El Salvador
December 22nd - 27th
We really got to travel in El Salvador much differently than we have ever traveled through any country before and it was all because of the the Parker-Lemus family. They were so kind! We met Mayte back when we were working for Vantage Point and backpacking in the Uintah´s and now her family not only let us stay in their house during our time there...but they treated us like royalty!!! When we arrived after our long bus journey, their chauffeur was there to greet us with a sign that said "Welcome Matt and Shauna." When we arrived at the house we were greeted warmly by the whole family and were offered snacks and fresh lemonade. This graciousness lasted the entire time we were there. They had maids that would wake us up each morning to let us know our breakfast was ready, and by the time we ate and got back to our room, our bed was made and the room was cleaned.
We were pampered the whole time. They planned each day meticulously so that we could see the best sights in the best possible way. We went to some of the finest restaurants in El Salvador and they were so sweet to cover all the costs. They took us to their beach house and let us stay at their lake house, for our own private Christmas getaway. Besides the amazing sight seeing that we got to do, we were also able to go to many family parties and experience some of the traditions they have. The Parker family and all of their extended family were some of the nicest people we've ever met in our lives. As we finally said our last goodbye's to all of the family at our last family get together, the grandmother turned to us and said "Next time you visit Central America, only come to El Salvador to be with us, you have family here now!" I think that sums up how sweet they are! It was definitely a Christmas to remember!
La Libertad Beach
Their beach house was amazing. They had these man-made pools in the ocean so during low tide you could be in the pools and watch the waves crash over the rocks! We also went over to the ocean for a while. They bought food and played music the whole time and made a party of it all.
Our Romantic, Christmas Getaway!
For Christmas they wanted us to have a nice romantic get away. We started by going to a really good Mexican restaurant with Mayte and her parents. After dinner they took us up to their beautiful lake house that sits at the top of an old inactive volcano called Guatepeke. Their lake house sits right on top of the volcano and also right by the lake. We spent the night outside enjoying the scenery then watched a movie before bed. The next morning a man that the Parkers hired to take us around the lake picked us up in his boat and we were off to see the whole lake. It was amazing to see how big and fancy some of the lake houses were, then to see the poor people out doing there laundry in the lake. It reminded us that not all people live like the Parkers do in El Salvador. After the boat ride we ate lunch and got ready to leave this little piece oh heaven. It was truly a romantic get away that we will never forget.
Lake inside the top of a Volcano Crater, makes for a really cool area.
The family parties were definitely a highlight of El Salvador. They all started and ended the same way....with a hug and a kiss on the cheek from everyone that was there and yes there was a lot of people. We got to enjoy Mayte's birthday party, the Christmas party, and other family get-togethers. There was some sort of party every night we were there. There was great food and great music, especially the mariachi group that came on Christmas night. A group of 3 men showed up at the door at about midnight and began to sing, play the guitar and dance for about an hour. It was really fun to be able to experience that first hand.
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| Matt, Mayte, Me |
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| Mayte, always crackin jokes! :) |
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| View from their pool. (backyard) |
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| Francesca |
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| Teresa |
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| Vanessa and her boyfriend |
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| Here is Matt and I just eating this all up! |
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