Great shots of the undiscovered nature of El Salvador choreographed to uplifting music! Continue Reading »

We just returned from a family trip to El Salvador. John, from the Tamarindo Touring Company is such a wealth of information about the country's history, its people and its culture. He has such a personal investment in the country and his love for it is evident. It made our visit that much more enjoyable. We especially appreciate that he made Aidan feel soooo special in so many little ways. He is Aidan's hero for getting him a REAL Corbo (machete) to take home. He also took him to get ice cream spontaneously, allowing me and Ken to have some alone time that we didn't expect to have at all! The addition of Rose to our group made it even better. What an exceptional young lady! She's the best of both her parents, I think. She was sweet and patient with Aidan, and was a valuable interpreter for me! She and John entertained Aidan for part of the evening in Apaneca so that Ken and I could have our dinner together (Papusas--delish)...again, totally unexpected and sweet.Highlights? Everything! The beach house!! We felt like rock stars! I have never felt so pampered. John had a glass of iced tea in my hand before I realized I was thirsty. Carmen was an excellent cook. We requested local food and loved every bite. Even Aidan did!! Everyone should experience that. It's ridiculous to go to a foreign country and not immerse yourself in their food! Our fish dinner at Paradise was to die for! Our trip into San Salvador to meet up with Ken's friends was fine, but eating dinner at Benihana was a downer for me!!! All I could think about was how much better Carmen's food was compared to that!!Jardin de Celeste was so charming and I wish we could have spent a week there!! The canopy tour was the biggie highlight for Aidan. We all loved it. Altaca, where John took us so I could do a little bit of souvenir shopping, was really interesting. I loved the murals painted on the buildings. I bought some textiles, small artwork, and jewelry.The big highlight for me and Ken was the deep sea fishing trip. What a rush!! We were blessed with really nice weather and very calm seas. I surprised everyone and hauled in a 170 lb sailfish! It took three of the guys to get it up on the side of the boat!! Thanks to Juan, the pilot, for assisting. I didn't realize how much the boat pilot does during a big fish fight like that!!The last two days were nice and relaxing for me. Surfing for Ken, boogie boarding, playing with the towables on the estuary. Aidan and Ken went kayaking as a father-son bonding thing, which was fine with me! I just wanted to spend another day laying like a slug next to the pool! The last night we had a big bbq and invited the people that had been helping to take care of us the whole week, and their families. They enjoyed looking at pictures of the week, and the kids had a great time playing. We definitely want to come back to El Salvador. It's a beautiful country, the people are gracious, the food is outstanding, and there is so much to do, see, and learn about! Next time I want to do more sight-seeing of historical places in addition to some of the adventure type activities. We'll plan for 2 wks next time. One week went by much too fast! Hopefully we'll be planning our next trip for the year after next!!