e!
There´s always something else to learn...
Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere...
and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere you find youself.
Keep trying, keep going!
WELCOME TO MY BLOG!!!
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Balls of fire in Nejapa - video
I hope after watching this people don't get scared of coming to El Salvador
ahahahahaha
remember, it was a show, and they do it every year
related: http://ethel.nomadlife.org/2008/09/balls-of-fire.aspx
Labels: El Salvador, Tourism, Travel
Que buen trip
Labels: El Salvador, Que Buen Trip., Tourism, Travel
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Balls of fire!
.Labels: El Salvador, Tourism, Travel
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Hiking: Volcán de Izalco.
I went hiking yesterday with Andres, one of my best friends and a person that I appreciate a lot, I would love to say that I took him to the volcano (because he’s from Guatemala and he came to visit) but to be honest, HE took ME hiking, he’s the expert (he’s been to the Kilimanjaro and going to Mont Blanc soon).
Yes, this post starts exactly the same as the previous one, but this post is about something different, this post is about how I consider that life is exactly as climbing a volcano... ok, maybe my life is like climbing this volcano.
We arrived at Parque Los Volcanes at 11:10, the guard told us that the group (that leaves every day at 11 am) left 10 minutes ago and that we should hurry to catch up. While I was putting all our stuff together, Andres was putting on all his hiking gear: shoes, waistcoat, something for his knees, a thing that controlled his heart bit, sticks and a backpack with a very cool water bag incorporated that allows you to drink water through a straw without stopping.
Now, why is climbing this volcano similar to life: Many reasons:
First off all, even though when he’s the expert, he let me lead the way, because he knew that if he was in front of me, we would have go too fast and I would have been tired. He stayed behind me most of the time, so that I would learn. He had our food and water in his backpack, I only had my camera in my pocket, and a stick in my hand, so that I would focus on walking.
Before actually climbing the volcano, you have to go down on the Cerro Verde hillside, and because you are going through a forest and focused on walking, you rarely see the volcano.
Once you are down, you see it, you see your objective and in that moment, you decide whether going after it... or chicken out.
As I started climbing (and after we took the fist pictures) that’s when I started thinking about my life and how similar it was to climbing the volcano: the road is VERY difficult, but also very easy sometimes. There are some points in which you cannot see the rest of the road, but if you walk few steps forward and pass a stone, you will see that you are still on the right way. There are other spots in which you have to choose whether taking a difficult shortcut or staying in the not-so-difficult long way. There are moments when you fall. There are many moments in which you have to stop just a little bit and drink water just to be able to keep going. There are moments when you see other people half way through and they cannot continue because they are too tired, but at the same time, there are others who already made it to the top, and you decide to stay with the first or go after the second group. And there are moments when you definitely need to rest.
Half way, my legs were shaking, my heart beat was very fast and the worst part is that (because Andres was wearing the thingy around his vest) I could hear his heart bit so normal! Damn it! I was almost dying and he was breathing normally. But he encourages me to finish what I’ve started.
So I walked and walked and drank water and walked and walked and walked. At some point I was desperate and inpatient so I was going as fast as I could and then... We were at the top: I WAS AT THE TOP OF THE VOLCANO!!!!! IT FELT SO GOOD!!! I was so proud of myself! It was so rewarding!
Again similar to life: it’s so good enjoying your success and when you are at the top, you have to go around it! (I mean around the crater). But then, it was time to come back down. This time Andrew leaded the way, apparently it was safer this way. I felt many times and then, the most difficult part: climbing the Cerro Verde... sh!t, I was so hard! But I made it through (I had to) and once we were done, Andres finished his life lesson stretching up our muscles.
My whole body hurts today, but I know it was worth it.
The good news is that climbing it wasn’t so bad, even for a person who is not in a good physical shape like me.
Next stop: El Camino del Inca. But I have to be in shape!
