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Hugeaux is an artist/photographer who is traveling the world

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Hugeaux

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PART #2

7:00am (CST)
Bus Station Oriental
San Salvador, El Salvador
February 8, 2013, Friday

I am writing this entry while sitting on the bus headed for Suchitoto, El Salvador at the bus station Oriental in San Salvador. I passed and talked to my first African person this morning. He was a man of about 50 years old and he mentioned that El Salvador has NO Africans living here, but they are in the country of Honduras.

DAY #2

8:00am (CST)
Suchitoto, El Salvador
February 8, 2013, Friday

I am writing this entry while sitting in el Centro Suchitoto, El Salvador. The bus ride from San Salvador to Suchitoto was about one and one half hours. What beautiful country. We drove through the mountains, where I saw from my balcony last night. It is beautiful jungle vegetation. Mangoes, coconuts, almonds, bananas, etc. not to mention the wild wisteria, azaleas, honeysuckle, ginger, aloe and the chickens, turkeys, cattle, everything is living domestic and wild in the El Salvadorean jungle. One of the most beautiful sights was passing by the brick makers who were digging out the clay from the mountains and making the sun dried bricks and slabs while drying in the sun. The air is very heavy and pure up here. I am high up in the mountains.

9:15am (CST)
Center Puerto San Juan
Suchitoto, El Salvador
February 8, 2013, Friday

I am writing this entry while looking out over Lake Suchitlan. It is very green, hazy and tranquil today. The mountains and the sounds of music and exotic birds really give you the presence of the tropics. I am close to Honduras as Suchitoto is a few mountains from the El Salvador – Honduras border. I can really do some thinking and reflecting. Amazing I am looking out over towards Honduras.

11:00am (CST)
Suchitoto, El Salvador
February 8, 2013, Friday

I am writing this entry while returning to el Centro Suchitoto. On the way from the lake, I got off the bus and saw an antique shop. When I got there I noticed that it was more of a tourist shop, so I kept walking. I walked a few houses down to a lady sitting outside of her house selling cake-bread. I asked to enter and was captivated by her view I the back, so I asked could I go to the back. Spectacular, she has a scenic view of the Lake Suchitlan, better than the tourist center. I asked her if I could photograph and she gave me the permission. What is amazing is that these houses look very poor outside, but have spectacular backside views. I was surprised to learn high on the mountains, on hills, which reach down to the lake: Beautiful jungle-like vegetation. I asked to purchase some of the cooking pottery but she declined. So I kept walking back to el Centro Suchitoto. As I am writing, salsa-tropical music is coming out of a vendor’s home. I must continue. I believe I shall stay about one more hour in Suchitoto, El Salvador before I return to San Salvador. I have been noticing that most of the people here have hazel color light colored eyes. The history here must be very interesting. It is about 90 degrees and it is HOT!!!!

5:30pm (CST)
Hotel Villa Florencia
San Salvador, El Salvador
February 8, 2013, Friday

I am writing this entry while sitting on my balcony looking out at the mountain…beautiful!!! What a hot tropical day. The trip from San Salvador to Suchitoto, roundtrip was $2.00 (two dollars). It was 3 hours round trip. When I got back to San Salvador, I decided to go back to the outdoors market. It is Friday and there are double the vendors. This is a big outdoors market stretching throughout all of el Centro San Salvador about 5-10 miles. Everything is for sell. This is what the gentleman was telling me about yesterday when he said that “Salvadoreans depend on Salvadoreans”. Will the theme of this travel should be “Donde es los Negroes”. I saw my second black man today at the outdoors market. We talked briefly, and he mentioned the same things as the man this morning. We spoke in Spanish. It is amazing, I see very few tourists here and I really standout. The trip to Suchitoto really tested my endurance. I was completely dehydrated, though I relied on the nutritional customs of the region. I immediately purchased: mango, papaya, banana, cucumber and tomatoe, which were the produce in abundancy at the market. After eating these and drinking lots of water, my energy renewed itself. Okay, Suchitoto….Suchitoto is very hilly, lots of climbing. I was going up and down in the noon day sun. I felt the strain, but I have come to far to let this disrupt me. It is extremely beautiful. Cobble stone roads, brightly painted buildings, lake view from different angles, it is very tropical. The stares were pleasant, but more of curiosity, because very few black men journey in this region. I am coming to grips with this diary, as my quest was to find African descents in El Salvador, to now, documenting an African American Indian presence in El Salvador. I get the feeling of a discoverer as this tranquil gem, with its turbulent past is a beautiful place, mixing paradise with self-preservation. The El Salvadoreans are a proud people, as I could tell by the mountain people who were on the bus to and from Suchitoto. With the tropical jungle vegetation, you could totally live off the land. El Salvador is near the equator, so the climate does not change. With the moisture in the air, vegetation is abundant all year around. This is one of the reasons the market is teeming with fresh produce. Well, I am getting sleepy and tomorrow I head for the city of La Libertad which is one of El Salvador’s beach paradise located on the Pacific Ocean. I shall get a chance to stare out to Honolulu, Hawaii, where my photography exhibition is presented for Black History Month 2013. Good night and May God Bless…I hope the mosquitoes stay away tonight