Just Click: We Don't Get Out Much

The third destination for this year's virtual tour of El Salvador is ... our car!  

Due to the pandemic, we are mostly staying at home.  However, on Sundays, we do make the drive through San Salvador out to our church community a little bit north of the capital city so we can attend worship.  The number of cases of COVID-19 in that area is very low, so we feel pretty safe.

In anticipation of another episode of Just Click, I snapped some photos during the drive home from church.  So, let's begin our virtual tour of the route on Troncal del Norte into the city of San Salvador.

We begin on the road from Tonaca to Troncal del Norte. Notice the motorcycle
with the purple Hugo backpack.  That is the Salvadoran version 
of Instacart - you can now literally get anything delivered.

The truck turning at the intersection is loaded with cut sugar cane.
It looks like grass because it was cut raw rather than after
the field had been set afire and the leaves burned off. Cutting raw
cane is much better for the environment, but is also a great deal
more difficult due to the sharp edges on the leaves.

I am forever trying to capture a decent photo of a bus with shark fins on the top.

Looking toward the hills of Nejapa, you can see the dry season in its full beauty.

Tightly packed communities are hidden behind walls and often behind
the trees.  Different trees lose their leaves at different times during
the year.  During February, many trees show off beautiful flowers
on otherwise bare branches.

Bambi has brought some friends to live in Apopa.

The Acelhuate River runs through Apopa.  It flows from the
Lempa River and breaks into a few small tributaries and is highly
contaminated.

I am always curious to see what will be hanging outside of
this store.  Like many small stores in El Salvador, this one
is tightly packed with a little bit of everything.

Look! We caught up to the cane truck. Also of interest in this photo
is the person walking with Valentine treats. 

I promise this is the last photo of the cane truck. 

These two billboards consistently advertise the latest and 
greatest menu options at a couple of restaurants near to this
roundabout.  First of all, in El Salvador it is guacamol, not 
guacamole (as in no ee sound at the end).  Secondly, ick. 
Burger King in El Salvador has weird options. 

Just before you hit the Burger King sign, you can purchase something
which is warm, delicious and homemade:  Quesadilla.  If you zoom in on
the cake which is sitting on top of the cooler, you will be reminded
that quesadilla in El Salvador is a cheesy poundcake, and
not like quesadilla you order in a Mexican restaurant.

I have taken many photos at this corner.  The man who works here
selling pajamas is selling some little plants today.  I noticed
for the first time that he actually has planted a hidden garden next
 to the wall. He has been on this corner for as long as I can remember,
so somehow, he must sell enough to survive.

It is election season.  Candidate billboards are everywhere. 
This is a giant banner for the Nuevas Ideas party, the party
of current president Nayib Bukele.

Estadio Cuscatlán is the stadium where the national soccer teams
play.  If you traveled to El Salvador in years past, you might
remember it as red and yellow.  Notice the little pop-up market on
the left.  Valentine's Day items are available wherever you
might have to stop in traffic and near just about every bus stop.

I hope you enjoyed the drive!  I recently made a little driving video for some school kids who are learning about El Salvador. (It is also pandemic-style, which means I inserted videos from the past to give it a little more excitement.)