Wood & Bandages: 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.