June 23, Day 1: El Tunco

Thanks to a flight delay, we were an hour late getting to El Salvador, but I didn't really mind. Flight delays are much more bearable when you have several friends to goof around with. Other than that, there were no inconveniences at all. Luggage arrived safely, passport and valuables are still safe, and there was no racial profiling even against the gringo. I wish I could say the US is the same.

Gerardo's parents were eagerly waiting for us, as was his girlfriend Connie and her mother. There is a slight language divide, as I had expected, but only slight. In reality, his parents are very warm people and I don't need to understand each and every word to understand that. His brother and sister are surprisingly young, but they behave just as, if not more, well as children in the States do. Before I had arrived in El Salvador, I had read a book my grandparents had given me about Central America, and according to the section on El Salvador, the people are extremely friendly in general and happy to help. This contradicts the United States' Salvadorian stereotype, and it looks to be the case so far.

We went to the mall to eat at Pizza Hut, presumably because they were unsure what I would want to eat. The food tasted different, but not in a bad way. I had come to expect this from the Waltons' attitudes in the cafeteria at school, but Salvadorians are extremely lax when it comes to eating. Eating in many other cultures is a time for conversation, socializing, and enjoyment. In the United States, it tends to be a momentary break from the stress of our lives, but lasting beyond the hour for a meal is a very rare occurrence. I get caught up in that fast-paced lifestyle as well, but I think I enjoy this alternative way of doing things. Gerardo's mother and I had our first major miscommunication during that dinner in which I was trying to say "I wouldn't like living in solitude" and she interpreted it as "I wouldn't like living in celibacy." I look forward to many more such errors in communication.

Today, we woke up around ten and headed for El Tunco, a beach in the province La Libertad. Regrettably, the tide was too strong to go swimming, so we decided to eat at the restaurant Punta Roca, owned by a gringo and surveying the beautiful beach. People were surfing, a mariachi band was playing in the background, and fresh seafood was prepared. Because the seafood was freshly harvested locally from the sea, they tend to have more natural flavoring than what I am accustomed to. Below are a few of the delicious seafood that made their way to my belly.

After we finished, we went to a fish market that was originally a port. There was a lot of interesting stuff, but I didn't bring any money so for now, I'm just sight seeing. I don't want to blow all of my money anyway. I am still pretty tired from the trip down here, not to mention the filling lunch I had, but I am going to try to work on my Spanish with the free time I have left today so I will be nice and tired tonight.

One.