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Vacation Week: Concepción de Ataco

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Cobblestones, clay roof tiles, and murals add historic charm to Concepción de Ataco Our next stop on the vacation week tour is the town of Concepción de Ataco. This lovely colonial town is a convenient place to stay while exploring the Apaneca mountain region in western El Salvador.  Side note:  if you are just joining me on this little tour, you might wish to catch up by checking out the first two stories in the Vacation Week series: Coffee Stop above Lake Coatepeque Experiencing the Energy at Tazumal I have visited Ataco with several delegations over the years, and we have enjoyed staying in Ataco for a couple of family vacations. A few years ago, I wrote Off the Beaten Path: Concepción de Ataco , which gives a little overview and history of the town, as well as a profile of the boutique hotel where we stayed.  Like many touristic locations in El Salvador, Ataco reveals a little more of its character and history with each successive visit. Hanging flowers add ambiance at Picolo Giard
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Stuck in Traffic? Just Click

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Inspired by my fellow blogger's recent story entitled "Traffic Report" on El Salvador Perspectives , today I bring you a long overdue episode of "Just Click."  This series of 2022 photos is brought to you by Salvadoran traffic congestion.   We frequently drive near Estadio Cuscatlan. On big game days, vendors set up their wares early in the morning, which can be annoying when people stop to make a purchase.  This practice also serves as the early warming system to avoid the area later during game time. Typical mid-morning traffic. This is not rush hour. Fortunately there are plenty of billboards for one's reading enjoyment. Speaking of reading while meandering through traffic, whenever a new fast food item advertisement hits a primo location on a pasarela, we do make our assessments on whether we would eat it, or not. I believe this particular ad elicited from yours truly a confident, "ooh, I'd eat that" (because I would). Stuck at a stoplight?
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Vacation Week: Experiencing the Energy at Tazumal

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After coffee and lunch and a lovely walk through the gardens above Lake Coatepeque , we set out for our next vacation destination: the Tazumal archeological site. Just west of the city of Santa Ana, the small city of Chalchuapa is currently home to about 75,000 people and has the distinction of having the longest period of continuous human habitation in El Salvador. The name, Chalchuapa, means "River of Jade" in the Nahuat language. GPS is helpful for finding the park entrance, or follow the signs and ask for help when you miss the turn.  Parking is on the street, and a local entrepreneur will gladly keep your vehicle safe for you, and be sure to give a nice tip.  Pyramids at Tazumal - photo credit: Mary The park is open on Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 am to 4 pm. The entrance fee is $5 for foreigners. If you have time or are a frequent visitor in El Salvador, a visit to the Guzman National Museum of Anthropology  prior to do some background study prior to visiting one or
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Vacation Week: Coffee Stop above Lake Coatepeque

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During the first part of May, we went on vacation - in El Salvador. My husband and I and another couple from our US neighborhood decided to take a life break and do the touristy thing.  We traversed the country, from San Salvador to Auachupan to La Unión, driving along the coastal highway and enjoying plenty of good food and fun. This is a thing the four of us do together in the US, so we know that we are compatible travelers who can live together, drive a distance together, and agree on food places. In the US we do a lot of exploring of new places. Our mutual goal for the vacation in El Salvador was to relax, so we chose a mix of experiences that were tested out by my husband and me and some which were a little more unknown.  When traveling around in El Salvador, it is wise to use a guide for anything off the beaten path, to do your research, to enter neighborhoods with trusted folks and to confirm plans by phone shortly before you head out.  When the four of us travel, we follow the
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