Walking With El Salvador

We started our vacation week with coffee in the mountains, and we ended our vacation with a couple of days of relaxation, and coffee, on the beach.  We rented a house on Playa Maculís in La Union . We cooked simple meals, did a lot of walking, swam in the pool and jumped in the waves.  So lovely to have a pool as well as the sea, especially if it's a little rough out there or you are afraid of creatures. Beach art. Not human-made. Crab-made. It's really hard to appreciate just how large this crabby firework is!   Our investigations indicated this was the work of a sand bubbler crab. The beach was covered with their designs during low tide. Here is a great little video which explains the daily routine of a sand bubbler crab. The change of the colors in the sky and sea is mesmerizing,  and with such a flat expanse of sand at low tide, the shallow water is smooth like glass. Do you see it? This guy was hanging out in a tide pool. We almost stepped on him! We were surprised to see

During a vacation in El Salvador, foreign visitors can appreciate the great beauty of the country, learn about the impact climate change has on Salvadoran ecosystems, support local entrepreneurs and the tourist economy, hear stories from Salvadoran people about the blessings and challenges they face, grow in understanding the story of migration from El Salvador to the United States and the connections between the two countries, and experience the love, friendship and hospitality of the Salvadoran people. Today's episode in the Vacation Week series is being posted on the anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence of United Provinces of Central America from Spain, which occurred on September 15, 1821. El Salvador recognizes September 15th as a national holiday. It is a day of pride for the people of El Salvador, when children and adults celebrate the beauty of the country, wave the blue and white flag, and share cultural traditions. September 15 - Day of Independen

After a couple of days exploring Ataco and a bit of the surrounding hills, we drove down the Ruta de las Flores (the Route of the Flowers) to the southern edge of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range, to the town of Nahuizalco.  Photograph from 1922 of local women wearing traditional woven skirts and a small example of the tule plant (a type of rush or grass) Nahuizalco is known in El Salvador as a center for indigenous culture and one of the few places where the Pipil language, Nahuat, is preserved. The city was founded as a settlement by Pipil families, and the name "Nahuizalco" can be understood to mean "four Izalcos." One name origin story tells of four families from nearby Izalco (located at the southwest base of the Izalco volcano) that migrated west to found a new settlement. Another theory speculates that at one time, the population of Nahuizalco was four times as large as that of Izalco. Investigations indicate that Izalco was populated by one of the Pipil