Last weekend Leah, Rosie, Fredy and I all drove into a volcano crater and went swimming. You'll be happy to know that the volcano was long extinct and a lake has formed in the giant crater - Lago Coatepeque. As we drove down the unpaved switchbacks into the crater, we glimpsed manicured lawns and terraced gardens behind the high walls of the mansions on the side of the road closer to the lake. It's called the 'playground of the wealthy' and their playboy sons were out in force on their ski-doos and other obnoxious watercraft. On the hilly side of the road just a few feet away, people lived in homes of corrugated tin, wood, and plastic. With the government trying to build El Salvador's tourism industry from the ground up, I'm not sure how long it will take the Tourism Police to knock on their doors and ask them to get rich or move (this country with 99 gang problems actually has a Tourism Police. I saw them ski-dooing around the lake protecting us from Ogo Pogo or something). If that happens, at least Rosie will be there to help them organize.
The water was really beautiful and clear and would have made for great pictures, but I was swimming while the sun was out and didn't think to take pictures until the skies opened. It's still beautiful, but you'll have to imagine the dazzling sunlight. This coming weekend we're off to the beach!
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