El Salvador - a paradise for beaches, surfers, and lovers of coffee

We left Tikal on November 7th. (I know, I know, I'm a little behind on the blog.) We drove through the Peten and the district of Izabel (the part of Guatemala that connects to the Caribbean) to a town in the mountains called Chiquimule near the Honduras/El Salvador border. Stayed at a hostal run be a very nice gentleman who spoke English well. Got up early and headed to the border. The border crossing at Angulatu was quite a contrast between a well-worn Guatemalan side and a brand new, clean, organized building and process on the El Salvadorean side. From there we drove through the mountains, past some beautiful lakes to the beach at Barra de Santiago. On the way we passed many cemeteries adorned with a profusion of flowers. After finding a place to camp, we headed down to the beach to watch the sunset. A beautiful evening walking down the beach watching the fishermen launch their boats, the kids playing in the water and soccer, and families relaxing. Spent a hot, sweaty night in the Jeep, then decided to head to cooler temperatures in the mountains.