Cinquera/Suchitoto

This past weekend the CIS team took a trip to Cinquera and Suchitoto. Cinquera has a protected natural reserve, it is in fact a protected forest. We took a hike up the mountain and took in the beauty of the lush greenery around us. During our hike we learned that during the civil war Cinquera was part of a base for the guerilla. We saw where the doctors and nurses performed surgeries and general medical care, as well as the kitchen area. "La cocina vietnamita" I would later find out was not a restaurant serving Vietnamese food rather a method the guerilla had adapted in order to have the ability to make fire and minimize the smoke being expelled into the air. These kitchens had pipes or tubes that were dug into the mountain. The smoke would travel through these tubes until reaching the other side of the mountain where it would exit undetected.

I am happy to say that I completed the whole hike and made it down with a lot of bitching (it was freaking hot...my calves were sweating). After the hike we had the opportunity to swim for a bit. After lunch we listened to Don Pablo's testimony. His words pierced my heart. I had listened to stories/testimonies from people I know but it is a different type of sensation when you hear a stranger sharing the same stories with you.

In Suchitoto we had the opportunity to walk around, eat some pupusas, and visit a revolutionary chupadero called “El Necio”. I loved the tranquility I felt while I walked around on the cobblestone streets. That night we stayed at a hostel. After dinner and drinks we returned to the hostel and we were greeted by shirtless men jumping into a ”jaccuzzi” that looked more like a bath tub. But Isaac and Zack didn't have a problem with this in fact as soon as they saw this they took off their shirts and joined. :)

On Sunday we went on a boat ride on Lago Suchitlan....we visited an island were a man lived on for almost 13 years.

Click below for the album.

Cinquera/Suchitoto