Day 48 – Tuesday, August 13, 2013

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We are staying in Amapalapa for the day. We had a leisurely morning and enjoyed a nice cup of coffee. Before the coffee was gone, three municipal policemen stopped to chat. They were interested in the camper, where we were from, our trip, and many other topics. Julie offered them each a coffee and they stayed around for an hour and a half talking away. Justin, one of the other travellers, speaks much better Spanish than we do and was able to understand most of what they were saying or asking and translated what we needed. Julie notes “Miss Manners says the polite thing to do, when someone shows up unexpected or not, with semi-automatic rifles or not, is to offer them coffee. She was correct, again. Family men doing their jobs.”

After they left we wandered over to the open air restaurants for some breakfast. There are 6 restaurants under one roof and the ladies come out and wave very pleasantly trying to entice you to eat at their place. We choose Merendero La Gemela Tita. Others in our group had tried a few of the places and this one seemed the best to them so we stuck with that recommendation.

We decided to go for another fish massage in the upper pool. Very refreshing. Julie notes “Ahahaha, teeheeteehee, OUCH! That one hurt! Hmmm he looks different. Is he a piranha? Time to go!”

We then walked up the hillside on a little trail to check out more of the park. Julie notes “The foliage is amazing. And I’m not just referring to my overgrown eyebrows.”

This mermaid has seen better days and was in a closed off area. Julie notes “For a second there I thought this was going to be a picture of me swimming. Typical though, Eh ladies? A gal starts showing her age a bit and gets a little worn around the fins, paint starts chipping and they fence her off. I feel for ya sister.”

…great to have Julie back, over and out, the muleskinner and his side kick. Julie notes “The Sidekick was glad to be with family and is now glad to back sidekicking the mule. She also slept about 14 hours yesterday not counting my airplane naps and I hope the family at home is catching up on the some much needed rest. We’ve all fought the hard fight for many months now.”

Day 47 – Monday, August 12, 2013 Julie’s Back

Today we left Conchalio near La Libertad and travelled about 75 km to Turicentro Amapalapa near San Vincente, El Salvador.

We toured the facilities which consist of restaurants, a wide variety of manmade pools that are filled with natural spring water and tiny fish, and other support buildings. The facility is showing its age and could definitely use some maintenance.

After the tour and getting setup I caught a ride into San Vincente town centre with our guide Norm and his assistant Merriam. Norm helped me negotiate a price with a taxi driver for a 45 minute drive to the San Salvador airport, wait for me, and return with both Julie and me. The total time was about 3 hours and the cost was $40 US.

We left Conchalio at 7:00 AM and this sow and piglets that had been grazing on the loose since we arrived, came to say goodbye.

I arrived at the San Salvador airport and waited for Julie in open air arrivals area along with many others. Well, they weren’t waiting for Julie, I don’t think, but you know what I mean. Julie notes “Flights were great. But boy were my arms tired! Sorry used that the other day and got a lot of groans at the church. You would think Brad and I, being tall and foreign would’ve spotted each other immediately but it took some searching as I ran the gauntlet of eager taxi drivers. It was a hot and sweaty reunion and not in the way you are thinking. The taxi driver helped us with some name place pronunciation. It made him giggle anyway which is maybe why the fare was low.”

After arriving back at Amapalapa, we made our way to the uppermost natural pool to get a fish massage. It is really a neat experience that I can’t really describe. The first little bites they take of your dead skin is like being tickled and feels really weird but you soon become accustomed to the sensation. Julie notes “haha oooteehee that tickles….”

One of the larger ones attacked us later on in our massage. Scary.

Our campsite in Amapalapa.

I loaned Victor my backpacking nylon tarp to help keep him a bit dryer in his “el cheapo” leaking tent. Hopefully he can stay dry during rainy season in Central America.

The shallow kids area was a little run down but it didn’t seem to stop families from having fun in all of the pools. Julie notes for her family “We thought…you was…a toad…”

I had marinated a steak all day and got out the grill. I made some roasted potatoes, tomato, red onion and cheese salad, grilled the steaks, and added it to Julie’s garlic bread. Before I could finish BBQ’ing the skies opened up and we had a torrential downpour. I finished the grilling with a headlamp and umbrella and we enjoyed a great meal with a nice glass of wine in the camper. This was all in an attempt to let Julie know she made the right choice in flying back to meet me. Julie notes “It worked but now there is a lot of pressure to maintain that level of pampering. Luckily for him there are leftovers for at least one more day!”

