...high and dry

So Matthew turned out to be a big joke for Tegus. It's obviously a good thing that we didn't have disastrous rain, but it's certainly a bit humorous that considering all the rain we've been having so far this year, the two days we were supposed to be affected by a tropical storm actually had less rain than average, or at least equivalent. It's been really cloudy and everything, and hours of drizzle may have been higher than normal, but if I had a rain gauge, I daresay it would have been less or the same. Thanks for the prayers - it seems they worked!

Last week we had a 5 day weekend for Independence Day. Many of the Central American countries celebrate the 15th of September as a day of independence, and September as a whole is pretty big on patriotism and the like. However, as a gringo with no direct connection to the day, it's mostly a day that results in a long weekend, perfect for travel! I was invited to go to El Salvador with five other IST teachers:

[I had intended for a photo of the group to go here. But now facebook and/or blogger is being difficult. Alas, I'm back to my pictureless blog!]

It was a pretty good trip. We stayed at a fairly funky hostel, though when we turned the corner to the hostel's street, we found the street to be flooded. I was not pleased by this. I did not pack my rubber boots, and I don't like walking through murky muddy water barefoot. But we made it, and by the end of our stay, it was possible to walk the road without being required to put your feet in puddles.

On the 16th, we climbed a volcano. It required a 2 hour drive to the National Park, a climb down over 1300 steps to get to the base, and then on this particular day, it required being soaked by a downpour that started as we were about halfway up the volcano! I was not pleased by this (note this is the second consecutive paragraph this sentence has appeared). I like to be dry and comfortable. I quickly became neither. I could not enjoy the experience, and to top it off, a locust attacked me.

On the 17th, we played on the beach. We got a day without rain - a rarity! - and instead it was very sunny. So sunny that I got an awful sunburn. My back is still peeling, 9 days later. I could say, "I was not pleased by this," and I wasn't but since that was my own fault and negligence, I won't. That night, I ate a bunch of seafood in a paella. Anyone who knows me fairly well knows this is something that NEVER happens. I decided to tolerate and even determine myself to eat seafood on this trip, as the Pacific coast is probably as good a place as any to get high quality seafood. If I still couldn't like it, then I'd be totally affirmed that my seafood aversion is incurable. But with this paella, with the heck cooked out of everything, I could tolerate it and even eat heartily! This could be a game-changer, folks.

On the 18th, we traveled back to San Salvador (a 35 km journey from our little town on the coast) to get a taste of the big city. San Sal is quite modern, and very clean and well cared for. We visited a very interesting cathedral fashioned out of an old airplane hangar, with stained glass inlaid into a stunning arched wall/ceiling (the whole building is semicicular). It was quite something.

On the 19th, we caught our bus back to Tegus, and the bus ride was VERY long. I'd have liked more time to relax at the end of the trip before having to return to school, but that's the way it went.

All in all, a fine trip. Despite my inability to put pictures in this post, this link should take you to the public album of many photos I posted on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2111051&id=15300281&l=25dfbe3738 Let me know if it doesn't work, you people who aren't on facebook!