18 October 2010

Just outside of La Libertad the road diverted because the bridge was out. Immediately my car was swarmed by young boys who showed me the way to go. Two of the boys jumped onto my rear bumper as I drove slowly down a rocky dirt road. A little further down the road went right and left. Another group of young boys ran up to the car. One group said go left, another right. I went right but had to turn around because there was a ditch in the road. So this group of about ten young boys guided me as I forded the car across a shallow yet rapid creek. Probably two feet deep and one hundred feet wide. Thankfully the car made it. They swarmed the car again asking for money so I gave their leader a five dollar bill and told them to split it amongst themselves. Now that I think about it, that probably won’t happen. Where would they split it up? There’s no bank nearby. But I didn’t have any ones.

I got lost on the way to Costa del Sol and had to ask directions and backtrack. For fifteen miles the ocean is hidden behind a monolithic wall of hotels and resorts. Though I did find a street to park along and walk to the beach. The beach here is littered with all kinds of trash and dead fish. There  is litter everywhere in Central America. I’ve seen more than a few people toss trash out of their cars. Between the resorts and the ocean is a barrier of thatched dwellings. Fishing boats, hanging clothes, shit, trash, and the smell of fish dominate the alleyways between these shacks.

I rented a cheap room for twenty dollars. The owner speaks English. I went for a longer walk on the beach and then to a tiny roadside restaurant just up from the hotel. Carne salada and two cokes, $2.50. Before I left La Libertad I stopped at a grocery store and bought crackers and cookies and used the ATM. Surprisingly the ATM worked. Even though it as the same bank branch as yesterday. The gas gauge is broken. This is why I ran out of gas yesterday. I just need to be aware of how much I fill up each time and my mileage so that it doesn’t happen again. 

I arranged to have my laundry done at the hotel and headed to the end of the road at Playa la Puntilla. I was approached right away by a guy who led me to a parking lot but I didn’t have to pay because I bought a bottle of water from the restaurant he works for. I walked down the beach a bit then walked back and took a boat ride around the Estero de Jaltapaque. The guide ran up to me as I was walking and he said twenty-five dollars for a boat tour. I hesitated and said no because I didn’t want to take a tour but he dropped the price to fifteen dollars so I accepted his offer. We rode up to a hotel where lots of Americans come to fish (saw a boat with a confederate flag) then over to an island where a lot of white birds were nesting and squawking about noisily. After the tour I headed back to where my car was parked and had fish for dinner before returning to the hotel.

My clothes were hanging up and the manager once more offered to get me a girl before he left. It was only four dollars for the wash. The lady did it all by hand. I walked along the beach as the sun set far away in the west. Makeshift goals made using long shiny logs were set up and all the kids were playing soccer. On the way back some children said “Hola, Santa.” I didn’t see the sun set because there were too many clouds.

Next door to the hotel is an open air prophetic ministry. They were having a service. There are graffiti images of Che Guevera everywhere.

17 October 2010

Last night I went back to where I ate dinner and I met a man and his brother. Both of them from Kentucky. HIs brother works in Guatemala. I met two girls. One from Britain and another from Australia. Both friends. Then I met a Swedish girl and I ended up in a swimming pool with her and here friends at their hotel. I also had a broken conversation with a bartender at a different place about music. The DJ last night played a lot of American club music. One local asked if I was jewish.

This morning I went to use the internet but the internet cafe was closed so I headed out of town. I had to take a ferry to leave Monterrico. It was basically a long pontoon boat with wood laid down to support the weight of vehicles. The ride across the swampy marsh was lovely. I sat on the side of the boat. Many other ferries with people and cars passed by.

Leaving Guatemala and entering El Salvador was very easy. There weren’t many people because it was Sunday. As soon as I approached the border I was approached by a guy wanting to help me. He showed me around to each window and where to get photocopies. He did not ask for money and I did not pay him.

About thirty miles into El Salvador my car broke down. At first I thought it might be the transmission. But I was just out of gas. The needle hadn’t moved all day and was was stuck at midpoint. I got out of my car and approached two boys and a man on bicycles behind me. They were of great help. We pushed the car up the road a bit and another man on a bike rode up and offered to go get gas. He found a container and headed off. It turns out the man who helped push my car is a minister of a prophetic word church. The ladies were outside coking dinner and all the ladies inside the church wore head coverings. The guy with the gas returned and we went about trying to put it in the tank. He took out his machete and cut off the bottom of a water bottle to make a funnel. But the spout was to large so I took a stick and pushed open the circular covering while another guy held the makeshift funnel in place. Still the car wouldn’t start. They said push it back a bit. So we did. Then the car started fine. I went to the church to wash the gas off my hands and thanked the minister.

At a Texaco I filled up and tried to use the ATM but it wouldn’t process my card. I will have to find a bank later.

The road to La Libertad is long and twists its way around cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There are horses and dogs and cattle and people all over the road. I wanted to stay somewhere cheaper than I am but I needed to be sure they would accept my Visa because I don’t have enough cash. I believe I’m the only guest at this hotel.

After dinner, a messy club sandwich unlike any club sandwich I’ve ever had, I went for a walk towards the pier. One of the waiters stopped me. I think he was trying to tell me that it wasn’t safe to go out but I didn’t understand him. It was dark but the area was still lively. One of the restaurants on the walkway had a Mariachi band playing from table to table. The pier had a covered area up front where merchants were still selling fresh fish. Most of the stores were closed. The entire pier smelled heavily of fish guts and seawater. After the market area the rest of the pier had fishing boats lined up and there were people fishing off the pier in between boats all along the rails. I left the pier and continued walking but all the shops were closed so I returned to the hotel. The beach here is littered with trash and rocky. I’m sure the pier is abuzz with activity during the day. I can hear the ocean waves breaking outside.