Monday, March 26, 2012

El Tunco

In the morning I went to look for a place where I could exchange the rest of my Guatemalan Quetzales into US Dollar which conveniently is the currency of El Salvador. I had quite a lot left because I had planned to spend at least two more days but of course my plans didn't go the way they were planned (they're plans after all) and now I was being sent from one end of the city center to the other with directions to a money changer which were all different from each other. My bags were heavy and it was very hot and I had to stop for a while to catch my breath when I finally found the office. I got almost 100 $ back though which made up for all the walking. I walked to the parque Bolivar from where the buses to La Libertad left but I had a hard time finding the right bus stop until a nice bus driver took me to the right place, it was marked only by a small sign saying "bus stop" and not which bus or where it went, and I finally boarded the bus out of the city.
About an hour later I arrived in La Libertad, the port of San Salvador which is a sleepy little town that seemed very boring except for its wave, Punta Roca, a world class right point break that is El Salvador's best wave. I didn't stay there however due to the expensive accommodations but moved on to a tiny village a few kilometers along the coast called El Tunco. There were a few breaks there too including one point that broke slower but still looked like fun and I found a cheap place, after another long walk, that had a kitchen and was only one house away from the beach. It was already 4 o'clock and I had a relaxing evening on the deck of my hostel with 'wave-view', an ice cold beer and good food.
I slept well but woke early. I was exited to see my visitors who would arrive around midday and didn't get anything done in the morning, constantly checking my watch but had a coffee and donut with my Internet and a smoothy before I caught the bus to La Libertad. I did some shopping and waited on the corner of the bus stop for a while until I saw them hop out one of the crowded buses in a moment of complete disorientation and helplessness. I quite enjoy those moments (not all of them) and I let them have theirs before I walked over to greet them. It is a strange sensation to meet people who you haven't seen for longer and who you were looking forward to meet. They suddenly appear and are there again and it doesn't take very long to get used to them being around again. I was very happy to have them with me, especially Bekki who had been my travel mate for such a long time.
We went back to our hostel where they overwhelmed me with HARIBO and Nutella before I showed them around and we went out to buy me a board. I had been eyeing one board in another hostel since I had arrived and I had been checking on it a few times during the day and I bought it right before someone else's nose. He literally stood the with the money when I walked out of the gate. It was a 6'2" performance fish, a good board for the smallish waves of El Sunzal, the break right outside our door. The board was in a really good condition and I think I shot a great deal with it, even though I had to buy a new leash as well. Now nothing kept me from going for a long surf until the sun went down and it got too dark to see the waves. We had a great self made meal, the first one I made myself since I left the US (with the exception of the quiche for Helga), and it was delicious. This beautiful day ended with beers and an early but great night with Bekki and Ansgar who, I realized once again, I was very glad to have with me.
El Tunco was great! I surfed in the mornings, we chilled during the days and when the weather cooled down at around 4.30 pm I went for another surf. We cooked our own delicious food, only bought coffee and smoothies,  enjoyed the warm water and relaxed in the shade for most of the day. Those were truly lazy days but it was hard to do anything else because it was so hot. Me made friends with a Canadian guy and a Norwegian girl who had been in El Tunco for a month and were surfing every day and used the time to catch up about what we had done while apart from each other.
It was a sad goodbye when we left El Tunco after only four days but we wanted to move on to see more and surf different waves.
It was strange to be with people again for longer than a few days and to plan food and destinations together and in some situations in the following weeks I realized how much I had actually enjoyed the time I had on my own. However I love having Bekki and Ansgar as my company and I will be on my own soon enough, I just didn't realize how much I valued my time as a single traveller.

New and old company

Let's just say that is me on that wave back there...

Out for a morning surf

Our hostel is the house in blue and this picture was taken right from the beach

Sunrise in El Salvador

3 comments:

  1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM! I hope, you had a great day with Bekki and Ansgar. :)
    Love, Stella

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  2. Danke, danke. Wir sitzen hier in der Sonne und genießen eine selbstgemachte Schoko-Banane Eistorte!!!

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