TWO COUNTRIES: ONE ADVERTURE

Life changes abruptly, to the point that today we're in peace, tomorrow we could be in war. Similar to what happened in Ukrania. Families had to immigrate to different places in the world. They took only one piece of luggage, all their present and past were confined in a simple suitcase. They left their country not to travel for pleasure but because they were compelled to do so. We traveled to El Salvador and Guatemala, in a rush, but had the pleasure of sightseeing on the car ride. We got to see the lifestyle of people, the geography, especially the majestic mountains, got to see the volcanos' picks and the infinite sky, despite the tiredness and the drowsiness, we were awake for some time to see the beauty of the creation. 

Visiting the cities is to observe how people behave, taste their gastronomy, appreciate the architecture, take a quick look at the sculptures, which are vivid testimonies of events that had happed in specific periods in history. That is what we could see in El Salvador and Guatemala. One specific geography these two cities have in common is the splendorous mountains. In Honduras, the mountains have trees that are greenery, thriving, blossoming, and fruit-bearing. 

Staying at Royal Decameron is a pleasant experience because is an all-inclusive hotel. The Pacific Ocean is like a skirt for the complex. The rhythm of the waves and the wind blowing are a lullaby to the ears. The infinite view of the sky and the ocean water invites us to relax and deeply breathe the fresh air and exhale as a means to leave the turmoil situations to sink in the water.

Gastronomy is like a cultural experiment. Food talks about people’s tastes and distinguishes them culturally. El Salvador it is known for the “popusas.” They look like tortillas, but have beans, loroco, mozzarella cheese, and other ingredients that fill the dough, which is mixed together to make one delicious piece of food. The beans are of different colors in Central America, in Honduras, they are red, in El Salvador and Guatemala are black, having almost the same taste. In general, trying different food is getting a gist of the natives of a place. However, I stick with the food in Honduras, I love the “Catrachan” taste and the variety of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains that are harvested in the country.

Moving from one country to the other in two days is tiresome, but the sacrifice is worthy. The second country we visited was Guatemala. The landmarks, statutes, architecture, transportation, and the streets infrastructure are more modern when it comes to comparing Guatemala with other Central American countries. The hotel Holiday Inn is luxurious and neat; mainly I love the bedrooms, the beds are comfy and the beddings are soft. The room is tidy and the view is splendid. Visiting the museum is always a childlike experience. Seeing the animals interact in their captive habitat is a learning experience. Wow! It’s the expression that one utters when watching the penguins and the walrus swimming, the monkeys, who live in the community are all the time moving and scratching their heads. The aquarium’s tanks hold colorful and beautiful fish. One particular bird that called my attention was the flamingo because of the dark color of the feathers and the elegance of their legs and long neck. It is said that “flamingos ‘feather coloration comes from the food they eat. Males and females have the same coloration, which ranges in shade from pale pink to crimson depending on the species.”  The flamingo’s beak is long and black making a perfect combination with the feather’s color. Their legs are hidden in their body, and what’s visible are the knees. I love seeing the way they search for food in the pond, from which they get that attractive color.  

When it comes to talking about building relationships with people, I just loved the fact that I get to know more about those passengers that traveled together for three days. Holding small talks, sharing food, and getting to interact in different settings and situations. That’s the richness of the trip in itself.

Written by Irma R. Mendoza R. 

 

Museo Nacional de Antropologia Dr. David J. Guzmán

Historic Park at El Salvador

Royal Decameron, Salinitas

Pinky Flamingos

 

Guatemala City

 

Hello Everyone,

Our trip to El Salvador was terrific!  The whole landscape was breathtaking and lovely.  The historic city of El Salvador is like an open-page book, where you see the main buildings of the city, which talk about their past. I really admire how they preserve them.

At Royal Decameron, Salinitas, I appreciated the combination of two bodies of water: the long pool and the ocean, made a contrast of colors that delighted the eye and illuminated the soul.  I loved the birds´ concert in the morning and the sunrise, announcing a new day full of hope for the future.

The food was delicious! I got salads with all those kinds of cheese, being a cheese lover, I just devoured them.   The beans popusas were soft, which I accompanied with a frothy omelet.  I could continue talking about the exquisite gastronomy, but I'll leave it to you to share your experiences. 

Mostly, I loved to see you “yourselves” wearing beautiful outfits and sharing in the dining hall with your friends, talking about topics of your interest but not school.

The rooms were tidy, with that beautiful view to the ocean. I got up early to hear the melodic singing of the birds from the balcony and as the day waned, I listened to the lullaby of the wind at nighttime. 

Despite the full occupancy of the place, there was not noise, therefore sleeping like a baby became true in that ample-full of pillows bed. 

Gosh! I forgot the theater, the valet and the Hawaiian dance; those dancers are so energetic, that one forgets about everything and it’s so much into their arithmetic movements and extravaganza.

I appreciated the neatness of all the facilities.  I noticed the laborers work very early, raking leaves and cleansing the pool, sweeping and washing, for the place to welcome the guests in a new adventure.

I strolled along the beach, listening the roaring of the waves, hitting the rocks and feeling the sand getting through my sandals, whose texture is different than the Honduran beaches sand. It called my attention the color of the pebbles. They were brown and black, so I brought them as souvenir to reminisce the memories of this unforgettable-amusing experience.

Though many people drink to the satiety, others enjoy a soft drink that it is more to talk over it than leading to drunkenness.

All in all, the alluring of Royal Decameron invites to be visited again, though for now I feel just blissful for having had the opportunity to enjoy this breathtaking resort.

In our visit to Guatemala City I could appreciate that its architecture is slightly more modern than Honduras.  I was more impressed of their Peace Monument, Industrial Monument, and Christopher Columbus. The streets are intricate but still organized and something that amazed me was their neatness. I have been to Guatemala several times, but I had never noticed on their colorful buses, I just loved them! I also noticed that their tourism ministry building is huge, which is a signal, for me, that they invest their resources for the touristic promotion. 

Despite I have been in larger zoos, I love "La Aurora Zoo," especially the aviary. The birds were colorful, and I have never seen some of them. I had the opportunity to interact with them, feeding them their own food. They slightly bit my hand looking for food and flew over me. It was a twee experience!

I  loved the hotel building, especially its location because it was a walking distance to the restaurants and the mall.  The rooms are spacious and tidy! The beddings were neat and warm, so from there I just enjoyed watching TV very comfy. 

My review of the gastronomy is 10/10 because of the varied food and taste. I just would like to be there now to stuff my stomach with so much delicacy. I loved the juices, fruits, the omelet ingredients, the bread and coffee. Delicious!

In this trip I had the opportunity to share with my students on a different setting. Seeing them happy caused me a lot of contentment. As in any event, there are highs and lows, but pinpointing to most relevant-beautiful experience feels my heart of satisfaction. 

Culturally, I noticed that many Chapina women were wearing their indigenous customs in public, especially in the city, which is never seen in Honduras, except for special events in folkloric dance.  I love Chapinos´ Spanish accent! I learned the expression "no hay pena, o no tenga pena" which means “no hay problema.” Add more words as you remember, along with their meaning. 

Thanks for partaking in this memorable experience.

Love you all, 

Irma Ruth Mendoza Rosales

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