The mint-green volcanic lake

On my return trip from Peru, I had the option to fly directly to El Salvador 🇸🇻. To my surprise, the airport's information screens revealed that El Salvador enjoys direct flights to numerous major U.S. cities. 🛫 Then, I headed to the small town of Santa Ana near the capital, a common transit point for most tourists bound for the volcano. Oddly, none of the travel agencies in town offered day tours to Santa Ana, nor did they seem to possess any relevant information. I had already braced myself for the possibility of not being able to make the trip. 🏔️ The next morning, I began my journey by taxi to the entrance known as "Cerro Verde," negotiating with a driver about the time and price for him to pick us up later. That day, I joined a tour at 9 am, which was packed, included a guide, and would occasionally halt to wait for the majority of the group. 🚶‍♂️🌄 There were virtually no flat surfaces; it was either a continuous uphill or downhill trek. The ascent took 2 hours and 16 minutes, while the descent was a quicker 1 hour and 40 minutes. 🍔 At the summit, I pulled out a McDonald's burger, which attracted a curious puppy. 🐶 As we neared the peak, we spotted traces of popsicle sticks, and upon reaching the top, we discovered someone had carried an ice bucket up to sell ice cream 🫡. 🍦 The experience was particularly exhausting. Having arranged with the driver to meet at 1 pm, I hurried back on my own, unaware that the final stretch did not require climbing and could be accessed by vehicle to the park entrance. 🚗 The food in San Salvador is priced like in the United States, and sometimes it's not even edible... So, for these days, it's been a rotation of McDonald's, Burger King, or KFC, Panda Express. 🍗 #Travel #OffTheBeatenPathTravel #ElSalvador 🌍