Walking With El Salvador

Finding a place to take a walk in the city can be a little challenging. Sidewalks are rugged, sometimes downright treacherous. Anyone who has gone on a delegation walk with me to a restaurant or the mall knows the rule about calling out hazards so everyone in the walking line is aware of them. No one wants to fall into a random hole, never to be seen again. Fortunately, San Salvador has a lot of great public green spaces, including well-known spots like Parque Cuscatlán or Parque Bicentenario . Perhaps lesser known by visitors, but well-used by neighbors are the myriad of small playgrounds, walking paths and picnic spots which are tucked behind walls or nestled into oddly shaped street corners in the neighborhoods. One day, a friend of ours mentioned that she goes to a park with her husband to exercise when it is cool, in the early morning.  She said it's great because mostly old people go there, and the gate opens at 6 AM. Well, OK, I guess I am sort of old at this point. She said...

The sun slipped below the San Salvador Volcano, casting bright orange and pink streaks across the purpling sky. Mothers were gathered at the corner, chatting as their little ones zoomed around with red and yellow plastic trucks. Students began arriving home from school, trudging up the hill wearing comfy blue gym pants and white t-shirts and carrying loaded backpacks. Yessenia sat on the curb, minding her pop-up store which she sets up every afternoon in front of the church.  The church doors and windows were wide open. Cristina cut out and decorated the number 27. People sat around inside and out, chatting and sharing stories. Children worked on homework. We watched a video I had posted on YouTube from last year's anniversary celebration and laughed about Marcelino's love of fireworks. The pupusas arrived. We sat in the sanctuary in a big circle of green plastic chairs, licked salsa and curtido from our fingers, and drank hot coffee. More people arrived. Chairs were passed ou...

I am a plant person - a plant person without a garden or a yard or a farm. We have porches.  Porch Pot (©Linda Muth, 2023) It's pretty amazing to see what will grow on a porch.  I like to experiment with what might be considered garbage from things I get at the grocery store. Most Salvadoran produce is not hybrid, so saved seeds will germinate. Herbs are sold with the roots, so it sometimes works to cut off most of the herbs and stick the roots into a pot. I am currently experimenting with some little chunks of ginger that were no longer edible.  After a couple of weeks in the soil, the roots are sprouting nice little stalks and leaves. Ginger sprouting (©Linda Muth, 2023) Frequent travel makes porch gardening extra challenging. One option is to grow for a while and then give plants away.  One time, I left a bucket of basil, rosemary and other herbs with Pastor Santiago's mom, and it produced abundantly until Santiago cut off too much. (He told me he was grateful for...