La Guitarra, our hostel of choice, claims they don’t have our rezzie for the beach front room (typical) and offers us a windowless cell for $25/night. Um, no. So we figure we’ll stay in a cheaper place for one night and come back tomorrow when our ocean front room will be available.

view we were hoping for…

Well turns out all of San Salvador arrives at the beach for the weekend, so hostels were pretty full. We mosey around for a bit (as casually as you can with 30 lbs strapped to your back) looking for 2 spare beds.

At La Sombra: “I can sleep outside on the hammock, and you two can have my bed,” was the  response we got from a hostel owner who only had one dorm bed available. He was going to give us his bed and sleep outside…For real? I don’t know if our experience was unique or pretty standard Salvadorian hospitality, but we encountered people and moments like these wherever we went. Mind = blown

We inquired at 3 different places before we found a spare room at Casa Makoi – owned by Pedro. Private with bath, $7/person. The tap water tasted like salt. No AC. And we loved every moment of it. So much so that we delayed arriving at our ocean front room an extra 3 days.

the perfect reading spot

the view from our balcony

hostel artwork

We tell Pedro we need to set up some surf lessons, to which he brings over their in house surf instructor Geremias, aka “Burro”. But I swear it was Adonis who strolled over – long, sun bleached waves billowing in the salty breeze, chiseled abs for days, arms that could easily pin me down, and glistening white teeth.

And then I hear God whisper “you’re welcome…”

I effing love Central America.