March 19

A free day! Not just to play on the water slides but a day to clean, and get laundry done. The park is full of children today and we are blessed with a group of teenagers by our camper. So, what do you do???? We are out there trying to communicate and it was fun as we wanted to be understood. The kids just as much as us..... names, ages, where we are from and where we are going, we brought out the maps, as we talked to eachother, back and forth in halting english and poor spanish. They, as interested in us as we were in them.

Since we leave tomorrow, crossing into Mexico and needing to be rid of raw meats and fresh vegetables, tonight is a group meal called "Stone Soup"organized by the wagonmaster and tailgunners.

March 18

Up and out early....we're on the bus to Chichicastenago! Love that word...it's one to dance or sing to, Chi Chi Caste nago! And shopping and absorbing the local flavors at the wonderful indian market. Lunch was traditonal, typical, local foods, .....grilled meats, rice, beans, squash, fruits. Delicious! Then back on the bus for the long ride back to Auto Maricosa, by way of Lake Atitlan.

March 17

Off on another excursion with the local guide on a bus to Antiqua. Walked the town, learning it's history, politics,etc. and visited the Jade factory and museum and shop. Fascinating! After lunch we toured the Macadamia farm....a real character from the states led us around, expounding the virtous of the macadamia nut and we ended in the little show room where we were offered free facials with the oils(not greasy) from the nut and ofcourse an oppertunity to purchase some of their products...oils, creams, and chocolate covered macadamia nuts! We checked into a lovely hotel with beautiful courtyards. It's a town to come back to.....

March 15-16

Another border day! Back to Guatamala! To Amatitlan and the Auto Maricos.... it's a water park! The kind with many pools and slides of all shapes and sizes. Hot tubs, wave pool, kiddy poolsand lap pools......And a free day just to hang and play!

March 15

March 11-14 El Salvadore

Another border crossing day....always dreaded, but today we were pleasantly surprised by the quickest crossing yet. Apparently the local tour guide, "jorge", has a competition going with himself to better each crossing time. So we eliminated a night in another gas station parking lot and drove directly to the Tesoro Beach Hotel at Costa Del Sol....a long drive but worth it! We now have a free(?) day. An extra Beach Day! Another one of those little things I enjoy so much!

Our "campsite" is a pasture next to the hotel and we had a few bewildered cows wandered in but "real cowboys" rescued them from us monsters. I am sure our rigs, in a ring around the field, is an awesome site! The hotel is vertually empty....literally only one or two guests and a whole beevy of employees. It's beautiful! So, we are enjoying the pool, the WiFi, and the surroundings..........our own private resort!

Sunday, we boarded the bus and were transported into San Salvadore with our guide Jorge(www.tourinelsalvador.com, leading. The "Red" party was rallying so there were truck loads of red T-shirted folks waving red flags in the streets, in another part of town the cabellaros were prancing along on their beautiful horses festooned with ribbons and flowers. We visited the Cathedral Metropolitan and the amazing "Iglesia el Rosario". And ofcourse we had to shop, so we visited the Mercado Central and Mercado National de Artesanias. I bought a little painted folding table which I'll probably have to sleep with because we are getting quite crowded in our little camper with all our wonderful T shirts and hammocks and ofcourse "Omar" the flamingo. We ended the day with a visit to Pupusa central. We watched the making of and a few of us ate the "national dish" of El Salvadore, Pupusas.

March 10

Another border crossing...back into Honduras. These days are lost as we sit at the border waiting most of the day. And tonight we are rewarded! We are in a parking area of the Hotel Hacienda Gualiqueme where there is a lovely pool setting with out door snack bar, free Wi-Fi and best of all laundry service! We have come to really appreciate these immenities, especially on border crossing days when we sit and endlessly wait and then stand in hot and dirty parking lots lines to get our passports stamped.....