Final Update

After not having much news in the past few blogs, a lot has changed since. There is no more Chile. I’m not sure if I have mentioned but Negro has a daughter (who has been living with the mum). Anyway after the New Year, they decided it’s best for her to live with us for the year. Therefore the visas to Chile would be too difficult to obtain and it is going to be easier to stay here in El Tunco for the year. I am going to find this an unexpected and challenging experience but I know Negro has to do what is best for his daughter. So for 2017 I will continue my journey in El Salvador.

On another note, I have decided to close this blog off and make this my last post. However for 2017, I have created a new one Danielle in El Salvador at https://danielleinelsal.wordpress.com so please continue to follow me here. Wishing everyone all the best for 2017 and may it bring bigger and brighter things.

 

Twenty 17

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my readers. Again it’s been a while since my last post but mainly because not much is happening in my life at the moment. Mainly still busy trying to get my Chile visa sorted. It is taking a much longer and more difficult time than I would have ever thought.

For New Years Eve, I headed out about 11pm to find half the bars closed and not many people around. I walked along the beach and there were many people letting of their own fireworks which could be bought in a couple of small stalls on the street during the day. As it got closer to midnight more people were coming but the bars were still closed. Instead, I bought a beer from the shop and watched people with their fireworks. At midnight there was a nice fireworks display lasting for 5 or 10 minutes. Then the bars opened and the party started. The following morning, I got up and walked along the beach at 6.30am only to still find some people partying and the one bar still open with a dj playing. I’m glad that wasn’t me.

Feliz Navidad

You may have heard of the Christmas song Feliz Navidad, simply meaning Merry Christmas in Spanish. So, it turned out to be a very quiet Christmas here. It is traditional for families cook and eat lots on the 24^th Dec and have a big feast at midnight.  Then the 25^th is a day for rest, relaxing and eating left overs. Negro cooked beef tacos for Christmas Eve and because he doesn’t have family nearby we were invited to another family’s gathering at midnight but we feel asleep. Then Christmas Day was pretty much a normal day for us and other people around with lots of people coming from the city to the beach. The big difference here is everyone has fireworks. People seem to let them off day or night, any day arounds Christmas, just in the streets (no fenced off area). Many of them are used just for sound and not for the pretty explosions we use them for. But of course, on Christmas night there were many more with pretty explosions.

So, I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas with family and friends and may 2017 bring a better and brighter future for us all. xoxo

Lake Atitlan – Guatemala

Sorry once again, it’s been a while, my blogsite was not working properly and wouldn’t let me post then my internet would be too slow or wouldn’t work. I hope I make up for it with all the photos. Anyway, I have just spent a week in Guatemala at Lake Atitlan. My friend was volunteering there so I went to visit her. The location was beautiful with the hostel right on the lake’s edge and little villages scattered around. The main transport between towns are boats so it’s interesting seeing a boat full of avocadoes or tomatoes pull up to the dock. While there I did a 2.5-hour hike to the next town with beautiful views of the lake along the way. The best thing I did there was a weaving course. I made a belt about 10cm wide from cotton and took about 3 hours with much assistance. It really makes you appreciate the time and enough into making fabrics. The next town over (10min boat ride) was more touristy with more markets and stalls where I bought a scarf. I did have a swim in the lake but was a bit cold for my liking. The weather here was also a bit colder with jumper and pants needed at night.

I’m back in El Tunco now. Not exactly sure of my plans for Christmas but I have recently found out they celebrate more on the 24^th Dec.

Another Week

Another quiet week has passed in El Tunco and I don’t have anything to report on or no new photos. I have been busy trying to organise my working visa for Chile which has been a bit more difficult than I expected since I am living here and all my documents with need to get apostille are in Australia. But think I have most of it sorted now. It did require for my to get a police check here. Negro took my into the city to get it done but wasn’t allowed in the building as security is strict and he technically didn’t require any documents. I was so lost and couldn’t understand the form I was filling out or understand what people where asking me. A couple of customers realised I was struggling and pointed me in the right direction on a couple of occasion and then I was eventually given an interpreter. Man, was I happy to get out of there.

