Happy Birthday Mama Craig!

  

 

We both miss you muchas here. 

Even though our days here in El Salvador are quickly approaching the end we are still loving the time we have left to enjoy the local food and the wonderfully happy people that have made our stay here so amazing.

You have often asked what we eat here.  Well, the street food is good and if you are cooking at home there are a lot of things to choose from to whip up a good meal. 

There are these delicious clams from the estuary that could never be confused with Snug Harbor clams.  

There is the strangest looking nut in the world, the cashew. The nut is the curly bit sticking out the bottom of the fruit.

We make lots of curries, rice and raisins and other assorted yummies from the coconuts but you need to be stern with them and show them your machete to get them to jump in the pot. 

And for breakfast there is always the option of chocolate dusted plantains for breakfast. 

However, if you visit the capital you can get a Frosty and have a great “Wen dia”. 

The rainy season is still going full tilt, though most of the lightning is in the clouds now and there is much less wind. 

Here is a view from the hotel where we catch up on Skype, filling you in on the latest and greatest here in Central America.

 

We have been spending a lot of time here fixing and repairing things for the next big part of our adventure.

Over all life is good here and we have been both blessed to have enjoyed our time here together. Soon we will be back at sea enjoying the sunsets in new strange and foreign lands.

 

Next stop Honduras and then Nicaragua. We love you and hope you have a great birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!!!!

We hope you have a great birthday! Wish we could be with you to celebrate!

It is a bit hot here to make your delicious pineapple upside down cake so we are celebrating your birthday with some local pineapple cake from the tienda down the way.

We miss the Montana rainbows and sunsets... 

...but we have some pretty spectacular sunsets here too!

 

Sunset from our boat - Estero de Jaltepeque, El Salvador

We don't miss wearing coats though!

They probably have more dollar coins here than the Silver Dollar Bar since no one uses dollar bills...

...but most of the ones here are the Sacagawea or president ones. One of the guys here asked Darren to buy his 50 cent pieces because no one would take them here!

Some of the rocks we have passed...

La Manzanilla, Jalisco, Mexico

...make me homesick for the gorgeous of stones from Flathead!

We have beautiful vistas of volcanoes in the background as local boaters go by in their dugout canoes...

Sunrise on Estero de Jaltepeque, El Salvador

...but they don't have the beautiful snow caps of the Missions. 

We miss you and hope you have a great birthday!

Love,

Jodi and Darren

 

Feliz Cumpleaños C.!!!!

Mi querido sobrino (read that in a book and thought of you, been dying to use it for months now!), hope you have a great birthday! Wish we could be together to celebrate with you!

It’s hard to believe you are a SENIOR already! All grown up into a great older brother… 

… with lots of accomplishments.

 If you were here we could go to one of the fun restaurants on the water and have some delicious fish cooked El Salvador style (muy rico!). It’s amazing what they can do with just a few sticks for fuel! The pans aren’t very deep but they essentially deep fry it by spooning the hot oil over the fish.

Didn’t ask if they use the El Gringo brand rice that our local tienda carries!

Here’s the parking lot of one of our favorite places to eat.

 

You don’t have to worry about cars needing a tow here!

If your engine quits you can always sail to the restaurant.

Speaking of driving, after lunch, you will probably want to test drive the hammocks and get in a little siesta. 

Others may want to go shell hunting or take pictures of other restaurants nearby…

…or get a little target practice in.

 

As you can see, the chicks here are really cute!

 

Here we have the option of both manmade fireworks and the ones that mother nature sends our way every few days.

Uncle Darren could teach you some of his special surf tricks. Such style! (Teehee!) Uncle Darren says it’s his special “southern style”!

And if you wanted to stay awhile you wouldn’t even have to change your phone number. Any guesses what the area code is here? Hint – although we were in El Tunco when we saw this sign, the area code is the same for the whole country.

Hope you have a great birthday and a fabulous senior year!

Love,

Aunt Jodi and Uncle Darren

Glossary for those who, unlike C., don’t know Spanish - 

Feliz – Happy

Cumpleaños – Birthday

Mi – My

Querido – Dear

Sobrino – Nephew

Muy – Very

Rico – Rich

Gringo – pejorative term for a foreigner, especially Anglos

Tienda – Little store, usually smaller than a one car garage (and some people’s closets!)

El Tunco – pig, boar, a great surf town in El Salvador

Answer to the area code picture riddle – 503 (Cinco – Five;  Tunco – Round zero-like pig’s head; Tres – Three)