We have left the sun and beaches of the Pacific coast for the highlands in the northest of El Salvador. This part of the country was the scene of tragic massacres in the 1980s during the civil war, and Perquin was the base of guerilla resistance

Arrival in El Tunco means we get to go surfing!!! As Paddy and Dina are beginners, we all decided to hire a teacher with our boards. I'm glad we did because we were about to be negotiating the world's strongest currents, all in different directions - one from the rivermouth going down the shore, another dragging us towards a huge rocky outcrop, and finally a traditional rip current as well. Fun. When we got in the water it was a constant battle to stand your gr...

A friend of Paddy's from a previous trip to Guatemala has a house on the beach in El Salvador, and he let us use it. It was our goal to reach it, and from Antigua it took 3 days, but we made it! Bill's house is right on a black volcanic sand beach with impressively loud waves, complete with a pool, kitchen, caretaker man, and 3 hammocks so we can be comfortable while doing sweeeeet f.a. For the past 2 days, we have woken up at whatever time we please, gone for a...

We said a hot and sweaty bye bye to Guatemala today, and hopped on the first of six buses needed to reach our destination. The concept of a direct bus to anywhere in the country doesn't seem to have arrived yet. And when you're not changing buses in a town, you have to get off and get on a boat across a river to a connecting bus because the bridge has collapsed, while cheeky little kids offer to carry your stuff in exchange for money to be continued