…carry on folks, the muleskinner and his sidekick

Day 46 – Sunday, August 11, 2013

Today is Julie’s birthday. I know what I want to buy her but I haven’t found it yet. I can’t tell you in case she actually reads this blog. J

We made a trip into La Libertad this morning on the bus to buy fish and vegetables for our special lunch prepared by a local family. The lunch was corvine, a very nice fish. It was coated and fried whole in vegetable oil along with fresh cut fries and a tomato cucumber salad. We ate at their rustic beachside palapa.

The fish market and pier.

A boatload of fresh shrimp being unloaded by hand from an ice chest.

Our corvina being weighed.

Our campsite in Conchalio.

And, the final question for today is; why did the chicken cross the road on Julie’s birthday?

…over and out folks, the muleskinner soon to be back with his sidekick.

Day 45 – Saturday, August 10, 2013

I spent today meeting some local kids and adults, having the laundry done by the local laundry service (pick up and delivery included), getting the inside of the RV cleaned, spending time on the beach and in the ocean, attempting to surf, meeting the mayor of La Libertad, watching some moto-cross racing happening nearby, ordering a fresh shrimp cocktail delivered by bicycle from one of the beach restaurants, enjoying a couple of cold El Salvador Pilsners (a very good beer, by the way) and reminiscing about good times spent with Jim and Vera. It was a day with mixed emotions.

One of the local kids selling necklaces to me for my chica(sp).

This 16 year old married mother of a 9 month old does house cleaning. I hired her to clean the inside of the RV so Julie will think I’m an amazing housekeeper when she returns on Monday. She came back later in the day with 2 friends asking if they could look at the inside if the camper. They thought it was bonito(sp).

I brought quite a few Grande Prairie pins with me to give away. One of the young girls asked for 2 and proceeded to wear them as earrings. J I also gave out a big bag of candy to the local kids and adults along with some scribblers, pencils, and sharpeners we brought along as gifts. I think the adults enjoyed getting the candy as much as the kids.

Sporting a Grande Prairie pin in fine style.

Time at the beach. The water is the warmest I have ever experienced. It is near body temperature. Very nice. Even Julie might get in the water at this temperature!

The Rambos. A family travelling in our group.

A full cold beer shot. I had to order a second one for this photo because I drank the first one before remembering to take a picture.

The mayor of LaLibertad, El Salvador, Carlos Molina, sporting his Grande Prairie pin.

…my thoughts are with Vera Holmes today and all of the Holmes’ family.

…carry on folks, the muleskinner soon to be back with his sidekick.

Day 44 – Friday, August 9, 2013

Today we travelled from Palin, Guatemala, crossed into El Salvador and followed the beautiful Pacific coast to Conchalio, ES near La Libertad, ES.

This is a small seaside community. The people here don’t have much in terms of material goods but are very friendly, helpful, full of life, and out-going. Finding a camping spot suitable for all of us was very stressful. The first choice was a spot right on the beach but to get there was pretty much impossible for me and the folks with the fifth wheel trailer. The narrow street, 90 degree turn, and newly installed low hanging signs made it impassible for our higher vehicles. The second choice was a narrow lane that was perpendicular to the coastline. However, it was not the most secure feeling place and would be almost impossible for the people with the fifth wheel to open their RV slide-outs. The third choice was a secure gated resort for the federal government workers. We all just got nicely set up when we were asked to leave because I had a beer in my hand outside the RV and others had dogs on the loose – neither of which were allowed we were to find out. We then headed back to an open area near our second choice which is within walking distance of the beautiful beach. Finally, we had a spot for the next few days.

Waiting on the bridge after 3xiting Guatemala and waiting to enter El Salvador.

The border exit and entry took 4 hours for passport, vehicle, and animal clearance.

I bought this young guy some kind of fruit he was going to share with his family the next day when the fruit was ripe and ready – I can’t remember the name of it but he seemed quite happy to have one. I then bought him a Coke to enjoy all to himself. He was a really col little dude.

Once we cleared customs (aduana) we were on our way down the windy, hilly, beautiful Pacific coast.

There were 5 tunnels through the mountains, the longest of which was about a kilometre.

This is the street to our first choice beach campground. There is a 90 degree turn and a narrower street ahead. I had to back out about ½ a kilometre, the same way I entered. The 90 degree turn would have reminded Julie of the Austin Powers movie when he was crossways in the tunnel. Forward, reverse, forward, reverse, forward, reverse, forward, reverse, etc. Fun, fun, fun!

….over and out for today, the muleskinner minus his sidekick. Thinking of the Holmes’ family today and the visitation for a great lady. Miss you Vera.

Day 43 – Thursday, August 8, 2013

Again, we are staying in the beautiful Turicentro Auto Mariscos RV park near Palin, Guatemala. The temperatures here are pretty consistent all year; daytime highs of 28C to 30C and overnight lows of 15C to 20C. Not too shabby for this gringo. I am afraid however the temperatures will be climbing once we leave this area and head south. Tomorrow we will cross the border into El Salvador.

