Day Exploring Volcanoes
Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Mon 12 Apr 2010 04:12
out on an inland trip for two days, heading initially to San Salvador. We
had arranged with a tour guide that we wanted to visit some volcanoes and
then go on the Copan:(14:28.428N 89:18.361W) (Mayan Ruins), this involved
during across El Salvador and then through 3 countries (El Salvador,
Guatemala (We cut a corner), and into Honduras), yes multiple board
crossings (which even after all these years I get nervous at each one).
San Salvador is a city of 2 million people with only a couple of building
greater than 3 stories due to earth quakes so it spreads out across a valley
floor nestled in amongst a ring of mountains, / craters. The country has
been a peace for 10 + years and they pride themselves in the peace which has
evened out the wealth from the 14 families to opportunities for everyone.
Remembering this country has a very young population due to civil war, and 3
ladies to every male. But one thing that hits you as drive around is the
amount of shopping malls, they are up market, the biggest generator of
income for the country is the money sent back by El Salvador people living/
working in the USA, and they really like the USA type goods. They are
developing a middle class and building suburbs of housing for the developing
middle class. Security is high, not due to problems but the need to hire the
60000 soldiers who out of a job once the war was over so they have set up a
security guard system where every place has a guard even if they do not need
it in order to employee these people, they have a very strong laws on how
and when guns can be used. While it is unnerving to see some guards it is
high visibility security which is a good reminder to everyone. We stopped
for breakfast and had a traditional stuffed pastry / pancake like items very
tasty.
We went up the volcano just outside the city, giving us a great view down
into the crater (last erupted 1917) and also around the surrounding area to
the coast. From there we drove towards Santa Ana in the north, and we came
on a series of volcanoes one which erupted in 2005. We went up the middle
one, and looked down on the resent ones which seemed so close. We did an
hour hike around the rim of one, all good for the boys to understand take it
in. These volcanoes rose out of the plain, reminding me of Africa, and over
the north there is a string of ancient volcanoes. We pass dry lava water
flows and the top of the volcanoes have burnt out tree trunks a result of
the 2005 eruption and the associated acid cloud, yet to our right is a deep
blue lake in what looks like a crater but is a gas eruption, and now is deep
very blue lake exclusive in the higher county surrounded by volcanoes but
cool due to altitude (you can do crater dives there which Tracy is
interested in).
We walked the rim in the forest and coming out with panoramic across at the
adjacent volcanoes (younger), the one were on was 25000 years old so we were
able to go through the tropical forest, then looking at the very close young
volcanoes.
The mountains are fantastic and the green fertile land around with Sugar
cane and Coffee plantations in amounts the green grass, and this is the end
of dry season (wet season starts in May). The nice thing we were able to see
good examples of young and old volcanoes as the small country has 23 of
them. The boys and Tracy had seen an active volcano on night shift off the
Guatemalan coast as we came down, with the glowing orange lighting up the
night coastal sky, so this trip today was a reinforcement of this
experience.
The drive through the country also showed us the rural life and different
parts of El Salvador the guide provided huge amount of information and it is
nice to see a country going through such a positive transformation into a
vibrant a peaceful community.
I am a day behind and will catch up, but it was a long 12 hour drive, but we
saw the country and the potential.
Stay tuned.
