this is the same volcano we can see from our boat sometimes

Yes, I realize that I need something new everyday to keep my spirits up. At least for 5 months at a time - then I want a little routine and my 'stuff' around. What's a girl to do?

Alegria was BEAUTIFUL! A small, very hilly, cobblestone street town in the mountains, actually � up a volcano (1200 meters), as most mountains here are volcanoes. We were going to be really adventurous and take the 4 buses it takes to get there but luck would have it that Jan, our Canadian friend (cruiser turned local), wanted to go too and was willing to drive. Mike & Mon sv Windy City also wanted to go so we had a nice group. The 2 hour drive (3 when stopping to take pictures) got us there around noon. It was a treat to drive up into the mountains with the green, green foliage getting thicker and thicker as mountains got closer and closer and the temperatures get cooler and cooler!
We opted to stay at Cartagena - a hotel that only had cabanas with spectacular views down the mountain to the Rio Lempa and other green covered volcanoes and lowlands. The hotel also had extensive beautiful tropical gardens, which reminded Mon of her home in Thailand. She & I both love flowers so we (and Scott) had a real treat walking the mazes of lush & colorful gardens. The hotel also was home to a large collection of animals (in cages): rabbits, foxes, porcupines, squirrels, many colorful tropical birds and one 'free-range' cute cat who, I noticed, was wearing a collar with a bell - most likely to warn all the caged animals of his presents. We joked that the rabbit dish on the menu in the restaurant came from one of the cages but all the rabbits were still there after lunch- we didn't count the chickens. Barring all the bugs in the cabanas I was impressed with the rooms since they had more towels then the others we had been in: a bathmat so you don't slip on the tiled floor, a hand towel and 3 bath towels so I had one for my hair! The shower water was heated with the common 'shower head water heater' (see pic): it works pretty well though seeing all the exposed wires is scary especially the ground wire that isn't attached to anything, maybe that is why I got a little electrical 'zap' when I accidentally touched the holes where the water comes out!
On our way into town for a look-see we gave a ride to 3 middle-aged Salvadorian women and once we got to the town square we found out why: some of the streets are REALLY steep - Scott says they would make expert ski runs with some snow (luckily it doesn't snow up there). The town is the cleanest we've seen so far and most of the buildings kept in decent shape. All the bottoms of the telephone posts are painted red with a happy word painted in white like 'respecto', Amidstad, dignity, etc (in Spanish & English). Alegria boosts 150+ 'Viveros' - flower nurseries so most houses and little stores have a section of pretty plants for sale. The houses are painted different colors with interesting sidewalks along the steep streets. We ran into a museum/tourist center and wound up setting up a hike up to the top of the volcano. Scott & I had forgotten about the hike to the top to see a lake that had formed in the caldera of the volcano! We immediately went back to the hotel to rest up before coming back into town for a nice steak dinner and off to bed early.
The next morning our hike started in town up a couple of steep streets then the houses and cooblestones turned to trees, coffee plants and a rocky path going up, up, up. The going is slow especially for us sea-level-don't-get-as-much-exercise people but we made it to the top with our 2 local guides and one of their friends, Carlos, who had just finished college to be a tourist guide. After a nice rest and a bunch of picture taking 1 of the guides took Jan & Mike back down while the rest of us continued on for a bit more. Walter our guide and Carlos lead us along the ridge, coming to a cellphone tower at one point where we met the military guys guarding the place. They were very friendly and even offered to let us climb up the tower. I said no thinks but told them I'd like to see them go up - they laughed! We also saw a shot up small abandoned building left over from the Civil War.
The 5 of us had a nice hike to some better picture taking spots above the lake and a fun time back. Carlos and Walter both speak as much English and we speak Spanish so we had fun trying to communicate while hopefully learning some more words. We also ran into some pretty horses, one with a foul, and some local people: men tending their coffee plants and an 80(?) year old women carrying a large bundle of wood on their backs - all very friendly.
Jan bought some plants for her land and we did the usual 'grocery run' on the way back to the Bahia. We also ran into a funeral on the street: a lot of solemn people walking or riding in cars and trucks following the coffin. There was an impressive amount of people some who happily helped Jan's truck out of a huge hole that we ran literally 'into' in our attempt to pull off the road for the precession.
It was a great trip, we were glad we went and got to see some different parts of El Salvador, got to know Mike & Mon better and get a little relief from the heat at the coast.