I started the day off with a nice fresh pot of coffee and a bagel with a perfectly poached egg and manchego cheese. Umm Umm good.

Most of our group then headed into Palin on the bus to visit an old church, an 800 year old cieba tree in the town square, and the local market.

Our bus. An adventure in itself.

The market. It is not made for tall gringos. I was hunched over the whole time under the tarps and low hanging merchandise. I bought some beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables that I cleaned with Bactericida. You can purchase Bactericida for cleaning fruits and vegetables or disinfecting.

This lady was selling partially cooked iguana. We purchased a 1 pound iguana for an appetizer but after it was grilled a bit more it just didn’t smell quite right to me so I took a pass on sampling the meat. Three brave souls in our group gave it a try. We’ll see how they are doing tomorrow, I guess.

The local church.

The town square pretty much completely shaded with an ancient cieba tree.

This little girl was dressed in the native folk wear. Her grandma was the lady selling the iguanas. About 80% of the population here is native Guatemalan.

This guy was so good looking I just had to post his picture.

Finally, these guys were doing more than their fair share of polluting the planet. No emissions regulations here – plus the windshield was totally gone. The passenger gave me a thumbs up when he saw me taking his picture as they cruised on by.

…carry on folks, all the best, the muleskinner minus his sidekick but she will be flying into San Salvador in El Salvador on August 12^th. We will have her back on the trek with her witty repartee.

Day 42 – Wednesday, August 7, 2013

We are spending the day in the Turicentro Automariscos RV park near Palin, Guatemala. Today, Victor and I hiked the Pacaya volcano. We took a bus to the road that leads up the mountain to Pacaya. We were waiting on the corner for another bus and Norm flagged down the Palin police truck for more information. We were planning on asking the police to guide us up the trail but they were not from that district and instead agreed to drive us up the mountain to San Vincente. We spoke with the policia in San Vincente and they gave us further information but would not act as a guide. So, after some instructions, Victor and I got onto another bus which took us up the mountain to San Francisco and to the Pacaya Volcano National Park Information Centre. We hired a guide and paid the park admission fee and headed up the mountain. Two locals on horseback followed us hoping these gringos would soon tire and want to hire a horse.

The trail rises 2100m to an elevation of 2500m. It was hard work for this old gringo but well worth the effort. It took us about 2.5 hours to hike up and maybe an hour or so to hike down.

Pacaya is one of three active volcanos in Guatemala and erupts every few years.

Pacaya in the distance.

In the back of a Palin, Guatemala police truck. Luckily the doors did open from the inside. J

The beginning. Victor and I looking pretty energetic at this point.

Looking across the valley at the Agua (Owaa) volcano. The small town of San Francisco in the foreground and San Vincente in the background.

Our destination looking up from the trail.

The trail of volcanic ash.

Gringo above the tree line.

Pacaya.

Our guide pulling me out of a vent hole. You could feel the heat from the escaping gasses. It was not a place you would want to spend much time.

Some of the lava formations.

The Guatemalans have built a geo-thermal plant near the base of Picaya that not only provides hot water to all the local communities’ buts also generates electricity. A very sophisticated piece of engineering I did not expect to see. You can just see the roof of the plant in the picture below with corn growing in the foreground.

And then it was the Autobus #1 back to Turicentro Automariscos RV park near Palin, Guatemala. A nice shower and spaghetti dinner provided by the Rambos, the family traveling in our group, and a nice soak in the hot pool to ease the aching leg muscles finished off the day. A really great day. Too bad my sidekick was not here to enjoy this with me but she is where she needs to be.

The Rambos asked me to give away a bunch of inflatable pool toys to the local kids enjoying the pools and waterslides. They asked me to give them away so their 3 year old son would not want to keep them himself. It was like Christmas for the kids. The toys were a big hit.

…over and out from Guatemala, the muleskinner minus his sidekick. Take care all.

Day 41 – Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Today we left Tapachula, MX and headed into Guatemala. We hit the border about 15 km south of Tapachula at 7:30 AM. We exited Mexico without too many issues and entered the no-man’s land between Mexico and Guatemala. At 7:30 AM the place was already humming along. Street vendors, money exchangers, hawkers, and people with nothing better to do filled the streets. It ended up taking us four hours to get all the various paperwork out of the way and get the outside of the vehicles sprayed with some herbicide or insecticide – not really sure which – but I kept the windows closed and the A/C off because the guy spraying was all suited up and wearing a mask. I guess they usually want to spray inside the vehicle and RV but Norm, our guide, had persuaded them not to.

