We made it

We have arrived!! We almost missed our second flight because we were both sleeping..Thankfully Sarah was texting me and the noise woke me up. We were 10 mins away from missing it!! So thank you Sarah!

We got picked up by Carol's brother Nielson and future son in law. Right away the communication barrier was a little difficult but all apart of the experience. The people who used to own El Portel downtown Pleasanton- Carol and Mike - its Carol's brother who we are staying with our first two nights in El Salvador.

We drove straight to the beach from the airport. It was about an hour drive. On the way we stopped on the side of the road and got coconut water right from a cocnut with a straw. It was very refreshing. Seeing my Dad in the ocean yesterday was like a kid on Christmas morning. He was having the time of his life. Which is all I can really ask for of this trip. For us to let go and just have the best time we possibly can.


After our swim in the ocean (which is so warm and nice) we ate at a place on the beach. Our first meal was chicken (pollo) which was really good. I am documenting all my food by pictures so those are to come.



Right away several things jumped out at me making me realize I'm not in the States anymore..

1. All the animals on the side of the road- goats, dogs, cows, horses, etc.. But unlike ours these animals are skinny and you can see their ribs.
2. Two young boys walking down the road both holding machetes
3. Everywhere we go the security holds riffles. Which if you know me is my BIGGEST fear. And my dad goes and asks if they have real bullets in the gun. I constantly have a pit in the bottom of my stomach when I'm around them but Nielson was telling us "No guns, no respect."  So its just something I'll have to deal with.

Our first night here we stayed at one of the Mayors vacation houses. It is so cool! Its on a mountain and the views are amazing! I'll be adding pictures when I can. Nielson knows the Mayor and he said we could stay there a few nights. Right when you walk in its a huge bar and big flat screen. There is no running water in the house but it is still nice. It sits on a lot of property and there are hammocks everywhere. Its a pretty sweet deal to me. This country is so pretty and lush and green! :)

The bar at the house... 118 bottles of alcohol

These are the pets the Mayor had at his casa...

 An Alligator

A raccoon 

Way of life here does not look anything like it does at home. I'm enjoying being in the rural aeas but still somehow lucking out with the place we're staying.

For our first shower we were taken to a river with a small bucket to use. The water was stagnant and we both faked washing and opted out for staying dirty until we arrived in Santa Ana.

Okay I have a lot of pictures to come to show what I'm saying. I love this blog because I always journal whenever I go out of the country and now I get to share it as I go.

Adios!