roadside snack we hiked up into the mountainside farmland to see all their various crops.  Here they harvest most of the corn fresh but they leave rows of stalked which they bend in half so the ears can dry and the reinforced stalks can be used to support many varieties of beans.  We saw sorghum being grown for animal feed, turnips, squash, and loroco, which is a kind of flower that is commonly eaten with egg and cheese dishes.  It was definitely interesting and we did end up at the top of a hill with a nice view and the remains of an old brick building that survived the civil war.

Once we made our way back down the mountain and to the truck we headed off to another small community.  There we had a simple lunch of beans and rice with fresh tortillas before heading onward to see the local schools.  They consisted of a few brick buildings with open windows but looked well used and in good shape.  Robert told us that most kids don't finish high school and only a really small percentage make it to higher education.  Educated people make two to three times the minimum wage which he said is a good salary but the transition between primary and secondary school is often very difficult due much higher expectations than are generally met so kids get frustrated and choose not to continue.

Upon leaving the school we headed back to Suchitoto where Francene and I took a swim and relaxed for a couple hours before Robert returned and took us on a walking tour of the city.  Most of it we had seen before but we had a quick snack and he gave us a little more background on the non-profits that he works with.  It was a nice way to spend an evening and now it is time for some well-deserved rest.

Below is a picture of some leaf-cutter ants as they haul small flowers down the tree and into their nest.  These little guys moved really quickly so there were a lot more misses than hits :)

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/160 sec @ 800 ISO

2013, Day 293 - Observer

We arrived just before noon in San Salvador after an overnight flight with little sleep and a three and half hour layover in Texas but we made it!  Our guide met us at the airport and whisked us off to Suchitoto, a small picturesque town about an hour and a half from San Salvador on a man-made lake.  The buildings are stucco, something relatively uncommon around here, and the streets are the old cobblestones.  It is a very pretty place although we only got glimpses as we drove through town to our hotel.

Our room has an amazing view of the lake and after dropping off our luggage we made out way to their patio where we had lunch.  It was a lovely fried fish fillet and a nice potato dish with veggies and cheese.  Although we hadn't eaten much of substance since the day prior I still think the food was genuinely good.

After lunch we lazed around, read, and basically killed time.  It was already mid-afternoon and we thought a walk down to the lake for sunset and and light dinner would be nice.  As we wandered down the cobblestone streets we saw children everywhere playing and I couldn't help but take a few pictures.  My favorite is the one below of a boy sitting in his window behind the bars watching everyone else play.  There are lots of windows and doors with bars, it allows for a cool breeze off the lake and saves energy.  In doorways and on stoops parents watched their children play and some ducked in and out while preparing dinner.

It was a happy sort of energy, lots of laughing and camaraderie.  Throw in a few street vendors making delicious smelling food and you have a  good idea what our walk was like.  The lake was further away than we thought and we caught only the tail end of the color so when we were done it was off to the central square to see the church and find some food.

For dinner we ended up getting a sampling of pupusas and some grilled veggies to split between us.  Pupusas are made of a masa dough that is filled with all kinds of things like beans, cheese, vegetables, and meats then fried.  They were delicious and surprisingly filling.  The vegetables were good too, nicely grilled with lots of flavor and a couple of sauces to accompany them.

Our bellies full we wandered back to our hotel to call it an early night.  Tomorrow we are getting up before sunrise and are off adventuring again!

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
55mm, f5.6, 1/320 sec @ 640 ISO