Acajutla, El Salvador

           Thursday, 6 Feb 2020 – El Salvador, the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America, is just south of Guatemala.  Its capital and largest city is San Salvador.  As of 2018, the country had a population of approximately 6.42 million.

16th Century Iglesia Dolores, Izalco

            Though it boasts the largest industrial seaport in El Salvador, Acajutla is not heavily frequented by cruise ships and thus gives visitors an authentic look at life along the Pacific coast of Central America.  The city has a population of about 30,000, and is El Salvador’s principal seaport.

On the Pier with Patricia, Acajutla

            Because our pre-booked excursion at Acajutla was cancelled due to operational problems, we booked a 3.5 hour excursion, “El Salvador Sightseeing.”  Upon disembarking the ship at 8:00 AM, local personal took our temperatures as screening for the coronavirus.  All local personnel on the dock were required to wear face filters to protect them from passenger viruses!  First, we drove a little way out of town, where our tour guide, Patricia, pointed out more volcanoes, sugar cane fields, and cocoa bean plants.  Afterwards, we drove through the towns of Izalco and Nahuizalco, where we made a couple of photo stops.  Patricia used her smart phone to play samples of local music.
            We were back on board the ship by noon, in plenty of time for lunch.  Although we did no swimming today, we danced before dinner.  We set our clocks and watches ahead by another hour before retiring for the night.  We now match EST in the US.