Heading off to Guatemala this week to visit a friend who has visited here a couple of times and is now working there. Looking forward to seeing her again.

An Earthquake

Yes, yesterday there was an earthquake here but 140km out in the ocean. I was cooking lunch when the girl beside me asked if I felt ‘it’ but I didn’t. She said she could still feel very small shakes but I felt nothing. A few other people had felt something but no one seemed too stressed. An hour later I read the news on the internet with tsunami warmings for El Salvador, Hondorus and Nicaragua. Noone in the town seemed very worried and continued on with their day to day living so I went for a swim. A few hours later, I read the tsunami warming had been lifted. The only information we received here in the town was the same as you, what was read on the internet.

On Sunday I was told there was a small village party up in a mountain town about half an hour away and every town in Central America has its own party once a year to celebrate the saint the town was named after. Once arriving I decided it wasn’t a small party rather a town carnival. There was a ferris wheel that looked like it was about to fall apart, many hot food stalls and small stalls with carnival games to win prizes mostly of second hand stuffed teddys and cheap plastic toys. Then there was a fireworks show that was bigger and better than I expected. Once all the entertainment finished around 10pm it turned into a dancefloor/ night club. A great night and nothing what I expected.

Cooking. We try and cook all our meals and go into the local town to buy the fresh fruit and vegetables from the market, and maybe eat out once a week. Breakfast usually consists of oats, granola, a banana and sometimes a yoghurt. Lunch and dinner vary but our main ingredients usually consist of eggs, tomatoes, avocados, cheese, potatoes, rice or pasta. Sometimes these are made into a sandwich, prepared/ cooked individually, a salad or some kind of fried concoction. Normally for $1 we can buy: 3x small avocados, bag of tomatoes, 2 pounds of potatoes, 8-10 bananas or 10 eggs. We don’t eat much meat but sometimes will cook chicken, beef or canned tuna but my favourite is buying the fresh fish from the port for $5 to feed us both. My favourite meal is either the fried fish or Tortilla Soup which is a tomato based packet soup mix. First you cut up some tomato, avocado, cheese and onion and put in the bottom of your bowl, drizzle it with cream, stack a good handful of corn chips on top then pour over the tomato soup mix to fill your bowl up. Delicious.

The national bird,torogoz, I captured outside our room.

I have made it back out into the waves a few times this week. They have only been small but that’s the way I like it. I caught a few and managed to stand up a few times too. I even got stung by a jellyfish one time which was not very fun. I was floating in the water (with my board) resting and watching Negro catch some waves, when suddenly I felt this sting (like an electric shock) on my leg and both legs went all numb and tingly. Of course, I panicked and splashed around in the water like crazy. I assumed it was a jellyfish but was more worried because both legs were going numb. I was trying to get Negro’s attention but he was busy watching the waves. Finally, I waved him over and we paddled to shore. I had to pee on the sting while in the shower as they say that’s the best medicine. After about an hour, the tingling went away and slept fine that night. However, the next day it was super itchy and I think the heat made it worse. It’s hung around for a few days now and is just itchy now and then. It left some really good sting marks on my thigh and some smaller ones around my ankles and calves. Jellyfish stings are not that common here but I have heard of a few people with them. Guess I have sexy legs the jellyfish wanted.

 

In other news, Negro has been offered a job teaching surf in Tamarindo, Costa Rica over the Christmas/ New Year period. It will be really good money if we go there for that time but accommodation will be hard to find. We are still deciding if we are going to go or not and may possibly leave in the next week or so.

Headed back to San Salvador to ask some questions at the Chile embassy but found the office closed once we arrived. Instead we spent the day leisurely in the city and at the shopping mall. You can find things priced similar to home or come across some really cheap items, like I bought 2 bras for $5 each and they are made of really nice material.

