Our early morning Delta flight left Knoxville late because apparently some yahoo forgot to fuel the plane overnight, but we made it to Atlanta with just enough time to catch our connecting flight to El Salvador. I'm just glad the pilot noticed the low fuel level before we left the ground...
Tom playing president
We arrived at the El Salvador International Airport just after 1:00 p.m. Immigration was easy, friendly, and fast. They collected $12 each on entry to the country in exchange for a tourist card, which I guarded as carefully as our passports, but no one ever wanted to see them again.
El Salvador International Airport exterior
We'd reserved a full-size sedan from National Car Rental, and when we got to the counter, they offered us a discounted upgrade to a hybrid SUV for a mere $150 extra. We declined the offer and got the upgrade anyway for free. Score! The car was a very nice Hyundai Kona hybrid SUV with just 12,000 km on the odometer. The extra ground clearance of the SUV would prove very useful on our journey. The roads in El Salvador are in great condition in general, but the ones that aren't can be TERRIBLE.
The rental SUV
It was about 50 km from the airport to our hotel in El Zonte, a laid-back little beach town on the Pacific. The undertow and strong waves along El Salvador's coast are no joke, but it's a surfer's paradise, and the scenery is stunning. Tom and I were content with entering the ocean only up to our ankles.
Path to the playa
Enjoying the ocean
We wanted to check out Cueva El Zonte, just up the beach, but the high tide this afternoon made the cave inaccessible. We'll try again in the morning. The sun sets early in El Salvador, so by 5:30, it was time to head back to our hotel.
Shortly before sunset
Lodging: Hotel Michanti in El Zonte. A cool little place just a block from the ocean, with a nice pool and bar. The room was spartan but comfortable. Concrete floors make sense this close to the beach. There's no hot water, but that's the norm along the coast. I guess the weather is hot enough that a hot shower isn't strictly necessary, but I still missed it.
Hotel Michanti in El Zonte
After cold showers to clean off the sand, we headed to the hotel's poolside bar for dinner and drinks. They had a special tonight of four birria tacos and a margarita for $11. Awesome! It was uncomfortably hot and humid when we arrived at the airport, but the temperature tonight was perfect.
Nice night at the bar
Taco Tuesday
Note: El Salvador has two national currencies, the US dollar and Bitcoin. At least here on the coast, Bitcoin is widely accepted. In fact, they call this area “Bitcoin Beach.” But we just used boring old dollars and an old-fashioned credit card.