Erupting out

"All civilization has from time to time become a thin crust over a volcano of revolution." Havelock Ellis

Even with perfect sets rolling in almost everyday, sometimes you need to get away from the wave machine of Sunzal and see what else El Salvador has to offer. We decided to head inland to the volcano Santa Ana which last erupted in 2005. Omar, our fabulous tour guide loaded us into the double cab Isuzu and we shot out of the heavy security gates of the hotel like a hot lava spout. The roads North were well maintained and empty so we soon ate up the miles to K59 which is a surf spot so named because it is 59 kilometeres from La Libertad. Omar is the perfect surf guide; this wonderfully warm abeulo has been surfing for decades and was one of the guys paid to get out of the water when Big Wednesday was filmed at Libertad in 1975.

"A day will come that is like no other... and nothing that happens after will ever be the same" Big Wednesday movie tagline

Sliding us down dirt tracks, Omar helped us check out all the surf spots as only a local with knowledge can. The point breaks seemed endless as we made our way northward.

"The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion…the tunnel is." Unknown"

A series of 5 tunnels wind through the mountainside. The roads were unnaturally empty due to the elections, there was a three day weekend and a ban on alcohol sales. Poor me, no michelada for lunch. Although, I was very glad to see fewer of the massive sugar cane transport trucks roaring past to the Northern port of Acajutla. 


After an hour or so of driving, we finally swung off the road onto a poorly maintained tarmac track.

Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason".  Jerry Seinfeld

There, in the distance we the Izalco, Coatepeque and Santa Ana volcanoes. Santa Ana last erupted in 2005, with plenty forewarning, families in the area were evacuated and   only 2 lives lost.  Even though everything now seemed dormant, I did keep checking to  make sure those were indeed clouds and not plumes of smoke signaling my impending doom.  The road quality deteriorated along with my bravado and the potholes seemed more frequent the higher we travelled.  Rich farm land stretched in a patchwork either side of the winding road.  Occasionally Omar would make an extra swerve to avoid a mangy dog or kids on bikes.  For another 30 minutes we continued to hurtle through the hairpins.  Rural villages provided smatterings of civilizationas, each settlement shrinking  in size as the altitude increased.  


Due to, shall we say the efficiency of our driver, we were all a little relieved to step out of the truck and make an obligatory photo stop high above the lake that has formed in Coatepeque's crater.  

“If things seem under control, you are just not going fast enough.” 

Mario Andretti

The air definitely felt cooler up here, maybe it was looking at the refreshing inviting blue of the lake.  Just in case you've ever wondered what coffee looks like when its growing, here it is.  To think all this time I've been slurping it down with no clue.

"Deja Brew: The feeling that you've had this coffee before." 

Author Unknown

Finally, at the top of the mountain, there it was the dormant crater of Ilzalco. I could only hope the car sickness was going to pay off big for Josh's upcoming volcano report. The quiet stillness of the national park was almost chilly, a feeling I had long forgotten living down by the heat of the beach.  

"Volcano: A mountain with hiccups" Unknown.

Of course it took all of one minute for us to smell out the steak in the cafe.  However, its pretty hard to chew beef with no teeth!

""A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time
he bites off more than he can chew."
Herb Caen

"To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue." Buddha

Fun, friends and story telling atop a volcano range in Central America, how sweet is life?

"Home James and don't spare the horses" Queen Victoria

 Time to wind back down the mountain and take the faster route home via San Salvador (I didn't think there was anyway possible to get home faster, but I stand corrected).  As we pulled into La Libertad to see the fabled wave, it seemed we were there on mini Monday rather than big Wednesday.  Hoping around on the baking hot concrete I managed to snap a couple of pics.

Progress has marched on through the whole of El Salvador since the 'Big Wednesday' waves captured on film here in 1978.  The area has been repaved and a new concrete shopping and restaurant complex dominate the beach front.  Still for some the change is irrelevant.

"The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery."
Harold Wilson“

It had been an illuminating day and I was glad to be "home" back into the twilight, sultry heat of the beach.  Relaxing to the same view but with a different perspective.

There is nothing like returning to a place that reminds unchanged 

to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”

 Nelson Mandela