Segment 27: Monterrico, Guatemala to El Tunco, El Salvador (November 16 to November 22, 2010)

Craig showing off a "Sierra" (Pacific Mackerel) that we bought in Monterrico (7 dollars, four pounds).  We are going to cook it on a beach bonfire...

...all ready for the fire, stuffed with red peppers

... to leave Monterrico, we had to take this passenger ferry through a maze of mangrove swamps...

... Sonia amidst the locals...

crossing into El Salvador, our first action was to try authentic pupusas, omnipresent in El Salvador.  They are like stuffed, lightly-fried tortillas, smothered in curtido (see below).  These pupusas are filled with beans.

this jar contains "curtido", which is basically a little like Korean kimchi; fermented cabbage, carrots, jalapeños. It is always served with pupusas.

... leaving our stealth campsite from our first night in El Salvador...

for this we had to duck some barbed wire fences

arrived at our first beach in El Salvador: Barra Salada

just near the beach we found this shady, grassy yard

the local kids were amused by us as we broke out the guitars

puffer fish seen at Barra Salada

we bought some cheap local fish, which a local family was kind enough to fry up for us

sunrise at Barra Salada

our campsite, luxury-style.  It turns out that the caretaker of this property, whom we had met while playing guitar earlier, arranged to let us sleep here.  Complete with pool, gardens, etc..  The owners are El Salvadoreans, but are practicing doctors in Houston and rarely come.

Francisco the caretaker, and his grandson

the El Salvadorean coast between Barra Salada and El Tunco...

peregrine falcon seen on this stretch of coast

in El Tunco now, this is a roadside tortilleria...

note the thickness of the tortillas, quite thicker than Guatemalan tortillas, and making Mexican tortillas look like crepes.

this old man is shucking the corn to be used in making tortillas

a fish lunch in nearby La Libertad.  Fried flounder plus rice, salad, and tortillas, for $1.50

sunset in El Tunco

fresh-caught eels in the amazing fish market of La Libertad

... tniy hammerhead sharks on the docks of the fish market...

...the inside of the La Libertad fish market ...

We bought a 6 lb. tuna for $3.  We also bought several other types of fish between $1.25 and $2.50 per pound.  By far the best fish market we have seen on this trip.

seen in La Libertad.  This sign says: "Eating turtle eggs is to eat our future".