Chile, chicken, sunsets and bonfires

I haven’t been back out to surf since I last wrote as the waves have been too big for me but maybe today I will go back out. We went into the city the other day then caught a bus to where Negro used to live. It was a cute quiet village up in the mountains and took about an hour to get there. We met a boy there (possible 12 years old) who innocently asked “Why are you with a white girl?”. He couldn’t comprehend and thought Negro should be with someone the same coloured skin as him. The innocence of children. I’m also guessing there would never be tourists there and they would never see white people. He wouldn’t let us take a photo of him. For lunch, we ate at a typical local ‘restaurant’ where you choose the food from the bain marie. We got a piece of chicken, rice, salada and totilla for the cost of $2 each and it was fresh and delicious. We often find good cheap food in the small villages.

On some other good news, I have a job for next year. I have been offered a job in Antofagasta, Chile to work at an international school. I will have grade 4 kids and will be moving there in mid-February. Unfortunately though, I will not be home for Christmas and will be staying in El Tunco until then.

Just some beach pictures. As you can see, there aren’t as many rocks and much better for swimming now.

Friends? Do I have friends? When I first arrived, I met a few different girls who were staying here for 3-4 weeks for different reasons and it was nice hanging out with them. But then after a month or so, they all eventually left. I spent the next month just chillin’ mainly on my own. Then the last few weeks some of my friends all returned again (for different reasons). It’s been nice to hang out with them again. But unfortunately they have all left again. Will see if I can find some people who are staying for while and not just a few days.

The other night was one of my friends last nights so we went to the bar for a few beers and rums as usually. Once the bar closed we normally head home but this time someone suggested a bonfire. So about 10 of us headed down to the beach and lit a fire using all the driftwood around. It was so nice sitting around the fire on the beach and the stars are pretty amazing here too. A good send off for my friend.

Back in El Tunco

After a few more days in Nicaragua, we crossed the borders back into El Salvador. That afternoon we arrived back, Negro took me straight out into the ocean for a surf lesson (first one in 2 months), even though I didn’t catch any waves. The following day, we were back out there and after an hour, still nothing but then something clicked, and I ended up catching a couple of waves for the day. I have my own surfboard now. Negro bought a longboard to resell but then decided it would be a good board for me to keep.

A few days later, he took a tour to the waterfalls about half hour away up in the mountains. The descend down (20 mins) to the waterfalls is reasonably easy but steep at some parts. We had a lovely swim and could jump off the edge in a couple spots, maybe 5 meters. The ascend back up was a killer and felt like it was straight up. My legs were very sore the next day.

MIA: And I’m Back

Well, I’m not back in El Tunco but I’m back again blogging. As I mentioned in my last post, I was heading to Costa Rica to renew my visa. Got another 90 days now. It probably takes 2 days to get to Costa Rica so we had a stop in Nicaragua for a couple of days. Negro and I headed over the border into Costa Rica but border security said we couldn’t enter unless we had an exit ticket out of Costa Rica (this has never happened before, so much for backpacking and chancing it as you go along) and the guy wasn’t going to budge. Weighing up our options, and really the only choice was to buy a return ticket $25 each. It better be the nicest bus. Finally made our way to Tamarindo and I love this town, maybe because it’s more developed and I feel clean and like at home. Then we decided to make our way to another beach town, Santa Teresa. This was either a $50 shuttle ride for 4 hours or $15 on the local buses taking 10 hours. Of course, being on a budget, we opted for the local buses. I was tired that night once we arrived. This town is pretty small consisting of one dirt road along the coast for about 5km (another small town at the other end). The weather has been a bit cooler and managed only 2 swims in these days but still warm enough for shorts and tshirt. It’s also been raining every day, mostly in the afternoons and overnight. Since we already had a return ticket from San Jose, thought we should make the most of our bus journey and stay a night there. Just another city but the hostel we stayed in was in a really nice area and could have been mistaken for anywhere in the world. The bus was luxury with leather seats that reclined and quite spacious, then we paid an extra $5 for lunch. Back into Nicaragua to San Juan Del Sur for a few days which is where I am now. A cute bustling town full of tourists situated on a bay. Perfect for swimming needing a shuttle for surf beaches. Probably be heading back to El Salvador in the next day or too.

My brother, Tim has his own company Digital Bear and designs websites for companies and makes them recognisable by google search. In my spare time, I wrote the content of the webpage for Millard and Hogan Buildings so feel free to check it out or if you’re after a builder in the Bendigo area.

From where I am writing now: