March 22 Perspective

Maybe the busiest day of our trip so far! We start with team breakfast at Mister Donut...doesn't sound very Central American, I know, but the buffet has all the best local options: fried plantains, chorizo, beans, tortillas, eggs, etc... Alicia has another Skype interview, so we'll catch up with her later.

We go to the hospital, where we're toured around by the Rotaract Club, many of whom are med students. They are working on a project to equip an unused space with toys and games for children, as there are currently no good ways for children to entertain themselves as they wait for care.

From there we're off to the local theatre (not Doug, he has a vocational visit). It was badly damaged by earthquakes and the civil war, and has been undergoing a 20 year restoration. It still has lots of character, and amazing acoustics!

 

Next we meet the Mayor, who is a Rotarian! He shares with us their municipal government structure, and some of their biggest challenges. He is off on a road-trip to LA and Calgary to exchange ideas on commerce and garbage disposal. It is very interesting for me, and he is great at answering questions directly.

Next we meet a tour guide and hear the history on the cathedral. It, too, is undergoing some alterations and cleaning.

 

We grab an ice cream, as Kim summons energy to plod on. It is hard to watch a teammate struggle, as we've all had our down days, and know how hard it is to push on when you're sick, hot and tired.

We have lunch at Mario's seafood bar, and we all agree it's the best fish we've had on the trip. Liliana brings hre Magic Jack, and we all make a call home.

TAZUMAL - My first experience at a Meso-American ruins. It's very impressive up close, and we take our time wandering the grounds. The engineering, design, and construction are overwhelmingly impressive.

 

 

We get an hour at home to nap and clean up, and we're off to Mario's steakhouse for our first Rotary meeting in El Salvador. It's a large group comprising 2 clubs, and a Rotaract club. I play a few songs after the presentation, and the Rotaractors take us for drinks. 

We're all worried that they want to party, as we had a long day, but we end up at a nice house and enjoy a couple drinks on a patio while I play a few more songs.

A day of culture, in bed by 12, everything is going great...BUT...

Dugmooodeee snores all night in our shared room, and the 3 dogs in the house start barking at sunrise and don't stop. Wednesday will be a long day.

CGD