Suchitoto and Gluttony

Tuesday we set off for the quaint little village of Suchitoto where we first bought some souvenirs, ate ice cream, and then set off for the lake of Suchitlán. We took a lovely lancha ride across the lake to various islas that each had a story. One isla (that we didn´t actually visit) had a hermit living on it in a cave for 14 years. Another is the island of the enamorados, who all go there on Valentine´s day.

The best island was the isla de los pájaros (bird island), because hundrds of birds breed there. For some reason, they don´t go to any other island, making it quite a loud, smelly, sight-seeing spectacle. After a brief scare that we might have to paddle back, we set off and arrived ashore just fine. Not really much drama at all, in fact!

As we walked back to town, Ana and Haydee pointed out a whole bunch of dormilonas, or sensible plants. If you´ve never played with them before, you´re really missing out. The second you touch one of the leaves, al the leaves snap shut in this slow ripple effect that is great! It has the addictive power of bubble-wrap, so we didn´t leave until all the leaves were closed!

At night we went to this amazing buffet where they served all the traditional Salvadoran foods. We ate tamales, enchiladas, pupusas, and lots of other delicious and not-so-delicious foods that I don´t know the names of. We also drank atoles, chocolate, horchata, and some texturally-weird juice with plenty of seeds and chunks. Wow, were we ill, but it was definitely worth it!