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...

A lovely walk at the top of Cerro Verde Today's wandering walk takes place a bit of a drive west of San Salvador in Parque Nacional Cerro Verde. To be clear, this park is the jumping off point for some serious trekking (with guides) up the Santa Ana (Ilamatepec) Volcano or the Izalco Volcano. Cerro Verde (of the three volcanoes, it is the extinct one) also offers a relatively easy guided trek which takes hikers through old and new growth forest, down into the crater and back up again. But this story is offers a different perspective on the Cerro Verde experience: no hiking poles needed! Our goal: walk, relax, enjoy nature. We drove up to the park on a dry March afternoon, on the date of the new moon, in order to spend the night and do some star gazing in a place far away from city lights. By allowing for plenty of time to wander without the rush of heading out on a formal hike, we learned more about the park as a wonderful location for a leisurely stroll or a picnic, and that it is...

The other day, someone asked me what I love about El Salvador. I thought for a moment, then answered with a story... At the end of January, my father-in-law and two of my brothers-in-law came to visit. For 25 years they have heard stories about El Salvador, and they were curious to see things for themselves and understand why we spend so much time here.  We planned a short trip, complete with a history day, a volcano day, a coast day and a day with our church community. My father-in-law, Papá Roberto (as we call him here), is an elder. He'll be 90 this year. For us, this produced a little bit of stress because El Salvador isn't exactly known for it's smooth sidewalks and accessible locations. And, there is always the chance of tummy trouble. We chose our destinations carefully and hired a trusted driver so my husband and I could more fully enjoy the longer excursions.  Sunday was our church community day. The Los Héroes hills are a little steep for doing a walking-tour, s...

Today we are not winding down the hill below Suchitoto to catch a boat on the shore of Lago Suchitlán .  Today we are not going to hear a grandfather's story while bumping along on the road between Aguilares and Suchitoto. I realized today that Suchitoto appears as a character in several of my stories, but never as the main character. So today, it's time to actually go to Suchitoto. Central Plaza in Suchitoto (©2023 Linda Muth) The city of Suchitoto is situated between the Guazapa volcano and the Lempa River valley, on the western edge of the Department of Custcatlán.  The name "Suchitoto" originates from a Nahuat word meaning "bird-flower." Archeologists believe the town was established as a Pipil (indigenous) settlement in the mid-11th century CE. Near to the city (and within the Suchitoto municipality), Spanish colonizers  established what is known as the second "Villa de San Salvador" (the capital of San Salvador) in 1528 CE. Although the town...