The giant Rainbow Slide at The Picnic Steakhouse in Santa Tecla, just outside San Salvador, El Salvador. I paid the $5 to ride down the huge colorful hill after we had our nice steak lunch here.
Karen getting ready to be pushed over the edge and down the slide.
The Picnic Steakhouse also had a carousel.
This unusual carving also adorned the entrance. It was about 10' tall.
Jason checking out the mosaic castle on the grounds. Lots of interesting topiary here, too.
This tiny car in the lot was cute. It was really a challenge to find anywhere level to park in the lot, but the owner was nice enough to let us stay overnight. He even invited us in for free cappucinos in the morning.
Life-sized animatronic giraffes and elephants would start moving their heads and tails unexpectedly.
An old piano gets a new life as a planter.
Lake Ilopango, where we drove to join friends we'd met in Antigua. They stayed an extra day to wait for us to enjoy this lakeside parking spot. It was a steep, rocky road that took us half an hour to negotiate to get down to the water's edge.
A beautiful spot to spend a couple of days with nobody but a few locals around. We saw some agoutis scampering around in the morning, and a few big iguanas.
Jason and Remy discussing the issues of the world.
Liz and I sipped tequila and had our own discussions.
The lake was getting choked with uruasian milfoil, a bad weed we know from its invasion of Higgins and Houghton Lakes in Michigan. This horse just waaded in up to its chest and stuck its head into the water to rip out mouthfuls of the weed to munch.
Not a bad vista for a couple of nights.. The stuff in the water is a tilapia fish farm, no doubt contributing to the nutrients that feed the milfoil. We grabbed some free mangoes and limes from alongside the road on the way up and out.
Jason filling our water jug at the free drinking water station along the road. The round water jugs are very popular with the locals here.
We've learned to share the road with cattle.
We found a spot on iOvrlander that mentioned a big open area for parking at Laguna Jocotal near San Miguel. This rock-edged natural pool at the entrance was being enjoyed by local families.
The whole area is fresh water and wetlands.
People still take their boats to fish from here.
This big bull just waded into the water lilies to munch.
Karen after a morning swim in the water. That bull above is in the background here.
We dropped off our laundry in San Miguel and found this spot next to a park to spend the night. This cow was dragging its tether as it wandered through.
Just passin thru. It had to step carefully so as not to trip iiself.
Our next stop was Playa El Esteron, with this as our view from the van as a local fishing boat made its way out of the shallows through the surf.
These guys were getting ready to use this fan backpack to launch an airfoil.
The foil went up, then back down a few times, but the man never left the ground.
Our spot at Lake Aramuaca, an abandoned tourist club on a small caldera lake. Note the rope swing hanging from the tree branch. Lots of locals still use this area for swimming and washing.
Jason enjoying this beautiful site, with a volcano across the lake. At night, the cane toads hopped around.
The club buildings are falling into disrepair after being abandoned for years.
A beautiful view and good swimming. We saw some really unusual birds here (like the turquoise-browed mot-mot) and watched a bunch of green iguanas climb around on the vegetation below us here.
You can see the volcano across the lake in the haze.
Some local youths wanted to use the rope swing and climbed the tree next to us.
Caught mid-air as he jumped into the lake from the tree.
We stopped just before the border to spend the night at a local attorney's home. Antonay welcomes overlanders and speaks English; he does whatever he can to help travelers, and all for free. He just wanted a good review in iOverlander. He let us use his water and electricity. He had his secretary make us some copies of our passports and driver licenses because he knows it can be difficult to find copies at the border. He and his wife are gems and we really appreciated their hospitality. He told us his mother was widowed at 37 with 14 children and taught him you must help widows, children and orphans, the most vulnerable of society. He considers travelers in a foreign country to be vulnerable and tries to help if he can. He invited us back if we return, too, and offered to take uis to a mountain property he also owns where it is cooler..
Next stop Nicaraugua.
Jason with a fruit juice drink, awaiting our steak lunch.
Karen relaxing at Lake Aramuaca.
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