Plaza Brasil

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Sean Plamondon El Salvador
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- Apr 16, 2022
- ⛅ 21 °C
- Altitude: 775 m
- El Salvador Departamento de San Salvador Zona Rosa Plaza Brasil 13.69314, -89.235313°41’35” N 89°14’7” W
Day 5
Juayua / San Salvador
April 16, 2022 in El Salvador ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Had exciting plans to hike up the santa ana volcano but the sky was totally covered in clouds and looked like it might rain too. Its a 5 hour expedition and didn't want to exert all that effort with bad weather and no views from the summit.

So i decided to drive to Juayua instead to see the cute town and see more waterfalls. The drive was great winding around and over mountains and volcanoes for 90 minutes.

The town was consumed with semana santa celebrations (Easter) and had streets barricaded for pedestrians only with lots of food tents and entertainment. Took that in for a little bit and then drove to the waterfalls. Crazy rough road. I came across 2 people standing aside so i rolled down my window and asked how far away the waterfalls are and they told me it was closed right now. Bummer! They were returning from a different hike so i told them to hop in and i would drive them up the hill.

Went back to the town, got some food and watched the festivities take place around me for a while and then drove back to san salvador. I was invited to hang out later with Mauricio who i hung out with the first night i arrived. And before that, i went to a bar next to my hotel. Made a new friend sonia there, who spoke perfect english (such a rarity here) and we ended up chatting the night away. Such a novelty being able to speak freely to someone without having to translate everything. Never made it to where Mauricio was. Hopefully can meet up with Mauricio another night before i head home.Read more
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Sean Plamondon El Salvador
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- Apr 17, 2022
- ⛅ 29 °C
- Altitude: 797 m
- El Salvador Departamento de San Salvador Zona Rosa Plaza Brasil 13.69334, -89.2357813°41’36” N 89°14’9” W
Day 6
Ataco / San Salvador
April 17, 2022 in El Salvador ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Yesterday did not go to plan at all, so today was about rectifying some of yesterday's unlucky events. Set off hoping to see the "seven waterfalls" and Ataco, a part of the rutas de las flores - a group of small colonial towns high up in the mountains and volcanos.

Sonia had not seen the 7 waterfalls yet, so she tagged along. Didn't depart until 1045, and the mountain roads are slow, so we didn't arrive in Ataco until 1230. Ataco is a gorgeous village filled with artisan markets, nice restaurants and most famous for its brightly coloured murals on many of the houses and buildings. Its quite a wonderful experience no matter what direction you wander. And of course the awesome mountain backdrop in every direction too.

From there, headed to the 7 waterfalls area just outside of juayua. Had to hire a guide for 10 dollars each and i can see why. It was a complex trek through dense jungle with several different paths forking different directions. The walk itself was not easy. Lots of uphill and steep downhill parts and much of it with a steep drop on one side too.

Uniquely, the water was coming out of a high rock wall and spread out over a very wide area and then over a cliff edge. We were on top of that cliff edge. Really pretty spot. We had to traverse through the running water to get to the largest part and from there i climbed up the biggest part of the falls. About 45 minutes to get there and another 45 minutes back. And then the 2 hour drive back to san salvador, arriving just as the sun went down.Read more
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Sean Plamondon El Salvador
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- Apr 12, 2022, 11:37pm
- ⛅ 22 °C
- Altitude: 775 m
- El Salvador Departamento de San Salvador Zona Rosa Plaza Brasil 13.69312, -89.2351413°41’35” N 89°14’7” W
Day 1
San Salvador - Day 1
April 12, 2022 in El Salvador ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Mostly a long travel day. But not uneventful either. Not always for the right reasons :)

I let my cat outside the night prior to my flight, and when i got up at 5:45am, he wasn't anywhere to be found. Usually he's at the front door. But i had to pack still and leave by 615, so priorities shifted unfortunately. Luckily just as my uber pulled up, so did my cat. Phew!

Had a long layover in Toronto and met a nice American at the barstool next to me. Chatted for a bit and eventually learned she is from el salvador. What are the odds? Apparently not bad haha.

On the houston flight, i had the chattiest 86 year old ever next to me. Incredibly interesting guy from moncton but he also feels ukraine is equally part of the problem so we weren't exactly simpatico. Once we got past that awkwardness, it was just both of us spewing travel stories over and over for 4 hours.

At a pub in Houston, met a nice guy named Colin who does emissions testing all over the US... which made me laugh a lot .. cuz yknow... trump, Republicans, etc. If i didn't have a quick connection, we would chatted forever.

And finally arrived in el salvador. The airport is literally next to the ocean and san salvador is waaaay up in the mountains. So, that was a very long drive into the city. The equivalent to Ottawa having its airport in Cornwall. Weird. I asked for a taxi and got a 15 seat van to myself for an hour ride for $35. I'm sure there were cheaper options but i noticed most people were riding in the back of pickups! 35 is fine, thank you!!

Settled in, showered, and went across the street to the Cadejo brewery (perhaps not coincidence). San salvador has a lot of unsavory areas but zona rosa is a giant safe area and my hotel is amazing. I can't believe its a third world country hotel because its pretty swank. Nicest place i have stayed in, for years.

Live band at the brewery and everybody bouncing off their seats (my vid unfortunately is not depicting it). Surprising for a Tuesday. Then went across the street again to a very lively outdoor establishment. Feels like a Saturday.. fun vibe.

Fun day, despite a million airport hours logged. I traveled a gazillion miles and as soon as i arrive, 50 feet is my boundaries somehow, apparently haha. Everything fun is literally right here. Perfect for a late arrival. Tomorrow, i explore.Read more
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Sean Plamondon El Salvador
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- Apr 13, 2022
- ⛅ 30 °C
- Altitude: 797 m
- El Salvador Departamento de San Salvador Zona Rosa Plaza Brasil 13.69334, -89.2356213°41’36” N 89°14’8” W
Day 2
San Salvador - Day 2
April 13, 2022 in El Salvador ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Today i wanted to see some sights of the city before heading into the countryside of el salvador. Had lunch near my hotel and then took an uber downtown. There were a few nice buildings like the cathedral, the theatre and the palace, but otherwise all of downtown is completely consumed by street markets everywhere. And i mean everywhere. And most buildings were in really rough shape.

After walking around in the heat, i wanted to find a restaurant to sit down and have a cold beverage and eventually use the wifi to get an uber back. But i literally couldn't find one. I came across a couple of really rough looking places but thats it. So i walked about an hour towards my hotel until i found something decent. My hotel area has endless awesome restaurants and bars but centro area is completely devoid of it. So weird. And oh boy was it hot.

Ubered back my hotel around 4, grabbed a couple of things and then took another uber to a nice restaurant up on the side of a volcano with awesome views of the city. 35 minute drive but my uber cost 5 dollars haha. Its ridiculously cheap for transportation in this country.

Once i got dropped off it occured to me it might be hard to find other uber drivers on the volcano haha... and the wifi at that restaurant wasnt working. Slight problem. so i walked down the mountain about 15 minutes to another really nice restaurant, sat down for a beer and watched the sun set over san salvador and another nearby volcano in the distance. And began the long process of trying to summon a driver to get me back to the city.

Eventually got one and arrived back at the hotel around 8pm. Finished the evening at a really nice lounge spot. Super tired as i think all the travel and heat caught up with me. And needed a good sleep to be fresh for driving around the country tomorrow.Read more
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