Day One: Welcome to El Salvador

Day One: San Sanvador Airport to Concepción de Ataco

Coffee drying on the sidewalk.

Our Salvadorian odyssey began with a long bus ride form the airport to Concepcion de Ataco, Jed's home base in the country's northern highlands. Ataco's location is really stunning; the town is set in a natural bowl surrounded by lush green hills and coffee farms. Many of the town's residents work at these coffee farms, and almost everyone has half a dozen or so plants growing in their backyards. Coffee is big business in Ataco, especially since most of it is exported to the United States. If you've had coffee from Starbucks, you've probably drank coffee grown in Ataco.

One of Ataco's Murals.

Aside from coffee, one of Ataco's more famous attributes is its collection of brightly colored murals painted right on front of homes and businesses throughout town. We spent most of our first day wandering up and down Ataco's cobblestone streets and admiring the many different murals, which ranged from portraits of the city and its residents to fantastical sea creatures and space aliens. We even got to watch a new mural being created right before our eyes.

Jocotes

We also visited the local market, where Jed introduced us to a wide range of fruits that are common to Latin America but neither of us had ever heard of. These included "jocotes"  (pronounced ho-coat-es), a small red fruit with the consistency of a plum and the flavor of a tangerine; and "mameys," a spicy sort of mango. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the new fruits, I did take the opportunity to enjoy a fruit that is common in the United States but even more common in El Salvador: bananas! Throughout our journey to El Salvador, I tried banana ice cream, banana popsicles, chocolate covered bananas, fried bananas, banana chips, banana smoothies, and just plain ripe bananas. At one point, the guys joked that we couldn't leave a place without me getting my banana fix.

The Pila

We also got our first glimpse at Jed's home in Ataco, a place he assured us was "luxurious" compared to most homes throughout El Salvador. His bright orange house sits at the end of a street near the edge of town. There were three rooms: a living room, a small kitchen with a fridge and a stove, and his bedroom. Out back is the bathroom, shower, and the pila: a concrete tub that most Salvadorians use as their source of non-potable water. A small bucket, called a guacal, is used to take water out of the pila and perform tasks like flushing the toilet, cleaning dishes, and washing clothes. Jed gave us thorough instruction in these common, everyday tasks (which were somewhat foreign to us), reminding us of just how much we take creature comforts like flush toilets and washing machines for granted. We finished the evening playing poker, laughing, and reminiscing about our pasts together. It was a great way to end the first day, and we felt like we had learned at least a little about Jed's Salvadorian way of life.

Scroll down for more photos of day one, or click here for day two.

Painting a mural.

Mural in Ataco.

Ataco from the surrounding hills.