Since arriving in El Salvador, we've been lucky to experience some incredible traveling opportunities around the country. After living in Bangladesh, we wanted to live in a place where it was easy to travel in-country with plenty of opportunities to be outdoors. El Salvador couldn't have been more perfect. There are volcanoes and mountains, and beaches and islands all within 2 1/2 hours from the capital. Not to mention it's only a couple hours to Guatemala, with Antigua being the perfect three day weekend destination.
On a Saturday morning, we drove about an hour and a half to Playa el Pimental to see and release baby turtles into the Pacific Ocean. There's a wonderful organization for the conservation of turtles in El Salvador, FUNZEL that gave a presentation on the 4 different species of turtles here, and the importance of keeping them alive. The four species include hawksbills, olive ridleys, leatherbacks, and green turtles. The hawksbill turtles are critically endangered mainly because they are considered the most beautiful species with their colorful shells. The leatherback turtles are the largest of all sea turtles, measuring between 4-8 feet in length, and weigh between 500-2,000 pounds. We had the opportunity to release a few dozen olive ridleys, which are the most abundant species in El Salvador.
We learned that the sex of the turtle depends on the temperature of the eggs during a certain period of development - if eggs are incubated below 28°C, all the turtles will be male. If they're incubated above 31°C, they'll be female. Another interesting fact is that the female turtles that live to maturity end up nesting on the same beach where they hatched.
Jason's turtle
Releasing my turtle
There they go!
After the turtle release, we drove to Playa El Tunco for a despedida - a traditional going away party for a colleague. We went to a bar with a live band right on the water, ate ceviche, and soaked up the sun. It made for a fun, relaxing weekend in El Salvador.
Playa el Tunco
