El Salvador War History: El Mozote

El Salvador is just 18 years removed from a brutal Civil War. International travelers are now just starting to visit the country again. The war was between the Salvadorian government and a rebel group known as the FMLN which was an umbrella of political groups fighting to end the repression of the poor in El Salvador. After 18 years and over 75,000 deaths, the Civil War ended, the FMLN was molded into a legitimate political party, and a general peace has persisted. There is an incredibly long history that led up to the war, too much to describe here, so please keep that in mind. We also have been amazed at the Salvadorian people, their resilience, and their eagerness for others to learn about their country both the good and bad.

Many visitors, us included, are interested in the history of the war. We have visited several sites and learned a lot about the conflict, but we came to Perquin - a small mountain town near the Honduran border - to visit an area that experienced some of the heaviest activity both prior to and during the war. In addition to the war museum and several old battle sites, we came to visit the site of one of the war´s greatest atrocities: the massacre at El Mozote. Keep in mind this is sensitive to read and for us, was very sensitive to visit.

In El Mozote in 1981, Salvadorian government soldiers swarmed the small, poor isolated village of El Mozote. They separated the men, women, and children and proceeded to torture and kill over 800 innocent civilians. The massacre was part of many similar events undertaken by deathsquads which were part of what the Salvadorian government called ¨Take the Water From the Fish¨ as well as ¨Razed Earth,¨ tactics used to terrorize the poorer populace and deter them from joining the rebellion.

El Mozote is little more than a few small wood, tin, and cement houses along with a tiny town square. In the town square there is a church and the attached parish was destroyed during the war. In the square, there is a memorial with a sculpture and a wall listing the names of hundreds of the victims, they are separated by family on individual wooden squares. There is also a grave plot for one family, chosen to be symbolically represent all the other victims whose bodies were never recovered and therefore not able to be buried.

Next to the church is where the greatest atrocity was found: the bodies of 146 people, 131 of them children stacked into a tiny room in the former parish. Part of the parish floor still remains, parts of which are black from where it was set on fire. They have turned the yard into ¨The Garden of the Innocents,¨ an incredibly beautiful memorial to the victims, especially the children. It is incredibly well done, rife with symbolism. There´s a beautiful mural of children playing under the stars and being lifted into heaven, several commemorative plaques, and a beautiful garden. Broken glass rebuilt into hearts and globes.

We were guided through these memorials by a local volunteer, an older woman who was clearly moved even though she sees the memorials every day. After the memorials, a local teenager walked us through town, showing us remaining structures covered in bullet holes and old bomb craters. He also pointed out the hill where women and children were taken away from the men to be tortured. The trees in town are young because almost the entire town was razed with bombs and fire. The boy was too young to remember, but he told us he had lost 4 aunts and uncles and 16 cousins in the massacre.

For us, it was almost too much to comprehend why people do things like this to each other. While waiting for the bus we had lengthy conversations about serious issues. Learning about events like these makes you realize how lucky you are to be who you are, and where you are. As hard as it was to hear these stories, we were happy to have seen the memorials, and to write about them so that the stories of the victims and their memories survive.

What Happens to Your Old School Bus When it Dies?

Just to give everyone an update, tonight is our last night in El Salvador. Currently we are in Perquin, which we will post about in the next few days. Pictures have been updated. We have loved our time in El Salvador, but are also excited about heading into Honduras. We are particularly excited to head over to the Caribbean coast, since we have spent so much time up in the mountains. We are looking forward to resting next to the beach for a while with tropical drinks in hand. As much fun as we have been having lately, we are definitely tired from all of the buses that we have been taking to move from place to place. In fact, in the last three days we have taken 7 chicken buses, 1 micro bus, and two pickup trucks. It can be hard work when you are on Permacation.

Since we have reached Belize, our travel has consisted of several main types of transport. In order of frequency of use: 1. Chicken Bus (recommissioned US school bus), 2. Microbus (small as a minivan or even slightly larger seating 8-20 people depending on stacking of passengers), 3. Pullman-Especials (on rare occasion you find ¨real¨ passenger buses with more comfortable seats, costs a little more but is always worth it), 4. Pickup Truck (sometimes with handrails, sometimes you just hold on to the side), 5. Boats, and 6. Tuktuks (called by different names in different places, but they are the small taxis that fit 2-3 people in a makeshift scooter).

