AMAZING BEAUTY - PARQUE IMPOSIBLE

WATERFALL  (photo by Neal)

(Back-left ) Me, Juliet, Guide, Margarita, Guide( Front-left) Neal, guide Manolo,boy

Gorge looking down

Friend Neal High Diving

     Parque Imposible is a National Park of incredible beauty about 2 hours west of the Capital, San Salvador.  I went with friends from my Spanish Language School for a long hard hike down wet slippery Jungle slopes to an awesome Cascada (waterfall).  The Park has over 8,000 acres of pristine and lush forests full of very challenging hikes.  It was named "Imposible" because it once had a terrifying gorge where people and animals fell to their death while crossing it to carry their coffee crops to market in the south.  We had 3 guides who took us on the challenging hike about 2 hours down to the waterfall and then 2 hours back up again. Friends Margarita and Neal went with our guide Manolo, and another guide on the most challenging hike, and descent to the lower waterfall where they high dived into the water.  They were awesome!

VIEW FROM TACUBA

     There are over 400 Tree Types, many kinds of Flora and Fauna, over 400 Bird species as well as Butterflies and many Mammals found no where else in El Salvador.  The waterfalls range from about 6 feet to 39 feet tall.  There are also 8 rivers in the Park.
     We based ourselves in the town of Tacuba which has beautiful vistas of the mountains and volcanoes.  I want to thank my friend Neal for the use of his awesome photos!

ATACO MURALS and BEAUTY

     Ataco is another special village along the "Ruta de las Flores" (  Flower route).  I loved the artistic flavor of this place which features the beautiful murals of an artist named "Axul". I enjoyed walking around the town and seeing the murals by Axul and other Salvadoran artists.  This whole coffee growing area has had a "Coffee Renaissance" with Salvadoran tourists looking for the perfect cup of coffee.  It is difficult to describe the beauty of this area without including a photo of some local school boys I talked to.

JUAYUA," SEMANA SANTA" (Easter week)

ALFOMBRA (street painting)

PALM SUNDAY MORNING

CHILDREN PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION

ALFOMBRAS DOWN THE STREETS

CHRIST IN PROCESSION

    Juayua is a beautiful Colonial Village in the cooler mountains of Western El Salvador.  It used to be a major coffee producing area until prices decreased in the 1990s, and the creative people started a popular food & artisan festival on weekends.  A friend & I had a 10 day Easter break from Language School so we decided to travel by local buses through the "Ruta de Las Flores" (the flower route).  I will talk about other villages on the Flower Route in the next couple weeks.  On Palm Sunday morning,(the Sunday before Easter) the children line up on each side of the streets holding palm fronds. We saw fantastic street paintings called "Alfombras." which are made from all natural materials.  People stayed up all night Saturday to create them.  Then on Sunday evening there was a large Procession of men carrying a very heavy carved wood platform with Jesus and the cross from the main Cathedral walking all over the "Alfombras".  It is truly a fleeting and living art form.  I have never seen anything like this in all my travels.  The Procession included ladies carrying candles, a band, and most people in the village (including us..the only 2 Gringas(foreigners) in town) walking until late at night.

LOS CHORROS DE LA CALERA

TOP OF WATERFALL

     We also hiked with a guide to awesome waterfalls called "Los Chorros de la Calera".  It was a difficult hike with slippery rocks and steep ravines, and I was very happy to have our guide's young nephew and friend to help.  We dived in the water, and had fun swimming & playing with the kids.

     Wishing you all a Blessed and Peaceful SPRINGTIME!!!!  with a picture of Beauty here in Western El Salvador.
     

INDIGO ....a Natural Dye.....El Salvador

                                                                        INDIGO ARTIST

     Indigo is an herb plant that grows wild in Central America.  It was a main export crop in El Salvador between the 16th-19th centuries  until Coffee took over in 1872.  In the Colonial period only nobles could wear indigo dyed clothes daily, and others only during Festivals.  Today everyone can wear "denim" blue jeans that have indigo dyed cotton yarn.  Indigo natural dye has regained popularity even though artificial chemical dyes are widely used.  Indigo is environmentally friendly.

The Blue House

     I visited an Indigo artisan that lives in a pretty "Blue" house in a small village, Santiago Nonualco.  She uses cotton fabric because it takes the natural dye best.  Every Indigo artist has unique designs, and no two designs are the same.

