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San Salvador
We follow « la ruta des los volcanes » to reach the capital through entire fields of coffee ... where the harvest is underway.
We make a detour to visit the unique archaeological site of El Salvador inscribed in the Unesco World Heritage Site : "Joya de Ceren", known to be the " American Pompei ".
Upon arrival, the site is closed for maintenance until 31st May 2020 ... funded by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs !!!.
On the way back, we stop at "San Andres", a small site with partially restored pyramids.
Since the capital is not safe, we find refuge behind the United States Embassy, which is ultra-secure and guarded.
The " Villa of San Salvador " was founded in 1525 by Gonzalo de Alvara. But following numerous attacks by the Indians, it was moved in 1528 and then abandoned little by little to be founded a third time in 1545 in the valley of Zalcoatitán.
Today, " San Salvador " and its agglomeration hoste nearly a third of the population of El Salvador. The architecture is eclectic, modern buildings alongside those built during colonial and republican times ... It is not a pretty city ... Invaded by hundreds of stalls installed on the sidewalks.
* Basilica Del sagrado Corazon De Jesus: entirely made of wood
* Metropolitan Catedral and the mausoleum of Oscar Romeo : human rights defender assassinated in 1980
* Palacio Nacional in a Neoclassical and Renaissance style.
* Iglésia El Rosario : for its rainbow formed by the stained glass windows.
* Muséo Nacional de Antropologia: It was founded in 1883 and hostes five rooms, plus another one dedicated to exhibitions. Each room shows three different cultural eras: pre-Columbian, colonial and contemporary.
El Salvador won’t be unforgettable... Very few cultural places to visit, but very beautiful landscape and a warm welcome from its inhabitants.
Cerro Verde
A small road leads us to the " Cerro Verde National Park " to discover the Salvadoran nature and its beautiful landscapes.
Cerro Verde is an extinct volcano culminating at an altitude of 2,030 m and is a view point to admire the lake of " Coatepeque "and the volcanoes
" Santa Ana " and " Izalco ".
The volcano " Santa Ana " is the highest volcano in El Salvador with an altitude of 2,381 m. It can be reached after a 5-hour walk to admire a beautiful green lake.
The volcano " Izalco " has become the emblematic image of El Salvador. At an altitude of 1,950 m, it is the youngest volcano in El Salvador. It would have been born in 1770 when lava and ash began to rise near the volcano "Santa Ana". Although its last eruption dates back to 1966, it now seems to be dormant, releasing only small fumaroles from time to time.
We hike with a guide to discover this park and we then spend the night there where the temperature drops down to 12° during the night!
Chalchuapa / Lake Coatepeque
After a quiet night in the parking lot of a "Texaco" station, we head to the town of " Chalchuapa " where three archaeological sites are scattered.
* El Tazumal: was occupied by the Mayans in the 2nd century A.D. There is a partially restored pyramid and a museum without much interest. All the structures were covered with concrete ... horrible !
The other two sites are not restored. According to the managers, it's to let the visitors use their imagination... We did not imagine anything!!
We are very disappointed by these visits, and go to the lake " Coatepeque ".
This lake is in the caldera of a volcano that exploded tens of thousands of years ago. It lies at an altitude of 745 m and is surrounded by tropical vegetation that has covered the crater of the volcano.
Santa Ana
We drive down into the valley, still surrounded by coffee trees.
" Santa Ana " is a big town packed with cars and without charm. We are Monday, the few monuments worth a visit are closed ... Bad luck.
We parked the camper in a residential area, easy to get to and safe. Sheltered from the sun by large red fruit trees …that repaint our camper !!!
It takes us more than one hour to clean it and we decide to find another bivouac for the night.
Our electric moveable step plays tricks on us, it doesn’t goes up ... a little grease and everything works again.
There are days when nothing works ... like today!!!
ROAD BOOK 082
MAVROS ODYSSEE