El Tunco for New Year’s Heave

Bussed it down to El Salvador from Antigua on the 28th. Hazel and Carlos got up early (con Puppy) to say “goodbye” – very sweet.

As we crossed the border things started to hot up, literally. Hot hot hot. I spent most of the journey paranoid about the hair dye I had positioned in my bag in such a way that it would be in direct sunlight for the entire trip. Nothing to be done about it, but still my brain paralyses itself with constant attention to the prospect that something will blow up. The incessant focus seems to assuage an urge, scratch an itch – its entirely compelling. Mother’s advice “stop thinking” coming to mind, and instantly being ignored. My brain is like a naughty child intent on needling parents to see where the boundaries begin.

6 hours later we arrived in El Tunco without any holes in the shuttle van roof and other passengers’ bags still intact. The journey was nice actually, tracking winding roads along the pacific coast, reflecting that El Salvador seemed to have a little more infrastructure than Guatemala (more houses with tiled roofs, decent cars/trucks, better roads, roads that seem to have been planned to take advantage of shade from trees).

Spent the first night in Tekuani Kal – great balcony with view of the sea and the surfers, but very rough around the edges for the price. El Tunco is not cheap – $2 for a bottle of beer (according to our classic ‘beer reference relative rating’ – the BRRR!).

Went out for a swim in the most fun sea I have been in. Big waves crashing close to the shore, large enough to knock you over and tumble you upside down and around if you don’t duck under them in time. Laughed a lot. Bit of a scary moment swimming out slightly too far. Jim face-scraped the sea bed. Sand everywhere.

Had a quick look around town – very small, but lots of bars and enough choices for places to eat.

And then admired the sunset… ohhhhh the sunset at El Tunco is out of this world. EVERY night. Majestic.

Obligatory sunset pictures:

Moved to a much nicer hotel (Eco del Mar) the next night – treehouse style, large room, new and neat, fridge and kitchen sink, free breakfast. If it also had hot water it would be Perfection (oh, and if someone also killed all the cocks in the village that sang their dawn chorus from midnight until 7am – and I’m not talking about partying backpackers).

We had wanted somewhere decent to spend the inevitable hangover day after New Years Eve. Which is exactly what happened.

Went to a local bar. Drank tequilas and chatted to people. Kicked off the flip-flop encumbrance and danced in another bar. Home about 2am. Paid for it the next day #unabletomove. Little hurly wurly at about 5ish the next evening. That bad.

The balance really isn’t adding up these days. Too much pain for very little gain.

Had to get up at 5.30am on the 2nd Jan to pack our bags & organise things in time for our 7.30AM shuttle to Nicaragua. Which didn’t end up leaving until 9.30AM.. and there lies another story. Gekko trails is getting another bad review.

 

Other things that happened:

New ad for craft beer (after we had a drink in Mopelia and noted that good beer leaves rings around the inside of a glass):

“Ribbed for HIS pleasure”

New name for Chinese restaurant (we ate at ‘Take a Wok’ every night apart from one, when we ate Frosties (Azucaritas!)):

“Won’t Leave you Wonton”


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