El Salvador, Day 7 – El Boquerón Volcano

After attending The Union Church of San Salvador (international non-denominational church) this morning, Lucy hopped on a bus to Guatemala to do some adoption networking there.  Our housemate Jen and I got the better end of the deal and ventured out to hike up the volcano that sits northwest of the city.

The present-day crater sits in the wide hump to the left, named El  Boquerón (”Big Mouth”).  The taller peak to the right is Picacho (”Peak”).  It was formed by a violent eruption about 800 years ago and used to contain a lake.  Then there was another eruption in 1917 (the most recent one), and the lake evaporated and a small cone appeared in the bottom of the crater.

The sides of El Boquerón are covered by beautiful (and large) plants.  The people who live on the mountain sell flowers, berries and food to tourists who come.  Jen bought a bouquet of very large calla lilies for $1.  I found a comparable bouquet online in the U.S. for $80!  But here, they grow wild, and the girl who sold Jen her flowers couldn’t believe how much we pay in the U.S.

Before heading back, we took a few pictures of San Salvador from the volcano, since up till today, we’d always been down below looking up.

Now it’s time to pack everything back up.  It’s hard to believe the trip is almost over – it went so quickly!  Looking forward to coming back because even in a week, I’ve come to love this country.