Country #4

We have arrived in El Salvador after spending nearly a year and a half in Mexico.

We are at a marina in an estuary. The entrance to the estuary doesn't have a breakwater so you have to wait for high tide slack water to get in and then you still need a pilot to show you the way. There were 5 boats needing to cross the bar yesterday and we ended up being the first to cross. We were a little anxious but we bravely powered up to full throttle as instructed and aimed for the area of the breaking waves that seemed calmest. A waved picked us up and we were going almost 9 knots when the pilot says "You're over the bar!" What?? That's it? No surfing? Well that was easy. Hopefully getting out is as uneventful as getting in was.

We noticed that there were 4 people in the pilot boat that came out to direct us in. The driver, the pilot, an immigration officer and the port authority. Just how many countries welcome you by going out to sea to greet you while taking pictures of you and waving? So far we find El Salvador to be friendly and welcoming.

We plan to spend a few months here. The marina is also a hotel and they have a decent restaurant and a couple of pools to cool off in. We plan to do some inland travel but aren't sure where we'll go. I'd like to backtrack and go up to Guatemala. We spent a small amount of time there several years ago and enjoyed it.

A bottle of beer is $1 here. I think I will indulge.

Going south just keeps getting better and better.