Vacation Week: The Beachy Part


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 such a large
stingray in such shallow water.  He periodically buried himself in the sand
and then gently swam, stirring up the sand so it was difficult to see him.
This is a good reminder to all beach wanderers to be attentive. 

This structure is near the tide pools where we saw the stingray.
We didn't find anyone who could tell us when it was built or for what
purpose. One local person told us it was for swimming.

Nature sure knows how to decorate herself.

The month of May brings the transition of seasons, from dry to rainy.
At the coast, rain can come at any time of year. Sometimes, the 
humidity just hangs in the air.

When the tide is low, its fun to explore among the volcanic rocks.

These rocks have been here for a long time. Visually, it appears that 
there could have been a volcanic flow to the sea from the nearby Conchagua Volcano.
Conchagua (which is actually 2 overlapping volcanoes), is currently in the
solfatara state, meaning hot gases sometimes are released, but the volcano is not
active. It last erupted in the Pleistocene era.

More colors



Notice the little things

Relax. Drink coffee. Swing in the hammock.

Thanks for joining us for Vacation Week in El Salvador. Maybe this little series of photo-stories will entice you to plan your own vacation week, or to sneak in a couple of vacation days the next time you participate in a delegation or work visit.

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