The one and only...Suchitoto

 After the school makeover at Escolar Centro Republicana de Canada, we escaped to Suchitoto for the weekend.  Suchitoto is known for  Suchitlán Lake, an algal bloom ridden resevoir with many great views.  Suchitoto is also an area where the FMLN (the left leaning party in El Salvador) have more of their base support.

This area was a key part in the Salvadorean Civil war.  A mountain here called Guazapa was the only mountain in El Salvador held by the guerillas throughout the war.  There is a great sense of pride in this area for the mountain, and there are many tours offered about the history of the area, complete with visits to old civil war sites. 

 After arriving to Suchitoto and grabbing a bite to eat, we went on a wonderful 45 min hike to a neighboring town, Zacamil 2.  Yes, there is an adjoining Zacamil 1.  Crossing over the bridge, Andrea and one of our fellow hikers tested the tensile strength  by bouncing up and down in the middle.

Another view

This tree was once the frame of an adobe house

lake Suchitlán

 Up ahead on the path was another adobe structure that was built by a US citizen, lived in for three years and then abandoned.  Definitely had one of the best views of the lake!

Me, Giuseppe, Andrea, & Peter overlooking Suchitlán Lake

roughly...."In this house we want a life free from violence 

against women"

 We stayed with Giuseppe's family overnight who were extremely generous with their coffee, sweet bread and comfy hammocks.  

 What made the weekend more interesting was the election was scheduled for Sunday.  As a national law, there is no buying, selling or drinking of alchohol for the weekend of the election.  One could see the police around enforcing that ordinance.

That evening we attended a Quinceañera, 15 year old female's birthday party.  This was more like a highschool dance...complete with a large group of wallflower boys standing on the side!

The next morning Guiseppe's father picked some jocote, a bittersweet fruit that were quite abundant in the area. 

Sweet bread and coffee...a Salvadorean staple

Guiseppe's dad picking jocote using a long
pole & cut up plastic bottle

Pete....The CHAMPION!!!

What's travel in El Salvador without a pickup truck?

Lions, Turtles & Birds ... oh my!

Saturday's project cleaned up Centro Escolar Republica de Canada with many a hand from students, parents and teachers.  While lots of paint managed to get on the walls and furniture, none of the students left without being fully painted, clothing, shoes and all.

The school has been receiving support from Glasswing prior to this project.  Many of the kids are involved in clubs mentored by Glasswing volunteers including English, Glee, Soccer, Basketball & Discovery Club.

Our eager volunteers who made the day possible

The main project of the day was painting a 10x15 ft muralwhich was drawn the day prior by Andrea.  The students crowded around to paint the mural all day.

Normally, Glasswing does murals on several walls but this school has many done by previous students who had graduated or passed away.

Fresh coat on the sidewalk art

Andrea's carpentry crew fixing desks

 Another project orchestrated by Andrea was the refurbishment of school desks.  The public schools, like many other public sector activities in El Salvador lack funding for new materials.  Inevitably desks and furniture break done over time, but they are not replaced.  In the process of repairing desks, students learn invaluable carpentry skills to maintain them
. 

Painting the outside wall was the one of the most rigorous projects of the day. Not only was it expansive but it was tricky balancing a ladder on the hillside.

Enjoying the day!

Everybody wants to paint: Teachers (bottom) & students (on ladders) !

The land of finished desks

The carpentry crew finished the desks with a great red tinted polyurethane. A total of 15 finished desks and chairs.

The Glasswing crew

Little prince meets tribal psychedelic

Ataco and Ruta de las Flores

The fountain in Ataco's main square

Andrea, me, and Mom (Franco) in the middle holding our bags

Ataco, a highlight on Ruta de Las Flores (Flower Route), known for picturesque little towns with colonial architecture. Ataco is also known for being fairly safe to walk around, and teeming with local artisans displaying their craft for a reasonable price.

We spent the day exploring the area and stopped at a local "fun park" complete with a canopy challenge and zipline ride. After an enjoyable brush with the heights, we made our way into town.

First challenge...the Canopy!

Andrea using her skills to navigate the wobbly steps

Found on many corners, Ataco has several full wall murals which reflect the town's inclination to bright colorful art. 

Bargaining for a fair price...

Great use of bike wheel for textile production!

Ataco had a large indoor market which featured many of their local crafts.  This area is also known for its textile production and as part of this market, several looms were set up/in use for this purpose.  Again, the vibrancy of color was an ongoing theme in all textiles and crafts.

Snack of choice, corn on the cob vs mango popsicle...

