Hello Charlotte,
Here is the newest MU-JERES update for the CFS volunteer project in La Isla, El Salvador...

Yesterday the volunteers took a day off to visit Montecristo National Park near Metapan. We left La Isla at 8 am on a truck and headed towards the national park. We arrived at the park around 9 am and headed up the dirt road for about 15 kilometers on the back of a truck, working our way towards the top of the mountain. After a long and bumpy ride, we arrived safely to the summit, where we had a picnic lunch under the trees in a beautiful shady area. Montecristo National Park is one of the few virgin cloudforests left in Central America. After lunch, a Salvadorian guide took us to a lookout where we could see for miles...it was beautiful ! We were all impressed by the scenery and spent a few minutes just taking in the fresh air and natural beauty that surrounded us. Later that afternoon rain clouds threatened to pour down and sure enough, it began to rain as we headed down the mountain. We arrived in Metapan a little bit wet, but happy to be in the city where we could pick up a few souvenirs and enjoy the culture of Metapan. In the early evening we went out to dinner to celebrate Maya´s birthday and bought her a cake and sang Happy BIrthday nat a restaurant called La Portada, which serves great quesadillas and all kinds of national dishes!
By 9 pm we were heading back to La Isla to meet with our host families and begin work again this morning at 7 am. Around 10 am we will be meeting with the students from the school again to have a cultural exchange...all is going well!
Here are some photos from our journey in the national park yesterday, it was quite an adventure!!
Peace,
Emilie