Ruta de las Flores

I arrived in El Salvador at the San Salvador airport and was driven directly to Juayúa.

It was about 2.5 hours, starting with the freeway and ending on a slow winding road into the mountains of the Cordillera Apaneca.

We went past large construction projects funded by China…

Ruta de las Flores (Flower Route), named after the variety of seasonal flowers, stretches about 80 km.

I stayed in Juayua (why-YOU-ah) and Ataco (A-tak-oh), colonial towns with good infrastructure for visitors.

But visitors are still in the minority, and I enjoyed being immersed in the local town life.

The central plaza of these type of towns usually have a church and a park. So no surprise here!

Santa Lucia Church is known for its Black Christ with a dark complexion. This version was sculpted in 1580.

Park Dog

Hopeful Dog

Pharmacia Dog

Mercado Dog

Pupusas are a national dish! I liked the old-fashioned bean and cheese version but the variations were endless! And with enough cortido (lightly fermented crunchy cabbage and vegetable slaw) to count as a vegetable course!

Coffee is still a main crop in the area, but most of the plantations are owned by a few families. Capitalism has been promoted by their dictator Bukele, and there are American fast food chains everywhere.

In exchange for a very full prison and decreased civil liberties/free press, the country has gone from a murder capital to a place where I was safe to walk the streets.

To increase income the town has promoted its weekend food festival ’Feria Gastronómica’.

Friday night the tents started to appear and then Saturday it was a festive spirit.

I discovered Riguas, a sweet corn patty stuffed with melty cheese, steamed in a banana leaf, grilled and then drizzled with crema and a sharper cheese. Yum!

I had a private room at a Hostal which gave me a kitchen. And an opportunity to buy a whole papaya!

They also had just a regular supermarket.

I also heard Christmas carols in a store.

These ultra -compact Qute quadricycles (requiring a motorcycle license and plates) are everywhere! They top out at 70 km/h but that is plenty for local driving.

Despite the Spanish sounding name, they are made in India.