Not all who wander are lost: Day 1: We made it to El Salvador!

Day one: Thursday, July 2, 2015

Well, guess what... I’m back in El Salvador!!

I arrived this morning with 6 other people from my church that are a part of Westminster Presbyterian’s delegation. They include Bob Railey, Craig and Lanice Goettsch, Jordan Rhondes, Emily Moore, Troy Ikeda, and me. We’re a fabulous delegation if I might say so myself.

We haven’t done a lot today since we just got here. We made a quick stop for a pupusa lunch after leaving the airport. That first bite into a real Salvadoran pupusa is always heavenly! Then we headed to the artisan market to shop around for souvenirs and gifts for other people. The market isn’t huge, but it’s packed with all sorts of souvenirs you’d want to take home.

Our one historical journey today was to the Memorial Wall in Parque Cuscatlán. The wall is a monument to memory and truth; a remembrance of all the civilians who were murdered during the Salvadoran Civil War. On the wall are the names of 30,000 civilians who were officially declared murdered during the Civil War. However, at least 75,000 innocent civilians were killed during the war. The remaining civilians have yet to be declared “officially” decreased. On the wall, the names of those murdered were listed by year, staring in the 1970s when tensions were mounting between the government/military and the campesinos (peasants) of El Salvador. The wall also lists various massacres that occurred around the country during the war.

I love having the opportunity to visit these important history sites again and again. I always learn or see something new. The perspectives of the delegates and their thoughts are unique. And my pictures are always different.

In the evening we ended up at our hotel/hostel, Los Pinos. We got checked in and then took a quick walk to a restaurant down the street named El Sopón Típico. I had planned on a bean soup, but somehow ended up with rooster soup. I was a little weary because of my own rooster, Chelito, who I raised in the past when I lived in El Salvador in 2011. But the soup was tasty. When we finished we wandered back to the hotel and turned in for the night.

I believe it’s time for bed. Tomorrow is another long day.
I feel I might be saying that several times this week.