Since we've arrived in El Salvador, we've pretty much stuck around Barillas with occasional visits to the department capital (Usulután) and the national capital (San Salvador). This has largely been because we've had plenty to do on the boat to keep us occupied and we just haven't been here that long.
Saturday night, we had some of the other cruisers aboard. We all decided to make Sunday a day of "rest" and go exploring. We would visit some of their favorite haunts around the Bay and get a general lay of the land. They'd introduce us to many of the friends they've made over the last few years and we'd get a more intimate introduction to the locals and their culture. The results were unforgettable.
We took the dinghy and met with some friends of ours about ten to begin our day of bay touring. We started out by stopping at a small fishing village near the mouth of the bay called La Pirraya. This is about 10 miles from our mooring. The family whose palapa we stopped at was absolutely lovely. Their young daughter has been going to a private school in Usulután and learning English thanks to the generosity of some cruisers. They welcomed us with open arms and let us explore their little homestead. The most memorable part was when some of the local boys showed off their pet raccoon. They even made him get up on two legs when Susan from S/V Suvuka asked if it was "macho". Our boys (and the rest of us) just ate it up.
After meeting with the locals and exploring the beach we headed across the mouth of the Bay to the Bahia Sport Club for a feast of a lunch. Our friends Arthur and Susan knew the owners but had yet to visit their fledgling resort. Boy, was it a treat! We had an amazing seafood extravaganza with fresh coconut water to wash it down. The boys preferred hamburgesas con papas fritas and virgin piña coladas. We just sat back and enjoyed Tony and Digna's hospitality. The boys enjoyed playing in the pool and attempting to pet the geese. There was also a litter of kittens to be cavorted with. Nicholas and Alexander had been going through kitty withdrawal, so this was just the thing.
Just when we thought we'd all take cabañas and stay forever, we got a burst of energy and decided to check out the major port on the bay, Puerto El Triunfo. Triunfo is a port city in decline. Most of the fisheries that we once here have moved out. It is clearly only a shadow of what it once was.
There is a small naval installation on the waterfront. With Arthur's help, we gained permission to tie alongside their vessel for protection from the barnacle-encrusted piers as much as from thieves. The sailors were warm and friendly. They even laughed when the boys posed to have their photo taken.From there the boys took a tricycle taxi to the malecon while we all walked alongside. The driver Chiba was the man who helped Arthur and Susan the most when they were trying to resurrect Suvuka. Naturally we invited him to sit with us and enjoy the live music when we got to the restaurant. Once there, we rehydrated and had some complimentary crab soup. Delicious!
After we were sated, we decided to stroll around town and get a feel for how people lived here. We spent about an hour wandering the neighborhood streets. The people were very friendly and eager to talk with us. The cemeteries here are much less ornate than Mexican ones, but they still show similar tendencies to large crypts with fences and painted facades, if in slightly more somber hues. Everyone seemed to be raising pigs and chickens and geese, with the occasional goat thrown in for good measure. The piglets had basically free reign to wander. It's a wonder anyone knows whose is whose.
Eventually, we found our way back to the waterfront. With the requisite half-dozen pepsis for our friends the navy, we arrived at the end of the pier and headed back out into the bay. This time we had Arthur with us as guide, and as usual, we zoomed ahead of T/T Learnativity. Arthur directed us around a corner of mangroves, and we ducked out of the way to try our hand at ambushing. Unfortunately, it was only well after we'd passed them that we realized that we were way off track. We had a little dinghy pow wow and decided to retrace our steps. Then a couple minutes later, we got a call over the VHF.
Our friend Wayne was having some issues with his outboard losing oil, so we took up their painter and began the long journey back. We tried a couple of times to get up on plane, but even though Shiva can tow a wakeboarder, she can't quite make it happen with another dinghy and nine people total. Darkness fell as we made our way over the last 7 miles back to Barillas. Kira and Julia serenaded us with camp songs and Phillip convinced me to give an a capella rendition of "Black Swan".
It was about 7:30 p.m. when we dropped Wayne and the girls at Learnativity. We were all pooped, but what a great day!!
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