Never before have I seen such a dressed corn cob.  Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, coconut...but, I have to say after trying it, it was pretty tasty!

Franco, Astrid and I in front of one of the colonial churches

An amazing tree...

A mural completed just this January.

CPR and Basic First Aid training in Planes de la Laguna

After several busy weeks.... Two weeks ago Glasswing held a CPR and basic first aid training with community leaders, health promoters and other select members at Planes de la Laguna where we have done previous training. Although there is no current community focused training that provides CPR certification, this course was based on American Heart Association Principles and allowed for a knowledge sharing/skills transfer opportunity. 

Practicing correct hand position

Community leaders, health promoters and clinic staff all participated

One of the goals of my time here is to bring more of these types of training to El Salvador. Although my project focuses more on health care providers, community trainings like these will prepare the emergency response to be even more successful.

Later this year, El Salvador will implement phase I of their national emergency response system which will coordinate EMS personal, police and hospitals in their roles to provide the best care patient care possible.  Helping to bring more advanced life support training to El Salvador will help these emergency response professionals stay at the top of their game.

Demonstrating their skills!

Sweet tea sugar high, Mt Biking & then the Crash

Maritza and I snagged seats on one of the two buses filled with 180 cyclists to Apanaca!!!

 So last weekend while Jackie went to El Pital, I had my own adventure in Apanaca with fellow Glasswinger Maritza & 180 riders doing an extreme mountain biking tour through the rocky Northern Salvadorean countryside.

Sleep deprived & Super pumped for the ride while drinking excessively sugared Sweet Tea 

my sweet Hardrock rental

After waking up at 4:30 AM to get to the bus by 5 AM for breakfast and bike loading, we rode the bus for 2 solid hours to arrive in Apanaca around 8 AM.

We were both super stoked to get riding down the cattle roads. Around  4 miles /6.25 km into the 40 km ride the crash happened. I will preface to say Maritza is doing well now and I was not hurt.

Maritza ended up passing me while flying fearlessly down the hill and a short bit after that she crashed hard on the dusty steep dirt road. From the cloud of dust scene I came upon, I can only speculate that she hit her front brake, flipped over her handle bars, throwing her to the left side of the road while her bike was tossed to the right.

Riders and a part of the trail that Maritzia & I never saw.... photo courtesy of Bike Center FB album

What ensued was a ton of concerned cyclists and a ride in the back of a pick up truck followed by a ride in the back of box truck to a local public hospital where Maritzia got cleaned up, 4 stitches on her face, and her skull x-rayed. We then loaded back into box truck and drove another hour back to a special brain diagnostic hospital in San Salvador. The diagnosis was whiplash and a minor concussion.

She has been resting up all this week and is already talking about our next bicycle adventure... this time with a little less dust and trails that she knows.

Talk about one kickass lady!

Box Truck ride back to San Salvador with Maritza, her x-rays & fellow Salvadorean cyclist Carla 

                                            The countryside view from the back of a box truck

El Pital...the highest point in El Salvador

Cool Tours operators Sophia & Mario

anybody for a zipline ride??

Went on a trip this Sunday to El Pital, with Cool Tours, a Salvadorean founded company offering adventure/historical/nature tours to beautiful places in the country.  Mario, the owner, returned to El Salvador after living for several years in Miami.  Like so many others, he saw the growing potential of this wonderful country, decided to stay, and started a tour company.  One great thing about the trip was that all the tourists were from El Salvador and were just as interested in seeing the highlights of the own country.  Was also great for my Spanish training! 

Traversing some formidable cow fields...but worth it for the view!

The road over the mountain...

Slight landslide to the left

The base camp of El Pital.  As you can see, the clouds were thick around the peak that day but the forest was beautiful nevertheless!

El Pital base camp

This dog and his buddy followed us on the trail up to the peak of El Pital, then ran the 5 km back down the mountain keeping pace with the pickup truck carrying us. 

Some beautiful old growth...

Although somewhat difficult to see in the picture below, part of the hike was to cross this fallen log with a single cable to hold onto.  This bridge extends over a gulf of which you cannot see the bottom.  It was amazing!  Once across, the peak was only a short hike up the hill.  The clouds did not allow for a good view that day but it was an adventure.  Check the Cool tours site to see more viewpoints.

The harrowing bridge to the peak of El Pital

El Pital is the highest peak in El Salvador and is one of the only places that gets snow here.  Luckily the snow stayed away during our visit, but it was a little chilly.

Another of our dog friends who followed us on the trail

End of the day...tired but worth it!