Travelogue: El Salvador, May 2007, Epilogue

Hey Everyone!

I realized that I have left you hanging on the end of this trip. I’m back in the states safely, although not necessarily safer. I’ve had two days of work to think about moving down to Central America. It’s a good time to share a couple pictures. Lots of new pictures are up on my myspace site also – including video of the mariachi band performing ‘Mariachi Loco’.

The end of the trip went well. The night before I left El Salvador, I had to eat at my favorite places and visit people. Elias (the bartender) asked if we were surfing at sunrise – he would be there. Of course! I had just enough time to surf a couple hours, pack, and catch a taxi to the airport.

The sunrise was beautiful – and the early morning had significant offshore winds (first of the trip)! The wind was holding up the waves, making a nice steep face with some small barrel sections. Only one other person beat Risitas and I out. Perfect fun waves. Occasional set waves – a couple feet overhead – cleaning up everyone (as people woke up and slowly made it out).

There were a couple longboarders on the outside and one paddled over to me and said, ‘you look familiar, do I know you?’. Turns out it was S.R. from SIO! He graduated in 2004 and is working in North Carolina. We let a few sets pass and talked about surf, vacation, and mutually-known SIO people and how they’re doing (he says ‘hi’ to you). Small world, eh?

It’s starting to get crowded – maybe 12-15 people. I paddle out and wait for a bomb to end my trip. Sure enough, I’m able to paddle to the spot when the next set of bombs show up. I catch the best wave of my trip – couple feet overhead, glassy-groomed by the offshores, steep and racy. Everyone else was caught inside and had to duck the wave as I went by. It was so fun I had to paddle out to catch one more. Risitas tells me the wave tubed for a good 30 yards right behind me. Good thing I didn’t see or try to stall – if I got in the barrel I probably would have closed my eyes (and fell off).

I got back to the states without incident.

I hope you all are well.

Paz.