Cheeseburgers, the sound of pattering rain dancing on my
windowsill, the aroma of freshly baked bread that envelops you upon entering a
bakery, and the pleasure that courses throughout your exhausted body in the
morning when you awake before your alarm sounds only to find you still have another 1
hour of sleep ahead of you – these are the sorts of things that I truly love.
Snakes are not anywhere near the top of that list and would
rather fall somewhere far down on that list in between 5 mile runs and
watching the WNBA. So, when I ventured to Lake Coatepeque to enjoy some
sunshine, I was a little hesitant upon discovering that “Coatepeque” means
“snake hill” in Nahuatl. “Then again,” I asked myself, “what’s in a name?”
Lake Coatepeque lies only a quick 1.5 hour drive due west
from San Salvador in the department of Santa Ana. A rather flat and uneventful
drive, but with a few snacks and a blaring iPod on your side, a drive worth
making to reach this treasure.
At first I love every bit of scenery around me. My synapses
fire millions by the second, but still quite not quickly enough to keep up with
the visual stimuli all around me. As we
make our descent into the caldera (the lake was formed by volcanic eruptions up
to 72,000 years ago) I am charmed by roadside restaurants offering picturesque
views of the lake, but not nearly enough to patronize them. I’m far too excited
to get up close and personal with this gem and dip my big toe into her placid
waters.
Upon descent my mood quickly sours, like a mid-summer’s
storm wreaking havoc on a sunny day without any warning. My disposition becomes
a swath of gray storm clouds as I reach ground level from the hills above, only
to discover that the genius planning around the lake has been done in a fashion
best described as "Late 19th Century Boomer/Sooner." For 15 minutes we
slowly drive around the lake and I am given a view of nothing more than walls and
gates of private residences and condos, separated only by the occasional store
or hotel peppered in between them. So, this beautiful land around this amazing
lake has all been grabbed up and passed on from progeny leaving the rest of the
population locked out? The social benefits of the many sacrificed for the
comfort of the few as I am left with no public access to this national
treasure? My own, personal Trail of Tears continues until we spot a small oasis
among the private access drives.
A small restaurant offers a parking space and a dock that
leads right out into the lake, complete with a lifeguard to keep watch should
you choose to test the waters. Not exactly the public access lakeside complete
with picnic tables and empty space to drown myself in, but the waiters and
cold beers will see to it that I leave this place never imagining visiting the
lake any other way.
A few cold drinks, a fresh plate of grilled meats to snack
on, and enough sunshine to give me a pinkish hue and we decide it’s time to
move on to the surrounding hills of Lake Coatepeque.
This drive is far more splendid as the winding roads lead
you further above the lake into the hills, allowing you to see the stunning
blue waters of the lake slowly reduced to the size of a pond that, from this
perspective, you could cup into the palms of your hands.
Reaching the top of Cerro Verde at 2,030 meters above sea
level offers nice views in the late afternoon, but none of which compare to the
picture-perfect views of Izalco Volcano in the setting July sun. Izalco spanned
nearly 200 years of mild activity, creating an amazing site of natural beauty
to see as it lightly erupted lava like clockwork. As such, a hotel was
constructed on Cerro Verde overlooking Izalco in the 1950s to lure guests and
promote tourism in the area. However, a bad stroke of luck, or perhaps a knee-slapper
for the gods, Izalco became quiescent shortly before the hotel’s completion and
has been dormant ever since; a fate similarly met by the hotel.
The hotel construction was completed, but business was essentially done before it even
started. Without the draw of the active Izalco Volcano, the hotel was
abandoned. The remains of a once promising hotel can be visited, but
appear more like discarded ancient ruins than a 4-star hotel of the mid-20th
Century. As the stunning view of the volcano remains, a sight unlikely to
change for thousands of years, it perplexes me that the hotel was scratched
completely. Myself as evidence, people still visit this spot for the amazing
view, so why not maintain a restaurant/bar for the visitors (which, by the way, were plenty)? My only other option for a drink or something to eat at that
altitude was an old lady selling baked goods and bottled water near the park bathrooms.
Izalco Volcano
Endless Skies: View from Cerro Verde
Should you find yourself exploring the tiny country of El
Salvador and needing an escape from the hustle & bustle of the capital city
– which you will – I highly recommend the jaunt out to Coatepeque. And hey,
there aren’t any snakes to be scared of.
Great information! im thinking of visiting here soon
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