Hola, Smitty here! Sometimes I think its a little hard to say exactly what you want to say when you find yourself in a place that speaks to you without needing to say anything at all. El Tunco is a place that shifts in shape, and if you will it, it can be exactly what you need it to be for you in that moment. Regan got a little unlucky in her time there (she is without question a tough chica) but I think she would tell you that without an injury, Tunco is a sound spot to post up and enjoy yourself.
That said, WHAT A WICKED WEEK!
As a beach girl by nature, I was pretty hooked right away. Getting away from Antigua's city life and getting back to living in board-shorts and beach dresses was essential to my well-being.
The Beach: They call it 'El Tunco' because the rocks right off shore supposedly look like a gigantic roast pig (the Spanish translation). A few highlights of this particular beach are as follows:
1- No sand flies! that's right people - you can cruise around this beach at sunset and all through the night without getting eaten up and looking like a chicken-pox victim the next day. I wont say mosquitos are completely non existent, but its way better here then most other beaches we've been to.
2- Black volcanic Sand: its pretty lovely stuff, soft and pretty and different, but CUIDADO (careful!) because by 11am - that stuff is en FUEGO (fire) and without sandals, tramping around can prove deadly.
3- Surfing: while Regan and I aren't exactly seasoned surfers, (okay we pretty much suck) renting a board is pretty cheap down this way. $5USD for a 1/2 day and $10 for an hour lesson + and hour after to mess around and test your skillz. WORD! Also, for the more experienced wave rider, Tunco has a beautiful point break known as Sunzal which gets pretty nice sized waves with a channel to the left making for a white-wash free paddle out. Enjoy a sunset out there on the water and remind yourself where you are, I guarantee you won't forget it.
ON LEAVING: During the high season, it is very easy to get to El Tunco, but we found it pretty tricky when it came to leaving. Buses OUT of El Tunco book up very fast and only run 4 days a week so make sure if you're on a tight schedule, that you look into out-going buses early on in your stay. We paid $50 USD to go from there to Leon, Nicaragua and booked our bus 5 days in advance.
Like Regan said, El Tunco is pretty small; 2 main streets are what make up this fun little beach scene. That being said, while I know some people who have gotten stuck there for months at a time, I personally LOVED it as a vacation location, and would go back many times over on somewhat shorter trips. It was a great place to re-connect with people from earlier on in our trip, (since it's such a popular destination within El Salvador) as well as meet a whole slew of crazy new characters we now call amigos.
Enjoy El Tunco! Ladies; VIVA ladies night and fellas, VIVA ladies night too. Go to Take-a-Wok and get the best Asian stir-fry, rent a board and catch some waves, take a late night skinny dip with your silly friends, and get a ginger shot at the smoothie bar when the hangover kicks in!
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