Labels: El Salvador, friends, Trips
Volcan de Izalco (fotos)
Turistiando (just being a toursit)
The trip started on Thursday, he arrived at around 1230 and I took him to Faisça do Brasil, a restaurant that (even for a person who doesn’t like meet, like me) is a most when you are in San Salvador. The funny thing is that when I saw Andres in Guatemala about a month ago, I told him he was a little bit over weight, but just a little bit, so he’s been on diet ever since hahahaha! But we ate so much!!!!!Then we hit the road. We went to San Blas, La Libertad (http://www.puertolalibertad.com/), and even though I spend most of my vacation days in there, with Andres in there, everything seemed different. We went to El Tunco, we saw people surfing, smoking pot and drinking/taking “sun in a can” (tomando sol en lata). We wanted to party that night but something better happened. We sat there facing the ocean and we talked, and then we enjoyed each other silence. Because that’s the thing, we can talk to each other, we know what is right and wrong about each other but we don’t judge. Because our friendship is based on the respect that we have for each other.
We went back at around 8 or 9. Yesterday, we woke up at around 9 am, took a shower and headed to Izalco. We climbed it, we came back, we climbed the Cerro Verde, we took millions of pictures, we ate sandwiches and pupusas (first the sandwiches and later, the pupusas) and suddenly it was over. We were at my house again, burning CDs with each other pictures and he went back to Guate.Pictures coming soon (hopefully)
Labels: El Salvador, friends, Trips
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Tourism in El Salvador
I am still interested, I've traveled to many places doing AIESEC work and I've realized the real impact that the tourism industry has in the development of societies. I think I have these two facts in favor: The economics background helps me to understand better and the fact that I've traveled, helps me understand what tourists are looking for when they travel.
On the other hand, it's extremely disappointing and challenging at the same time to realize that in El Salvador the tourism industry is just starting, plus the bad image that my country has makes the situation worse.
I just saw in the Discovery Travel and Leaving a show about the Holy Week celebration in Antigua Guatemala, and I can't help compare that with the same celebration in Sonsonate, Izalco or even San Salvador. Few days ago, in the Discovery channel, there was a program about the gangs… la salvatrucha… ay Dios mío, que tristeza… I bet they feel proud about it…
For example, we want to bring foreigners through AIESEC's Global Internship Program to El Salvador, but they think they won't be safe in here…
This is the challenge I have, let's see what will be my contribution, let's see this same things in few years
Labels: AIESEC, Countries, El Salvador, gangs, Guatemala, Travel, Trips
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Sept 15th
Today is the 186th anniversary of the Independence of El Salvador. Every year there is a huge celebration in many places of the country, high school students participate in the parades in major cities and towns throughout the country. Personally, I love the parades, since I was a little girl I used to go to Sonsonate with my whole family to see the parade it in that city. Now days we don’t go there anymore, but I see it now in San Salvador. The main parade takes place in place in the Mágico Gonzales Stadium. 22 Schools present their bands, “cheerleaders” (or at least the national version of cheerleaders) and their students. Only the best schools make it to the stadium. After that, the National Police presents a show. But what people really want to see, year after year, is the military presentation.
The military presentation is a parade that starts with the presentation of the Military School (University actually), they get in with their band and the crowd starts screaming! After the band, all the military units come in: the engineers, the marines, etc…
Then, the favorite part of the show: the simulations! This year they started with the simulation of an earthquake, they showed how they can establish a “hospital” in less than 10 minutes, they find the survivors and take them to this “clinic”.
Then the Salvadorian version of swat comes in, they show what they can do and the crowd loves it!
And the cherry of the ice cream, the parachutist and paratroopers.
Now the mangos... I was surprised by the fact that every moment can become a very important memory. I was eating mangos while watching the show today and although mangos are (supposed to be) from South East Asia, mangos are so common in El Salvador and represent a huge part of my childhood, that I couldn’t help it on remember...
Remember when in used to climb the mango trees at my previous house and at school, and at schools and having all nuns running after me because I was “putting my life in danger” just because I was climbing a tree... I was a hyperactive kid, and I don’t regret it... and the few moments where I was actually able to remain calm was when I was singing the national anthem or saying the Poem to the National Flag. And I learned that at home, not at school. The truth is that I do love my country... I love its places, I love the people... precisely that’s another reason to work in AIESEC, we send people abroad, therefore, more people around the world learn about El Salvador and the ones we send, are proud Salvadorian representatives.
Labels: El Salvador
Sunday, April 29, 2007
AIESEC El Salvador Roll Call
enjoy!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR5sxwa6dPA
Labels: AIESEC, El Salvador, rollcall