     They must first gather the Indigo leaves and a few branches which are then piled up, and they macerate the leaves and branches in water for 12-14 hours until the water turns a green-blue color.  The next step is to agitate the water until it foams white and then let it rest until the next day.  The indigo dye forms a sediment at the bottom of the water that is gathered using sponges.  At this stage its a semi-liquid, and it can be filtered through a cloth until a dark blue paste is formed.  Then it is dried out into a powder in order to store the dye for later use, or it can be added to very hot water for dying the cotton fabric.

The Clay Artisans of ILOBASCO

Erik's wife paints

Tiny miniature clay figures for the "Sorpresas (surprises

Talented Lucia paints miniatures

Lucia & friend paint beautiful miniature clay figures

Ilobasco vista

   Yesterday, I had a wonderful adventure by local bus to the town of Ilobasco which is famous for clay artisans who still make traditional pots and tiny clay miniatures called "sorpresas" (surprises).  Ilobasco is a mountain village where the Lenca Indigenous people lived until the Pipil tribes moved in at the end of the 15th c. , and absorbed their culture.  The Pipils called the town "Hilotaxca"(means place of elote(soft corn) tortillas.  Ilobasco remained mostly indigenous until well into the 18th c.
     Today, Ilobasco clay artisans have held on to their distinct Salvadoran style of beautiful colorful painted pots, vases, plates, and miniature surprises(for example, women selling flowers, or any scene of daily life here) inside a painted clay egg or tiny fruit.  I visited several artisan studios, and also a larger art cooperative called "Moje" which helps teens at risk especially those who have tried to stay out of gang activities.

                                                         Pedro making clay plates to paint

                              Erik

l would especially like to thank Erik and his family for inviting me into their casa (home) and clay studio.  He and his family work very hard each day, and still have time to share their time and hospitality with me.  Their life together is truly "art" and beauty combined.  I had fun with their son who is in the photo of the simple pottery kiln(oven) where they fire the clay pieces.  All their fine clay comes from the surrounding hills.  I saw so many beautiful people, and scenes to paint, and this is just the beginning of my journey.

Celebrations Salvadoran Style

    Saturday, I had the opportunity to share in the celebration with a small village who had fought 6 years for their rights to own and farm in a village(pueblo) not far away from the Capital of San Salvador.  They named their pueblo "Romero" in honor of Oscar Romero who worked for the rights of poor people in El Salvador.  They celebrated Mass, creative acting drama with humor and break dancing from their youth group, and food with Cis, our Language School.

                                                               

                                                             Break Dancers, Pueblo Romero

                                                               Music Concert Verde(green)UCA                                                    

A "Love" Wall, Santa Ana, El Salvador

      Today, I went with a friend from Language school to visit her Salvadoran friend's family in Santa Ana.  Santa Ana is about 2 hours from San Salvador by local bus.  I loved the charm and tranquil atmosphere.  There is a great restored Cathedral and Theater around the Plaza.  The Plaza is full of friendly families, and lots of little stalls to try fresh fruit juices and local treats.

Monsenor Romero Remembered March 24

     Oscar Arnulfo Romero is one of the great Heroes and Saints of our world along with Ghandi, Martin Luther King, J.F.Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela.  All of them worked for Human Rights and better conditions for the poor without promoting more violence.  He was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador in 1977, and then his friend Rutilio Grande was assassinated soon after for organizing the poor.  This tragic event led Monsenor Romero to speak out loud on the injustices, repression,and death squad murders against the poor by the ruling government.  On March 24, 1980 he was assassinated in the Chapel of the Divine Providence Hospital after a sermon calling on the government soldiers to stop killing innocent people.  Later during his funeral at the National Cathedral of San Salvador the government troops fired on and bombed mourners.

     I marched in solidarity last night with my friends, the brave Salvadoran People, and people around the world who want to remember Monsenor Romero and all that he said and also did for the poor and opressed.  We want to remember that today these acts of violence and social abuse continue in our world.  Last night there was a huge full moon that only comes once every 20 or 30 years, and it lit the path of our journey to the Cathedral together while we were singing and saying out loud that Romero Lives!  JUSTICE lives!!   Peace!
     *** If you are interested, there is an excellent book,"Oscar Romero- Memories in Mosaic" by Maria Lopez Vigil published by Epica.