BOAT FROM EL SALVADOR TO NICARAGUA

El Salvador to Nicaragua: Cross the Gulf of Fonseca
 by boat (orange) or by road through Honduras (pink)?

Would you rather take a scenic, two-hour boat ride across a sheltered bay or suffer through a butt-numbing eight-hour bus from El Salvador to Nicaragua, passing through Honduras, the murder capital of the world? 

An easy choice, normally, except that our previous boat trips have gone so, so very badly that we hesitated. Briefly. 

With Todd, Kip's brother in tow, we opted for the more direct route, from El Salvador, across the Gulf of Fonseca, to Nicaragua.

Not a lot of travelers venture this way, so below we provide a "How To" guide, along with some photos from the trip. 

Shockingly, the journey concluded without incident all the way from the new port of La Union to what's left of a deserted, decrepit dock in Potosi.

EL SALVADOR TO NICARAGUA BY BOAT

The trip from La Union, El Salvador to Potosi, Nicaragua is a scenic alternative to the long bus ride through Honduras. Below are some steps and essentials to get you on your way:

What to bring: passport, water, snacks, optional seasick meds (especially if your name is Todd) though the Gulf is usually calm. 

1. La Union: Get yourself to El Sal's major port town of La Union, home to a brand new, multi-million dollar shipping center. Bus direct from San Salvador via San Miguel (4-5 hrs, $3-$5), or from El Cuco, hire a taxi (around 45 mins, $30-$40) or take a local bus (2-4 hrs, $4-$5). If you'd prefer, you could also book the entire trip at the Hotel Tortuga Verde in El Cuco.
2. Book a boat: Better to do this before you get here, but it may be possible to find a captain dockside in La Union. Boats leave in the morning if there are passengers. One option is Ruta del Golfo, though there were no departures when we contacted them. We went with Mario from Tours Panoramico (7282-4362, golfo_fonseca@hotmail.com). Negotiate a price beforehand. A private boat could be $200+, but much cheaper if there's already a boat going and you can hop on.
3.  Clear Customs: You need to be at the customs office in La Union at least an hour before departure (ask anyone for "aduanas.") Yes, it takes that long. They may ask for copies of your passport. There's a store with a copy machine across the street. Good coffee shop three blocks up with wi-fi while you wait.
4. Pick up passport, board your boat: Pretty straightforward, assuming you know where your boat's leaving from. Ask anyone. Photo below. Make sure you have life jackets on board.
5. Enjoy the scenery: It's a scenic trip, passing by a few hilly islands, some inhabited, some not so much. Try to get the captain to pass close to Meanguera Island to see the pelicans and flocks of Great Frigate birds. 
   
6. Dock at Potosi: Lower expectations. There's no functioning dock and no facilities. You'll likely get your feet wet. And then you'll need to walk a couple hundred yards to the customs office. Wake up the officer. Get stamped in. Pay your entry fee ($12 for U.S.). Walk past the soccer field and ask about the next bus to Chinandega. There may or may not be one there. We ended up going to the only hotel in town and the owner gave us a ride in his truck. Negotiate.  Or, stay the night in the hotel and hike Cosiguina volcano.

   

   Todd celebrating arrival in Nicaragua.

   

   Walking from the pier in Nicaragua, Potosi's customs office is on the left,
   soccer field dead ahead and an abandoned warehouse is on your right.

PHOTO FRIDAY: EATING TURTLE EGGS?

"Hi!" says a recently-hatched green sea turtle about to be released into the wild.

A lot of people still eat the eggs of endangered sea turtles. They say the eggs are an aphrodisiac, among plenty of other baseless, lame excuses.

At a dinner in San Salvador, we were talking to an older couple who told us they’d grown up near El Cuco, where we were heading. Over heaping plates of churrasco, we told them of our travel plans -- we would be surfing and sunset watching, and with luck, we hoped to encounter some of the turtles that frequent the area’s beaches.

The wife’s face lit up when she heard our last statement. “Oh, do you want to eat the eggs?” she said. 

Surprised, we replied that we only wanted to see the babies hatching. That would be enough for us.

Unfortunately, well-organized, sea turtle-related tourism, which benefits both local economies and the sea turtle population, hasn't become a major attraction around El Cuco yet. 

But if the beaches of Panama and Costa Rica are any indication, here's hoping El Salvador's not far behind. 

In the meantime, here's a photo of a freshly-hatched green sea turtle we met while in El Cuco. He says, "Hi!"

LA TORTUGA VERDE AND TURTLE PROTECTION

Todd holding a baby sea turtle about to be released into the wild.

A visit to Playa El Cuco isn't complete with at least a quick stop (or for us, a few nights) at the well-known eco-lodge La Tortuga Verde. Besides cooking up some of the best food for miles, the Tortuga also does what it can to protect the turtles that have used the area's beaches for decades to lay their eggs. 

A recently-hatched baby sea turtle and its former home.

Unfortunately, turtle eggs are still a delicacy in parts of El Salvador. 

To help combat the problem, Tom, the owner of La Tortuga Verde, started buying the eggs from local tortugueros, or turtle egg collectors.

Instead of serving them in his restaurant, where the first page of the menu reads "NO COMAN JUEVOS DE TORTUGAS" (we don't eat turtle eggs), he pays a premium over market price, giving him first dibs on the eggs, and keeps them in his turtle nursery, giving the babies a chance to hatch. 

We were lucky enough to witness some newly hatched little ones the morning of our departure and were able to be a part of their release into the wild. It was a great farewell to our new favorite Central American country.

FUNNY MONDAY: SURFER CROSSING

Liz hangs on tight in the back of a pickup as our driver completely ignores a sign asking motorists to reduce their speed and watch out for passing surfers.

Click here to check out some warning signs for weird things on the road in South Africa.

PHOTO FRIDAY: SURF LAS FLORES, EL SALVADOR

Broken boards, big waves at Las Flores, El Salvador.

One surfer's session ended far too soon after a heavy set snapped his board on a wipeout. 

It was a big day at Las Flores, one of El Salvador's consistent but sometimes punishing point breaks. This particular Pacific swell delivered waves that reached more than 12 feet.

We decided to stay on the sand, snap a few photos, and take in the view, which wasn't bad at all.

PHOTO FRIDAY: A SAND DOLLAR'S WORTH

One year ago this week, we were enjoying a stunning sunset in the Philippines, and we wrote about all the crazy modes of transport it took to see it. 

This week, a sunset in Playa El Cuco in El Salvador was made all the better by the presence of a nearly symmetrical sand dollar Liz found on the beach. In monetary value, the little sea urchin doesn't come to much.

But considering it was Liz's first sand dollar ever to see in the wild, it sure meant a lot to us.