August 1, Day 40: Apaneca & Ataco

Gabriel and Andrea finished their semesters of school on the 29th and 30th respectively.  Ernesto had a few days off as well, meaning that for once, everyone was free for a few days. With that in mind, we all went on a two-day vacation to Apaneca and Ataco.

Apaneca is where we stayed at and my immediate first reaction was if the Garden of Eden existed, it would look just like Apaneca, or more specifically, Jardines de Eloisa, the hotel we stayed at. The pictures I took don't do it justice, but at least you get a clue of what it was like.

There were beautiful plants and flowers everywhere, and because Apaneca is up in the mountains, it was too cold for mosquitos to thrive but perfect conditions for a gringo. The weather alternated strangely between misty and moist with sunny and cool. It was truly paradise.

 Our "hotel" was incredibly interesting as well because it had been carefully structured to resemble a house from the 1800s (so I was told). Other than the bathroom, both the cabin's interior and exterior truly fit the pop culture portrayal of an old fashioned house. There wasn't anything on the inside except three beds and a dresser, but the wooden window covers and old fashioned light bulbs were a nice touch. Not sure if hammocks existed long ago...but I certainly wasn't complaining!


Though our place of residence was amazing, we really didn't spend a ton of time there. After we arrived yesterday around 6 pm, we left almost immediately to explore Ataco, the nearby city with an architectural layout that reminded me of an interesting cross between Santa Tecla and Florence. Supposedly, it had some of the cheapest goods in El Salvador, so we went shopping for clothes and shoes (for my benefit since I've been wearing the same shoes since I was a junior in high school). Didn't find anything yesterday, but we only got to explore one store before it started pouring on us. I have had to deal with rain nearly every day I have been in El Salvador, but this was borderline flooding. Still, the rain left nearly as quickly as it came and by the time we were done eating at a pizzeria, it had completely subsided. From there, we befriended a really lovable and injured stray dog that we dubbed "Champion" who followed us into a café and stayed by our sides until we had to return to the hotel and call it a night.


Even though we went to bed around 10, which is INCREDIBLY early by my standards, I can't remember having a more enjoyable sleep in a very long time. The fresh mountain air still circulated around the room and the leather blanket was the most comfortable blanket I have ever slept under. Despite waking up at 7 am, I was able to fall asleep again until today really began.

Breakfast was the first thing on the agenda today, but afterwards, we headed to "Las Cascadas de Don Juan," a beautiful area at the bottom of two waterfalls. We swam around for a while, got underneath the waterfalls, and took lots of pictures. Even though Santa Ana was extremely beautiful, I would have to say that the trips we made to Apaneca and Ataco easily have "The Heaven's Capital" beat.

After swimming for a while, we headed back to the hotel, packed, and left for Ataco once more. This time, it was bright and sunny, so we were able to explore several more shops than yesterday, even passing by Champion at one point! Unfortunately, none of the shoe shops carry any sizes larger than an 11, a coincidental inconvenience for me. The few bigger shoes they did carry were pretty ugly, so I settled for a pair of $4 Quiva Scuffs which I had become taken with after noticing a lot of my Central American friends wore. Plus, when I looked online, Scuffs are normally $19...so I guess I still got a fantastic deal even if I wasn't able to find a normal pair of shoes to wear. We also went to a shop in which clothes were made and sold by indigenous people. I got a shirt and pants that look about as traditional as anything I could find on the market, so I will be able to express a bit of the culture once I return to the States. That was also the first experience I had with haggling; Gerardo and Ernesto are pretty good at it!

With all our shopping done, we were finally on our way home, but first, we had to stop for lunch/dinner! The place: Paso del Alaska. I had a very satisfying fill of meat as we were served a delicious barbeque consisting of steak, pork, chicken, and vegetables. I ate so much that I got a stomach ache, which is bothering me even as I write this blog. Though the meal was delicious, what really caught my eye was the amazing view. From our table, we could see just about everything. It's only when faced with such a grand sight that I truly understand the limits of cameras. A pity...there was so much to see that a photo just doesn't capture effectively.

After eating, we hung around for a while, playing foosball for about an hour or so. Gerardo ended up beating me which made him very happy, saying that it was the first time he had beaten me at anything. It really surprised me to hear him say that because it was never something I had thought about. In my mind, I aim to surpass him academically, so it never occurred to me that he was chasing after me in games or competitions. It's a flattering thought, and it's cool having someone or something to shoot for. Just another reason we make good roommates...

One.