Day 8, R & R

This was our final full day here.  We said goodbye to the hotel we had stayed at up in the mountains for the whole week (Hotel Alicante Montana, Ahuachapan, El Salvador), to head towards the beach, much closer to the airport.

It was about a three and a half hour drive, with a lot of Oceanside views, to our last destination before heading home, (Hotel Rancho Estero y Mar, La Paz, El Salvador)

 

This hotel was right across from the beach where we played in the waves, even Dale.  This hotel was interesting because it had animals all throughout.  There were parrots, peacocks, an alligator, turtles, horses, monkeys, and others that I just didn't have time to see.

 

After everyone settled in to our rooms, we met for lunch, then headed off to the beach.

 

 

 

We had a special surprise when we checked in to the hotel.  A local group raises sea turtles and frees them into the ocean.  They are trying to bring back the levels of some of the endangered species that are found off the coast of El Salvador.  It was pretty awesome, we were able to help sea turtles get back into the ocean.

 

They roped off an area on the beach for us to free the turtles, and so no one would accidentally step on them.

 

There were a ton of little turtles that they were going to set loose.

This was one of the turtles that I sent back home.

 

                                                      It was such a unique experience.

Looking at the onlookers, they were just as excited as I was.  You could almost feel the electricity, or maybe it was just pins and needles running though my back from the manual labor the week prior.

 

 

After the day on the beach, we met for our last dinner together, and got some sleep, before our early wakeup to get to the airport, and to our lives back home.

 

 

 

 

Well, that about sums up our experiences with this trip.  I learned a lot, that I will take home with me.  It was a very humbling and eye opening experience.  The group was so great, and I made some new friends, even some that we will stay in El Salvador.  If anyone is inspired to go on a trip like this, I urge you to do so.  Take the plunge and just commit.  It will be a very rewarding experience.

 

I have to give credit to a few people

 

First is Anthony Bianchi, our photographer.  Without him, this blog would not be as alive as it was, capturing what we experienced through the lens.

 

 

And to Dale and Andy, our fearless leaders.  Who coordinated everything, planned most of our trip, lead our talks, and kept us going throughout this trip. 

 

 

Thanks for putting in the time, and planning everything for us!