¨Chicken Buses¨ are legend in Central America. They are an essential part of the local and traveler experience. We thought it would be fun to share a little bit about riding in Chicken Buses, because the occasional picture in our album does not fully convey the experience.

The Basics: Chicken Buses, and yes, that is their real name, are old school buses that the US, and Canada to a lesser degree, have given or sold to central american countries. Sometimes you can still see the old district number or a sports sticker that gives away the bus´ original home. They are not only the cheapest public transportation, in many areas they are the only option. Bus companies take pride in their buses; they will repaint them, add loud stereo systems, chrome grills, loud truck horns, and even lights inside and out to ¨pimp out¨ their bus. The best companies add good overhead racks and reupholster the seats. From a passenger´s perspective, it is always better to catch an old school bus for junior high or high school than one for elementary school. Otherwise, you will end up with less than desired leg room. Watch out for the wheel well!

The basics of riding on the bus are a little different depending on area. In Guatemala, there is always an ¨ayudante¨ (helper) who will throw, literally, your bag on the roof of the bus. You then climb into the bus from the front or the back and hopefully find a seat. The ayudante will come by and collect your money later in the ride. However, buses in El Salvador often do not have racks on the top of the bus or in the bus, so our bags end up in our lap or next to the driver. Some buses we have come across here do not have an ayudante and you pay the driver up front, go through a turnstile and then fight your way back toward the back. We have come to love the ayudante as he tells us when to get off and lifts our bags for us. These buses get pretty packed and the ayudante moves traffic along. It it not uncommon to see people sitting 3 (or even 4) to a bench. Children go on laps and never get seats. We ourselves have had people sit on us, have sat on old tires in the back, and have held onto the tiniest edge to rest on. Those who are much larger than us will even sit in the aisle, a little bit of cheek on each nearby bench! In short, thousands of safety violations occur every ride.

As we mentioned earlier these buses are the only means of transportation in some areas. This means that you see some odd things being transported. Here are some we thought you might find as interesting as we did. Chickens. Yes, usually in boxes when they are small, occasionally, however you will see a large one. Produce of all kinds that are lifted to the top of the bus on people´s heads or backs. A kitty in a bag in a basket, very sad. Mysterious leaking box in the rack over our heads. Small potted trees. 10 bird cages. Turkey in a bag with his head sticking out.

Chicken buses are legendary in Central America and with good reason, they are the primary means of transportation for many many residents and for cheap travelers like us! They can be both fun and exhausting, but are always entertaining.

Learning El Salvador

Pictures and map are up to date!

Since the last post, we have visited a few other areas in El Salvador and have been having a great time getting to know this county and its people better. We left Juayua and their delicious food, and headed up to the northwest corner of the country for a 3 day, 2 night, stay in Parque El Imposible, one of El Salvador´s national parks. The park is one of the last intact rainforests on the pacific coast. It is considered a dry-wet rainforest which produces three levels of ecosystems depending on altitude. The hikes in the park were challenging, but slow enough for both of us to enjoy the lush vegetation, waterfalls, and about 500 species of butterflies (we are sure you can all guess which one of us now has a ridiculous amount of butterfly pictures).

After two days of hikes, we decided to head out of the humid forest and back into civilization. We stayed the following few days in Santa Ana, the second largest city in El Salvador and in close proximity to the National Volcano Park. The first day we both hiked Volcano Izalco. A new volcano only 300 years old that last erupted in the 70s. The whole volcano was rocky, with a few small plants starting to take root and had a classic crater at the top. Rich returned a few days later to tackle the larger Volcano Santa Ana that has a lake in the crater. Kendra opted for a day in the hostel hammock with a book.

Swearing off hiking for at least a week, we have spent the last two days in Suchitoto. This town is known as an artistic hot spot for the country and a good weekend getaway from the craziness of San Salvador. We have found that the town has a sleepy colonial feel that we have also experienced in a few other past stopovers. Our main purpose for the visit, however, is to learn more about the recent civil war and how it affected the area. As many of you are aware, the El Salvadorian war was very brutal, with many civilian casualties at the hands of the government or government supported paramilitary forces. The conflict ended in the early 90s. Many of the young soldiers on both sides of the conflict are now only in their 30s.

