"Aspire not to have more but to be more"

I have had this inspiring quote up on the wall in my study for a number of years now and today I found out a little more about the man behind the words: Monsignor Oscar Romero, the outspoken Archbishop of San Salvador, who was very publicly assassinated whilst giving a sermon at the height of the civil war in 1980.

He is revered by Salvadorians for the way he fought for the rights of the poor against both the government and his own Catholic Church and people here are shocked and saddened that he is yet to be made a Saint by the Vatican for what they see as his martyrdom.

It's a powerful story and all the more so for its recency. I find it difficult to comprehend that the people we are encountering each day have experienced such violence and oppression within their lifetimes. The country goes to the polls on Sunday, so it will be interesting to be here to see who comes out on top: the leftist FDLN party who were formed out of the guerilla movement or the right wing party (sorry, name temporarily escapes me!) It's also fascinating that there is a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol from midnight tonight until midnight on Monday to keep the peace during polling - can you imagine trying to police that in the UK?!

Anyway, enough politics. Back to my 8 week holiday ;)

What a scorcher today! We were warned this morning by our guide Rene that it was going to reach 40 degrees, so we were left questioning whether our decision to climb up El Salvador's highest active volcano in the midday sun fitted into my Mum's category of 'doing something stupid'. But we decided that us English women weren't going to be put off by a bit of sunshine and pressed ahead as planned.

So, today we climbed Volcano Santa Ana. Which pleased me a lot as my dear friends had a little baby girl who they named Ana on Wednesday evening. A happy coincidence!

It was a glorious (to steal Gemma's word!) hike. A lovely steady incline and views from the top which were reward indeed for our labours. A deep crater lagoon to one side which was a colour I can't even describe and a vast panorama to the other side of Lago Coatepeque and Volcan Izalco (which looks exactly like the volcanoes I remember from my school science textbooks). Mum - it was definitely 'scenery'!

After our speedier descent, we treated ourselves to a late lunch and a swim in Lake Coatepeque's crystal clear, cold water. Very welcome!

And tonight we find ourselves in Juayua (pronounced Why-ooo-er!) in a very cool hostel called Anuhuac at the start of the Ruta de las Flores, the art and craft centre of El Salvador. We have a massive colourful mural on the wall and one of the characters is winking at me as I write :)

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Location:Juayua, El Salvador