El Tunco

​Last night there was a storm in San Salvador when we were supposed to land, so instead we made an emergency stop in Guatemala. One day I’ll remember to not book flights that take off or land during the afternoon or evening during rainy season, because there’s ALWAYS rain! 

Thankfully we were only delayed two hours, and my driver that I had booked kindly waited for me. He drove me the one hour drive to El Tunco, a beach town dubbed “Surf City”, near the port city of La Libertad. I’m staying in a hostel called Canucks, which is a Canadian hostel apparently, hence the name. I was wrong about it not being a backpacker’s town, there’s hostels EVERYWHERE! I guess they just aren’t on Hostelworld, where I booked mine!

This morning I woke up starving, so I walked a block to a restaurant called La Esquina de Compadre for an iced coffee and desayuno tradicional. Oh, how I missed gallo pinto! 

After breakfast I walked to the beach to do some people watching. While it certainly is a surfer’s paradise – constant, crashing waves – the sweltering heat and excess of rocks was not ideal for an onlooker like me. After just 30 minutes, I headed back to the hostel to cool down. I got hungry and got some pesto pasta with shrimp to bring back to my hostel and eat while lounging in the pool, which seems to be the only way to eat without dripping sweat into your food!

After lunch my roommate, Alex, invited me to join him and his friend Noah to explore some other beaches in search of fewer rocks and more sand. We jumped on a public bus to find El Zonte, and while there certainly were fewer rocks there was such a high tide that the beach was basically gone! After meandering a bit, we decided we should head home instead of waiting out the tides because we were worried we would get trapped in the rain. 

Aaaaaand we were right! When we got back to the hostel I jumped in the shower and by the time I got out the heavens had opened. I’m writing this from my bed in my hostel where the thunder has actually shaken our room a few times. We are waiting it out before heading out to find ice cold beer and pupusas for dinner. 

El Tunco is a sweet, classic beach town. The streets are lined with shops selling tank tops and surf lessons and each wall is covered with brightly painted murals. I can tell the nightlife is very fun on weekends based on the number of bars that sit closed during the day. 

However, I’m feeling more inclined to spend my time exploring cathedrals, libraries, and small towns. Tomorrow I’m going to Juayua, which is one of the stops on the famous La Ruta de Flores. Even though I’m not doing La Ruta, I think it will be a nice place to stay for a few days. I think I will attempt taking public busses the whole way, instead of paying another $40 for private transport (busses are $1.50). Wish me luck!