The mountains around this area were home to many of the guerrilla forces hiding out and some of the heaviest hit areas by arial bombers. To get a better understanding of the area, we took a 6 hour tour up into a nearby volcano that had some of the heaviest action. We chose to go up to the sites on horses, which proved both nerve racking and rewarding. The jungle terrain provided steep rocky paths which the horses handled as best as they could (we use term horses in a loose manner. Although both animals were healthy and sizable, Kendra´s turned out to be a horse-donkey combination which accounted for the animal´s stubborn attempts to eat everything in reach at every available moment).

At the same time, it turned out to be a beautiful ride, and one well worth the effort as the tour consisted solely of us and two guides. One of the guides assisted in navigating the mountain paths, while the other guide was an ex-guerilla combatant who told us about what it was like to live on the mountain fighting for 10 years against an armed force 3 times as big below. Many of the fighters took arms after the government forcefully cleared the area. Our guide, Jerry, however, joined the fighting from San Salvador after witnessing many of the inequalities that were taking place. While on our ride, he showed us where they set up their hospital to care for the wounded. They had only one doctor and protected him with a special bomb shelter and nearby trenches for artillery. During our ride we continuously saw zigzag trenches dug into the ground and piles of moss covered stones which they hid behind. Old boots, water collection containers, and grain bins still lie there rusting and falling apart. We were able to see the small caves where they hid supplies during attacks. It was interesting to hear that the guerrilla fighters were both men and women. Even children were present (and attended school in the encampment) as whole families had fled up into the mountains.

It was very humbling to listen to Jerry as he talked about the reasons they fought and what life was like living in the camp. We asked him if it was difficult to tell the story of what he experienced. He said that it was very hard to talk about the sad things that had happened before and during the war, but that he had good memories too. During the ten years, he had developed friendships among the other fighters. They would have parties and celebrations on the top of the mountain over looking the valley and lake below. Jerry was a remarkable man. Currently he is still a part of the FMLN, now a legitimate government party, and is in the process of growing fruit trees on the 1.5 acres of land he received as reperations after the conflict ended.

Before we left for our trip we had heard a little bit about the violence that occurred during the war and then the street violence that occurred after. With all of the tragedies that the people of this country have endured, they have opened their arms to international visitors and have gone out of their way to let us know that we are welcome. Almost every person we have talked with has asked us how we like their county. It was intimidating at first when a young, rather rough looking male walked up to the front of the bus and started up a conversation with us. He had heard us speaking English and wanted to speak with us and see if we were enjoying our time here. He didn´t want anything from us, he didn´t have anything to sell. We´ve experienced this several times as people genuinely care. Taxis drivers give us directions for using the bus, when in previous countries they would have followed us all the way down the street telling us to get in their taxis. It seems that all of the suffering the people here have endured has not hardened their hearts towards others, but has given many of them hope for peace and prosperity. We also hope for the same for them.

Food Festivals, Sleepy Towns in El Salvador

Check out up to date pictures, including more pictures from the food festival on our Picasa.

After nearly 2 full months soaking up (and getting wonderfully stuck in) Guatemala, we finally decided to head for the border. We loved a lot about Guatemala but were exctied about our next venture: El Salvador. We arrived in El Salvador about five days ago. A lot of travelers skip El Salvador altogether and head right for Honduras for ruins and scuba diving, but we had heard from people that had been here what a great country it is, and in our few days here so far we haven't been disappointed.

The first part of our time here has been spent in two small towns along a string of villages called the Ruta de Las Flores, for the flowers that bloom along the roadside when Kendra and Rich aren't here. Nevertheless, the towns of Apaneca and Juayua (hwa-YOO-ah) have greeted us with rolling green hills covered in coffee farms, few tourists, and pretty cobblestone streets. Also worth mentioning are the extremely friendly locals who seem eager to share their country with visitors who are now just starting to realize the civil war here ended 20 years ago. People here are very interested to know what you know and what you think about their country, and so far we love it.

