El Salvador, the birthplace of my dad and the most beautiful country I have ever been to. With its warm ocean, green forest, and beautiful people, what more could you want? My family and I came here in the summer of 2018 for a huge family party. To start the trip off we arrived at SFO to find out our flight was four hours delayed due to the fires that were happening all around California.
Just a little hiccup wasn’t going to stop our excitement. We finally took off and it was so surreal to have more than 10 members of my family all on a plane together. When we walked out of the airport you could smell the tropical air and hear the birds singing. We were greeted by my family that had made it a day before us. We all piled into a van and off we went to the hotel. My cousins and I were so tired but so excited to see the country where our grandparents and grandparents were born.
Our first night we arrived at the hotel and were told we have 20 minutes to get read. When we came down we had a car that was going to take us to a stop the listen to live music and grab some drinks. After a six-hour flight with a four-hour delay, I think it was safe to say we needed one….or two.
The next day we woke up early to head to Suchitoto where our grandparents are from. It’s a small town with a lot of history. My family came to the states originally due to a civil war going on in El Salvador in the 1980s. Our first stop was to where my grandma and her 16 brothers and sisters lived. Her brother and his family still live on the property but he has built a new home. There is a long stoned driveway that our grandparents would have to walk barefoot sometimes to get to the school bus. So our parents thought it would be a great experience for us to do the same walk, but with shoes on. So we hoped out of our rent-a-car and started the walk. It was hot and the walk was long. But it was an amazing feeling to do the same walk as our grandparents once did. When we finally made it up to the house we were welcomed with fresh coconuts and different assortments of Salvadorian fruit.
Our next stop in Suchitoto at the local church where my grandma and tia were married, as well as the same church where my dad was baptized. We all had a big surprise waiting for us when we got there. My grandma’s sister who has an orphanage in Bolivia wasn’t going to come, but little did we know she was there to surprise us.
I was a couple days later and it was time for my uncle’s big 50th birthday party. It was the most amazing night. We all got to dress up in beautiful gowns and meet family I’ve only heard stories of. So after a fantastic night of dancing and celebrating my uncle, it was time to pack up and head to the beach house. I felt like royalty when we arrived. We had the hotel staff there with us so they prepared all our food and the ocean was our backyard. We would have coffee in the morning and afternoons while on the beach. It was an incredible experience.
We were coming to an end of our trip and one of our last stops was heading to our cousin’s restaurant on a volcano, that’s right a volcano. We were so high we were above the clouds. This restaurant is known for its amazing food as well as its two massive saint bernards. I just laid next to them, I couldn’t help it they were the sweetest.
It was a sad day, I was leaving and the rest of my family was staying. I had to start school and move into my new house, so I had to leave a couple days early. However, I want so many people to visit El Salvador! This countries beauty is unreal. The seafood is unreal, and the culture is unreal. Don’t miss out on this country.
Annalycia's Travel Blog 