Scenic treasures of El Salvador

Travel writer Gerogia Brown has an article this weekend in The Guardian titled the lakes and volcanoes of El Salvador which highlights some of the scenic spots of El Salvador. Here is an excerpt:

Antonio's fishing boat bobs on the glassy surface of a huge crater lake, dwarfed by a panorama of dramatic volcanic peaks. Beneath us the water plunges to a depth of 240m, perhaps more. "Now we are at the deepest part. They call it the place with no end," shrugs Antonio. "This is a good place to swim."

Like many of the fishermen on lake Ilopango, Antonio swims for a living, using the traditional and dangerous method of freediving to catch fish from the shallower parts of the lake. I, however, am a bit concerned about what strange creatures may lurk beneath, and certainly don't want to try to catch anything. I stare at the sparkling water, only to hear squeals of delight from behind me. A group of local boys are launching themselves from the branches of a tree almost 10m above the water. My competitive streak kicks in – if a 12-year-old kid can swim here, so can I.

An ungainly tree-scramble later, and I'm free-falling into the bottomless warm water to the sound of my own screams and loud hilarity from the shore. Like so many experiences I have in El Salvador, it's completely unexpected, a hell of a lot of fun, and features volcanoes in some form. We are, after all, smack bang on the Pacific ring of fire. (more)