After 2 sleepy days in Apaneca just strolling around and eating Pupusas (stuffed tortillas covered in salsa and greens), we headed to Juayua for food and more food. Juayua holds a famous food festival and Salvadorians from all over come to the town every weekend to taste delicious and sometimes exotic fare. We decided to try a few different items and really let ourselves go for the day...

We started with something easy... Grilled marinated rabbit! Delicious. If you've never eaten rabbit, it's really sweet if a bit tough, but both of us really liked it. The rabbit dish was served with pasta salad, rice mixed with refried beans, two very thick big tortillas, grilled green onions, tomato salsa, lime, and plain rice. Not a bad portion size for $5 (which is actually a very expensive meal for the area!). From there, we moved on to our favorite, 4 huge grilled jumbo prawns that were perfectly seasoned and served with rice, tomato salsa, grilled veggies, and 2 small thick crispy tortillas all for $6. Rabbit above, shrimp below...



We enjoyed a few snacks as well. Kendra almost lost her mind over the stick of chocolate covered strawberries covered in "Nerds" candies ($1), Rich really loved the fried Yuca Root (kind of like donut holes covered in syrup - $1) as well as the Ringua which are half cornbread, half pancake, half crepe, all delicious ($1.25 for 3). Finally, we managed to stuff down two pieces of Budin which was like a flan-cheesecake-poundcake concotion that was outstanding ($1 including coffee).

Top everything off with a few ice cold beers and you've got yourself a food festival. Our planned hike for Sunday was called off because of the rain, so Round 2 of the food festival is was on for lunch. We downed a plate of mixed meats as well as some great fajitas, checkem out... and we're just getting started in El Salvador.

Rainy Season Updates

Hey there everyone. Pics on the left are updated and the map too though we will be on the move a bit here soon.

It's been a while since we've updated, and while there's always something happening, sometimes there's a good bit of nothing too which is the way we like it. After three and a half weeks in Xela, we were itching to do some hiking. We went way out into the mountains to a town called Nebaj, where an allergic reaction and a brief detour to the Nebaj Medical Clinic foiled our plans for our 3 day trek (everything's fine Moms). Nebaj was great though for culture and it had almost no tourists. While everyone got healthy, we left the mountains and, 4 buses and a boat later, we took haven on Lago Atitlan in San Pedro, one of our last stops after 2 great months in Guatemala. The lake is beautiful and rung by volcanoes, we've done some hiking and kayaking but mostly just put our feet up in our hammocks and enjoyed the culture, cafes and restaurants.

Hammocks are especially important after 4pm. They are one of our vital tools for suriving the rainy season. When you look at our pictures, it may be hard to tell that there are many aspects of the traveling experience the camera doesn't quite capture. What it's like traveling during rainy season is one of them. For the first 6 weeks of our trip, we did not see a drop of rain. Then one day, it rained... a lot. Then, it just kept raining. Here in Central America, they really have 2 seasons unlike at home... here it's rainy or dry. Temperature has more to do with elevation than season, so the seasons are defined by how much rain we get.

So why are the hammocks so vital? Because the best part of the rainy season is predictability. By 4pm, it's going to be raining, and you´d better have a hammock under some sort of tin or thatch shelter in which you can pass the rainy afternoon. It's become ingrained into our internal clocks that between 3pm and 7pm is rain time and the body just seems to know that it's about time for the afternoon siesta.

There are challenges when traveling during the rainy season. For one, outdoors activities are often wet and muddy if they happen at all. There's also the constant challenge of how to keep your bags dry, which starts with your rain cover, assuming the "Ayudante" puts your bag right-side-up on the roof of your old school bus (a dodgy proposition at best), and ends with prioritizing your electronics and books in various plastic bags. If you have a really bad day, there's the swarms of mosquitos that attack from the mud puddle next to the road or the millions of termites that hatch next to your cabin after the afternoon downpour.

But the rainy season isn't all gloom. It's predictable... for the first part of the day it's sunny, virtually every day. The rainy season also keeps the tourists away, except for crazy ones like us who relish in the good deals on hotels and empty restaurants that result. In addition the rain makes everything grow, and the incredible mountains and farms that line the Guatemalan countryside are green and lush rather than dry and parched. So while the rain is often a symbol of gloominess, here it's a staple of daily life.

Our next step is heading to El Salvador sometime in the next few days, more updates soon!