Travelogue: El Salvador, May 2007, Part I

El Roca Peña, Sunzalito

Thurday, May 3

4:30am comes early. Getting up early has always been the weak link of whatever I´m doing. I´ve missed classes, been late to work, missed surf trips…

Could I really be bargaining with myself for more sleep? All I had to do was get up, grab my backpack and boardbag, and make it to the shuttle stop by 4:55am. I would be leaving San Francisco International at 7am. Two weeks of warm-water surf, and all I had to do was jump through a few travel hoops…

I didn´t get out of bed until 4:45 – but I did make my flight. I did have to find a way to entertain myself for four hours at Houston International. Someone at work told me there was a larger-than-life statue of GHW Bush there, but I did not find it. Something to do for the return trip layover, maybe some sort of creative photo could be in the works.

There were thunderstorms at Houston, so we sat in the plane for 3 hours on the runway. Luckily I brought a book… and earplugs.

I didn´t make it through customs in El Salvador until 10:30pm. Luckily, the people in the row behind me were heading to Playa Tunco – which is only 5 miles from Playa Zonte (my original destination) – and they offered me a ride. So, I would have to surf Punta Sunzal instead of Punta Zonte in the morning – big deal.

Anyways, I made it safely – and I slept til 10am after the previous couple of near-sleepless nights.

It´s noon, and I´m waiting for the sun to drop a little before I go out. It´s head high+, the water is about 80 degrees (27 C), the air about 85-90 (29-32 C) and humid.

I´ll write more after I surf (besides, for $1 an hour for internet – it´s a bargain to sit here in air conditioning)!

Salud.

Vista de Punta Sunzal

May 5, 2007

Hey All,

Guess what? The surf is good here! Although I am melting in the heat.

Last night the surf picked up on the incoming tide – lots of overhead waves with head-and-a-half sets. I paddled out, then the wind died. All of a sudden, there were thirty people on the point, all frothing over the new swell. I managed to get two waves, got caught inside on quite a few sets (the inside peak had less people on it – but beatings were had), and swam until my out-of-shape shoulders ached. Maybe a grand total of an hour in the water?

I watched the show for the rest of the daylight. There are lots of good Salvadoreño surfers. There are also quite a few gringos on longboards hogging waves. Things were getting testy in the water. I took a few pics and posted them on my myspace account – I haven´t found an internet café where I can adjust the size of my pics so I can´t send them over email yet.

The first night I arrived here, it was after 11pm and I took a room at the first place where someone was still awake. It wasn´t bad for 8 dollars, but it was a sweaty night´s sleep with no screened windows and a small oscillating fan. I have since moved to Hotel Mangle… please remember to pronunciate in español – MAHN-GLEY… otherwise it sounds like what would happen if I got washed into the peña rock. The new place is much nicer, on the river with a view of the point. I have to wonder why there are no mosquitos in the river (what are they dumping in there?). Also, the shower water tastes a little salty… pulled directly from the estuary? I only hope that the salt has killed the amoebas, since I´ve gotten the shower water in my eyes and mouth!

Mangle

The surf looked even better this morning (after a 10 hour sleep with the AC on). However, the Salvadoreños were out in force… they enjoy the surf on their weekends in this country. I hung out and had a leisurely breakfast and coffee while watching the battles. By 10am, a 5mph wind had started (barely a breeze, only light texture on the water), and the people cleared out of the surf! I had a two hour surf with a dozen other “mad dogs and Englishmen”! I caught waves until I couldn´t lift my arms. At one point, I was at the main peak of the point with two Canadians… and they didn´t want the peak (getting caught inside at the peak is a punishing underwater sleigh ride). The lack of crowds was great, but the sun was brutal. I was using an spf 45 – double coated – on my face, but I was frying out there. I finally caught one more uncontested set wave at the peak and took it to the beach (about a 200 yard ride total).

“and you may ask yourself… well, how did I get here?”

I am now enjoying the cool shade and AC of the internet café, face caked in aloe, half a gallon of Gatorade in the gut, and about as happy and mellow as I could possibly be.

I think tomorrow I will head into San Salvador and look around. My arms could use a day off (as well as the skin on my face), and the swell will last through Monday.

There are so many things I want to tell you about… meeting locals, the food, the wandering livestock, the local surfer that barked at (literally) – all the things that remind me I´m in a different place… but I think for now it´s time to take a nap in a hammock (with a delicious breeze).

I hope you all are doing well!

Salud, amor y paz.

(Read Part II)