Day 27 - Suchitoto: The Gem of El Salvador

Sleep-in, Elliot did not.
Hungry, Elliot is.
Awake, I am.

So Elliot and I went downstairs for some breakfast at the restaurant. It was sort of a buffet, but Elliot only wanted cereal and I was only feeling like toast and jam. After breakfast Elliot and I went up to the room to wait out the rise of Mom and Sis. Eventually the woke up and Tegan and Elliot got into their swimsuits so they could go for a swim after Tegan and Mom had breakfast. Elliot tagged along with Mom and Tegan while I went to the business center to do some work on the blog.

After a few minutes in the pool the kids decided it was too cold for them and they were out. We all reconvened in the room before lunch and started to pack up. We had to go to the Sheraton and pickup our rental car from Budget. When we got there, not only was there nobody at the Budget counter, but there was no car either. Contacting Budget revealed how incompetent they really are. There was only 1 car in all of San Salvador and it was the one we reserved, only it was being looked at by a mechanic and wouldn't be ready until 3pm. The concierge of the hotel helped us out by hooking us up with a local lady that rents cars out.

So we ended up getting a 2007 Volvo and it was delivered to us in under an hour. We had lunch while we waited for the car to arrive. A quick signing of papers and some money paid for the rental period and we were off to enjoy our El Salvador vacation finally. We headed immediately for Suchitoto a small town that is a recommended visit. After some crazy buses and a police checkpoint we made Suchitoto. It immediately had a feel to it uniquely it's own. We parked the car and walked to the Parque Centro where a huge celebration was happen for the children. There was a ferris wheel and a carousel as well as street performers. I went in search of a hotel on foot while Correen and the kids enjoyed the festivities. I found a spot just down from the Parque and said I would be back in a few minutes with the family.

The room was basic, yet it worked for us. I asked for good restaurant nearby and was given directions. We followed the directions and they led us to a pupuseria. Correen couldn't believe this was the place recommended to us so we had to go looking for a better place to eat. We ended up walking a little over a km on our walk and ended up returning to the pupuseria. They weren't impressed when we first walked away and dealing with us ordering, what is their national dish, didn't impress them either. The reality was that I was ordering a couple of pupusas for a fussy boy, an uncomfortable wife and Tegan didn't seem to care much what she had. So thinking Correen didn't want cheese and the kids did, I ordered a frijole and a queso. Turns out Correen only wanted a cheese, Elliot didn't eat much of anything and Tegan ate the cheese pupusa with Mom. I had to eat the frijole version to save my reputation in Suchitoto. What a complicated meal. We paid out $3.50 for our meal and went back to the Parque Centro to check it out.

The festivities were still running perhaps a little subdue now that the rides had stopped and were packed away. Elliot got a plate of fries and Tegan went and played with a group of kids by the carousel. Tegan was the center of attention for a group of 5-6 girls. I think Tegan was the first girl their age to have visited Suchitoto at least it felt that way. They were interested in learning the English word for things and where she was from and how old they were. I asked for their names and one of the girls gave her Christian name that consisted of 5 or more names rolling together, the other girls stopped her and told her to say only her first name. I said my name and Mucho Gusto which made them smile.

We stopped off for an ice cream treat from the tienda and then went back to our room for bed.