El Salvador With My Family

     Austin and I left for Fort Lauterdale, Florida from the O'Hare, Chicago Airport at 5PM May 28. Nine hours, two planes, some airport food, a few naps, and a taxi cab ride later, we arrived in El Salvador at my family's house. The whole time we spent with them is a blur of fun adventures and incredible experiences. So I will summarize as best I can, everything that happened. We showed up on my parent's doorstep at 2AM so after that we crashed in the downstairs bedroom. My sisters woke me up at 6AM to say hello to me and goodbye before they left for school. We slept in late that day but when we finally got up, the excitement was ready to begin. That first day, we went to the American Embassy in El Salvador which my parents happen to live very close to and played in the pool for hours with my little sisters. Savana cut her toe really deep but it didn't even phase her and as soon as the lifeguard had some gauze and waterproof tape over her wound, she was right back in the water playing again.

     I believe the next day Austin, my mom and I went to the Museum of Art in El Salvador. I was very impressed, although the exhibit was not especially large, there were some incredible pieces of artwork. I think that same day we hiked Puerta Del Diablo. The hike wasn't very long or strenuous but it was very fun.The days kind of blend together for me after that. At some point, we all went to an incredible house, right on one of El Salvador's beaches. The ocean water was so warm! I could have bathed in it. We spent two days there, boogey boarding and playing in the sand. Or occasionally walking down the street to pick up an ice cream or a treat. I have tried some wonderful ice cream in El Salvador and let's not forget Fresa Mirinda! (For those of you who have yet to experience Fresa Mirinda, it is the best strawberry soda in the world.)

     Another day we spent at a water park in El Salvador. It was a blast! I'm not sure that all of the slides would have been acceptable in the states, and Savana and I did get stuck once, but I can't remember having a better time at a water park. And of course there was the wave pool. It didn't run very often, but when it did it ran for a long time and the waves were huge! I took before pictures of my tan (or lack therof, see below) so hopefully at the end of the trip, I'll have a little bit more color! One slide, was kind of small but at the end, instead of going directly into the water, it just dropped off a few feet above it. Everyone went a little crazy on that slide, especially since there was no attendant there. My sisters were going upside down, backwards, legs crossed, spinning, and even riding on my dad's back! We polished that day off with a couple ice cream cones and headed home.

     One really interesting thing Austin and I got to do was meet the Ambassador of El Salvador. She was very friendly and gave us both hugs. She told us the best things to do in El Salvador and gave us some hot tips for Guatemala too. Eventually, though, my family needed to leave and we all said goodbye. All in all, it was an incredible visit. Thank you so much to my parents for letting us stay there and doing so so much to make our stay unforgettable. It will be.