We had most of the street blocked and people trying to tell us where we should be parked. Eventually, the police made us move into an off street parking area with more entertainment. Used Toyota trucks are extremely popular. They drive them from the US and sell them in this lot. There was also quite an auction of old microwaves, old blenders, irons, and clothing. There was even one little old guy carrying a refrigerator on his back using a head strap. There were also quite a few young boys with homemade shoe shine kits trying to convince me to polish my sandals I think.

Sunrise approaching the border with the Guatemala mountains in the background.

The intermediate zone of chaos.

The auction zone in the off street parking area.

Toyota truck land.

A load of fresh bananas on a Toyota.

One of the buses heading down the highway. Note the 3 guys hanging out the door.

The opposite of our friend’s Kakwa Stone operation in Grande Prairie. J This old lady, along with many others, sits alongside the highway and crushes rock with a small hammer and sorts them into various sizes for sale. It is really quite amazing what people will do to make a living. It makes you appreciate what we sometimes take for granted in our Canadian lives.

We stopped for lunch at a Pollo Campero. It is a chain of fast food table service restaurants serving extra crispy fried chicken. It seems to be very popular and even had free wifi. Norm and Victor really liked it. I thought it was OK but I won’t need to eat there again for a while. I think I would like to get back to trying some better local cuisine.

Tonight we are staying in a very nice RV park close to an active volcano. The sky is glowing red behind the park as I sit here and type up this blog report. The temperatures here are more moderate as we are much higher. It is a very comfortable 24C. The park has a natural hot spring. I enjoyed a Jacuzzi with the natural fed water at 44C and then a real shower. The men’s showers are outdoors. Good thing the park is empty and it was dark. The ladies showers are more discreet. I understand they get curtains and indoor showers.

…over and out for today, the muleskinner minus his sidekick. My thoughts are with the Ontario Holmes family.

Day 40 – Monday, August 5, 2013

Today was spent in the city of Tapachula, MX without my trusty sidekick. It was a productive day. The city has many of the big name stores including Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Home Depot. We started the day out on the beach in Puerto Madero, MX. After a leisurely start to the day we all drove the 25 or so kilometers into Tapachula. We set up our base in the very large mall parking lot and had brunch at Toks. It is a chain restaurant similar to those in Canada.

I picked up a few things at Home Depot to fix my water filter system plumbing. I think I have what I need now to get it working without leaks. I got a haircut for 90 pesos and I’m looking fine, if I don’t say so myself. I then picked up a few groceries a Sam’s Club for the road. Finally, after much searching and gesturing, I was put in touch with a cell phone company network engineer who can unlock my cell phone. Victor and I hopped in a taxi and headed downtown at lightning speed with Mario – yes, Mario, but not with the last name Andretti. He just thought that’s who he was. J Having the cell phone unlocked means we will be able to use much cheaper SIM cards from various countries we will travel through. The process has started and will take 1 to 3 days to complete. We hope it is successful. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I could not find any wifi hotspots today however and cannot seem to get a data cell phone connection so this post will be delayed until we reach another wifi hotspot.

Our camping spot for tonight – the parking area of a large mall.

…on to Guatemala tomorrow, take care, the mule skinner without his sidekick

Day 39 – Sunday, August 4, 2013

We left our Pemex campsite near Matais Romero at 5:30 AM to beat the dangerous high wind area across the isthmus of Mexico to the Pacific side. As luck would have it, we experienced little to no wind. There are thousands of wind turbines through this area that we could see against the early morning sunrise. Today’s travel was mostly through the beautiful Sierra Madres mountains to our destination of Tapachula, MX.

Near our morning coffee break stop around 7:30 AM.

For some reason, these turkey vultures like to sit with their wings spread wide open. We’re not sure why but it is kind of weird to see them.

More scenery along the way.

We made a thermos of coffee in the morning and enjoyed our yogurt and granola bars travelling along at a leisurely pace.

Who knew a smouldering garbage dump could be so beautiful?

People going about their daily lives as we travelled through many small towns along the way all the while with a mindful eye for the ever present topes.

We turned in our vehicle paperwork and got our refund at the customs office. Then we were off to the Tapachula Airport to drop Julie off in plenty of time for her flight to Mexico City and then on to Toronto. They even upgraded her to first class for the flight to Mexico City. She will never want to fly economy again… Oh Oh! The rest of the group continued on to the little beach town of Puerto Madero, MX just outside Tapachula. We found a terrific campsite right on the beach near the lighthouse. This is a real treat after staying in Pemex station parking lots. We have the sun, the surf, the sea air, and the ocean breeze. This is hard to beat.

…and it included a beautiful sunset over the Pacific.

…over and out for today, the muleskinner and his flying sidekick. (you will be missing her witty commentary for a week or so as I travel along solo) Who will make fun of me so I don’t feel lonely?