Article / Content Title:

Synopsis /  Author Bio

Hugeaux is an artist, photographer and world traveler

Author's Name

Hugeaux

Phone

Web Site

www.hugeaux.com

Email

CLICK HERE

PART #4

DAY #4
6:00am (CST)
Hotel Villa Florencia
San Salvador, El Salvador
February 10, 2013, Sunday

I slept very well last night. As well, I believe that the mist from the Pacific Ocean placed me in a deep sleep. I dreamt of La Libertad and the beach. This morning I shall catch the bus to El Congo, El Salvador. The name of this town fascinates me, as it is the same name of the country in Africa. I shall like to know how did the name come about…was it because of the discovery of gold? It is quiet this morning. I heard very few buses and taxis on the road. I shall have a quick breakfast at the bus terminal before I take the one and one half hour trip from San Salvador to El Congo. I think that I shall have to catch 2 buses. I was very apprehensive about this trip to El Salvador, but I’m glad I came. I can hear the sounds of the locales moving about so I must get started. I shall completely exhaust myself today.

7:00am (CST)
San Salvador, El Salvador
February 10, 2013, Sunday

I got lost this morning. I took the wrong bus from one terminal to the other as I was told that I was headed in the wrong direction. I was at Terminal Oriental(east) when I suppose to be at Terminal Occidente (west). But the ride to the other station was very pleasant as the driver had the sounds of DLG (Dark Latin Groove) blasting from his radio and I was singing along. It is a bit nippy this morning.

8:30am (CST)
El Congo, El Salvador
February 10, 2013, Sunday

I am writing tis entry while sitting at the ruins of an old train station. The ride north from San Salvador through the mountains is very breathtaking. El Congo is a beautiful town and I hope to get to the back roads and photograph much of the people’s lives. I shall start by following these abandon railroad tracks.

9:15am (CST)
El Congo, El Salvador
February 10, 2013, Sunday

I have the pleasure of writing this entry while sitting high in the hills of El Congo. I followed a country road when I got off the railroad tracks and I headed in the direction of the mountain. I am under a huge mango tree. I was startled by the growls of a dog. I can hear the sounds of small villages in the background along with chickens. This is a beautiful sunny cool Sunday. It is very peaceful. I see bamboo. Mango is everywhere, guava and mosquitoes. I am in the jungle. Men with machettes are passing by as they chop their paths throughout the jungle. The sounds of the tropical birds are everywhere.

11:00am (CST)
El Congo, El Salvador
February 10, 2013, Sunday

I am writing this entry while sitting on the streets of El Congo. I went all over El Congo, into the mountain & jungle trails. Some jungle trails made me question, but I was thinking if they are trails, some man has made them and they are very well traveled, so I went. I tried to get far away from the center of El Congo, to really photograph this beautiful jungle – mountainous area of El Salvador. Once again, the people were most surprised to see a black man, as I, to see them. Mostly everyone walks with a machete. Wood is piled high in all the houses, due to the fact of mosquitoes. I can hear the roosters and turkeys competing for the mountainous air. The sky is so blue up here. I think I may have lunch in El Congo. As I look to the left I can see a group of children sneaking behind a building to take a look at a black man.

12:30am (CST)
El Congo, El Salvador
February 10, 2013, Sunday

I am writing this entry while sitting high in the jungle – mountains under a huge orange tree. I ate lunch on the streets in El Congo and decided afterwards to walk in the other direction. Well, I found myself walking further and further up the mountain until I saw this spectacular view. I passed people whose skin was darker than mine, but not Nubian black. Once again it is very peaceful up here. As I look around me I see nothing but jungle, mountains and valley. I see families gathering in the valley villas for Sunday dinner. Not a cloud in the sky. The dirt roads of El Congo remind me of El Carmen, Peru. I spent 4 hours exploring the richness of El Congo. El centro – El congo is mainly a place for vendors, similar to La Libertad and San Salvador. But I can feel the tranquility of the people as they have these great mountains and jungle to escape to. Yes, the handmade houses do have satellite and many cell phones. I can spend all day up here photographing and swatting mosquitoes. I must make my way back to the highway and catch the bus back to San Salvador.

6:00pm (CST)
Hotel Villa Florencia
San Salvador, El Salvador
February 10, 2013, Sunday

The trip back from El Congo was smooth. By me knowing these connections, I connected at the terminal in San Salvador and was at the hotel in 5 minutes. The peaceful jungle – mountainous nature of El Congo, shall not escape me. I felt as if I was looking out into God’s personal backyard, as far as I could see, just beautiful jungle. It is as if you just reach across and pull a piece of fruit from a tree and eat it…similar to the Garden of Eden. Sitting on the balcony, it is very quiet now. It is getting cooler now, but not cold. I decided to walk over to the outdoors market and get some fruit for dinner. El Congo truly was so natural that it increased my lungs. I was not tired, just exhausted concerning where to turn next. I am glad that I wandered all over El Congo and not stay in the center. I was greeted by all the villagers. I met. The people were very friendly. The views from El Congo are spectacular. This is not a tourist area, but it is a gem in El Salvador. My heels hurt from climbing up and down the mountain. I photographed much and was surprised at the places I journeyed, but I always remember, people are friendly wherever you go. It only takes a friendly “Buenos Dias”. This greeting goes very far. I can not believe I covered 4 regions in El Salvador: 1) San Salvador in the San Salvador region (central). 2) Suchitoto in the Cuscatlin Region (east). 3) La Libertad in the La Libertad region (west). 4) El Congo in the Santa Ana region(north). I do not have it planned, but I am thinking about catching an early bus to the south of El Salvador to Zacatecoluca in the San Vincente region, however I shall see in the morning. My feet are really burning from the 4 hours of walking in El Congo. On the way traveling through the mountains I saw an interesting artisan. The artisan handmade kingsize bed sets with large tree trunks and bark. They were very interesting to see and possibly own. The circumference of the tree had to be about 6-8 feet round and 4 feet high. No two were the same. The bus was moving too fast for me to take a photograph, but I shall remember this. Well, the lights are beginning to twinkle on at the mountain as the sun goes down. It is very beautiful to see them pop on, one after another. Well good night and may God Bless. Tomorrow is my final day here in El Salvador and it remains a mystery.