El Salvador - Big fish in a big pond

January 22

Hello everyone!

One of the reasons for moving to a new country almost six months ago was to live in a place which had a nearby coastline. We have spent a little bit of time on El Salvador’s sandy (often black sandy) shores, and it is something we will look to do a lot more in 2023.

My massive crevalle jack

Plenty more fish in the sea!

My first trip this calendar year wasn’t actually to the beach. Instead, it was to the large fish market at La LIbertad, about 30 minutes south of Santa Tecla.

The boats will go out for 24 hours at a
time, with workers taking shifts

The Pacific Ocean. Surprisingly warm.

I was with a friend who speaks Spanish and has been here before. As soon as we parked, we headed briskly towards the dark wooden pier. A small boat had arrived, ready to share its catch.

Development is in progress

The slight problem is that the boat is at sea level and the pier…well, isn’t. Of course, there’s a plan for that…

Probably about 20 feet from sea to pier

People edge closer as the boat is slowly hoisted up to the edge of the pier, then ushered back as it starts to swing towards the planks.

One of many boats coming in during the day

Once secure, people start to throng closer again. The smell permeates the people, a saltiness which reminds you how fresh this stuff is. None of the fish or crustaceans are alive, instead covered with small ice cubes to keep them cool. 

These small fish were of interest to many

The variety of the catch is remarkable. Rays (which I didn’t realise people ate). Lobsters. Snapper. Slightly more sinister things as well, like a small shark. 

A giant stingray

Possibly a type of snapper

What I was curious about was the big kahuna with the yellow fin. We asked what it was called. It sounded like ‘legur’. This translates as…nothing. Anyway, I was told it would cost five dollars. Sold!

Look how big it is compared to the other fish!

It wasn't much of a negotiation -
he said five dollars and I said OK!

Fresh off the boat! This of course means that it isn’t quite ready for the plate. Next step was to get it filleted. A man with a large knife did the dirty work to turn it from a massive fish into four large, dark-coloured fillets.

Getting the fish filleted cost $2

It took less than five minutes to transform the fish

The market itself is next door. A stronger, fishier aroma welcomes you into the large, covered, concrete area. People of all ages stand behind stalls, keenly welcoming you to browse their collection of fresh fish.

The new building, costing $5.5 million, was
inaugurated in February 2020. Unfortunate timing...

Giant shrimp on sale

We ended up buying some giant shrimp - camarones - from a man who had been recommended. Giant is certainly an apt word as you can see below.

Alternative earrings

Cooked in butter and garlic: yum!

After returning to the city, I had to work out what the fish was and how to cook the thing: cooking fish well is not in my repertoire. I discovered through Google Lens that it is actually called a crevalle jack. It turned out to be pretty tasty, with a lot of similarities to tuna.

One of the four fillets

Pan fried with garlic, lime and chilli

One rumour I’ve heard is that the best morning catch is actually sent to San Salvador and Santa Tecla to be sold in the city. Well they didn’t have time to get their hands on my crevalle jack! I’ll definitely be back.

Plenty more boats in the sea!

Love you all,

Matt

Dominican Republic - Soaring in the Dominican Alps

January 2-4

Hello everyone!

Though the DR is renowned for its beautiful beaches, there is only so much time I can spend by the sea before getting a bit restless. Luckily this country has plenty of surprises inland…

Flying high in Jarabacoa...

...after getting low in the white
water rapids of the Jimenoa river

One surprise was how mountainous the country is. A Caribbean island with a mountain which is over 3000 metres high? An area known as the Dominican Alps with panoramas I’d associate more with El Salvador than places such as Cuba or the Bahamas.

It's not this peak, but the high point
of Pico Duarte is 3,087 metres tall

River flow from Salto de Jimenoa Uno waterfall

This area is known as the Cordillera Central, which is found by two national parks. To the east of these, and a little bit lower in altitude, is the peculiarly busy town of Jarabacoa.

A nice climate for bananas to grow

One of the main streets in Jarabacoa

Tough to pronounce (ha-ra-ba-co-ah), tough to get to from Cabarete (involving a minibus locally called a guagua, then two big yellow buses)...totally worth it. 

Total travel time from Cabarete was about 5 hours

A stock photo of a guagua

Jarabacoa sits on the Jimenoa river. This river flows northwest from the Cordillera Central and joins the larger Yaque del Norte soon after flowing through the town. It passed by my hotel, providing a relentlessly tranquil background noise.

The water is cold!

View from a walkway at the Gran Jimenoa Hotel

The river is the basis of two of Jarabacoa’s main draws. One of these is a series of waterfalls set below the town. I visited one of these, called Salto de Jimenoa Uno. I’m sure it is Uno, even though Google Maps suggested that I was at Dos.

Can you see it in the distance?

The hike down to the waterfall is quite steep in places

One of the opening scenes of Jurassic Park was filmed here. Based on the fact that filming also occurred in Santo Domingo at Los Tres Ojos, I feel that the DR was a popular spot for the franchise. I can see why.

Apparently it's 75 metres high. It didn't seem that tall...

Salto de Jimenoa Uno

As well as waterfalls, this river is the only place in the Caribbean where you can go white-water rafting.

The river is almost 300 km long

Rapids are graded one to five, with five being the highest and most extreme rapids you can encounter. Though the names such as ‘Mike Tyson Senior’ and ‘The Cemetery’ suggest something terrifying, these rapids are classed as two and three.

We had three boats on the water

Even though there were 12 people signed up, I was put in my own boat along with a guide and a photographer who would jump out at random times and scale rocks to take photos.

My guide, who was...enthusiastic...

One particular highlight was an area my raft guide described as ‘the Dominican dishwasher’. It was funny seeing other boats be thrust into the plunge pool. I didn’t realise that my turn was coming…

Shoving me and the raft into the 'dishwasher'

Getting a view from the river is lovely but I was keen to get another perspective. An aerial one…

Looking west towards the Dominican Alps

About 11 minutes of wonder with this

I’ve done parasailing before but never flown this way over land. We started mid-morning due to the dew on the grass - remember, we are in ‘the Alps’. I was collected from ‘base’ and driven up a muddy, bumpy road for quite a long time before arriving at…well, nothing much…

Base camp

Setup on the hill before take-off

The instruction was simple: walk quickly, then sprint when I heard the word ‘run’. It all happened fairly quickly so I didn’t really have time to think about the fact that I was trying to run off a hill…

The town of Jarabacoa

The thrill of leaving the floor took my breath away. Such an exhilarating feeling. Such a ridiculous view.

The selfie stick was attached to the
harness so no risk of it falling!

Stunning views all round

This was a brilliant experience. Even though I seem to make some strange noises in the video below, the landing was enjoyable and smoother than I thought it would be. I’d equate the drops to being on a rollercoaster when your stomach seems to stay in position whilst the rest of your body moves along. Paragliding was amazing.

Pack-up at the end was surprisingly quick and easy

I had never heard of Jarabacoa before planning my route around the Dominican Republic. It has been the most pleasant surprise and offers something unique in the Caribbean. Definitely worth a visit if you have the chance.

My time in Jarabacoa: as sweet as a
churro filled with dulce de leche

Love you all,

Matt