Evanescent Photography : El Zonte

El Zonte is a small surf village divided by a rivermouth. Like many of the breaks in El Salvador this rivermouth helps form a pretty perfect right point break that produces consistent waves all year round. The "town" of El Zonte is small. You need approximately two minutes to see the whole thing, twelve if you add in the ten minute surf check. I first visited Zonte back in 2010 and I've stayed there two times since then. Warm water and consistent waves are definitely a draw but honestly you can find that in many places throughout Central America. Rustic and untouched there is something uniquely awesome about this place. In 5 years time not a lot has changed. There is still only one place in town with WIFI and not a single ATM. The town consists of a few comedors, a coffee shop, two shops stocked with minimal supplies (if you want anything other than snacks and water you have to go to La Libertad) and a few hostels. Oh and the newest addition- a small skate ramp that was put in about a month ago.

"town"

new skate ramp

Zonte point

Not much for surf pics but here are a few from our first day.

Zonte

Around Zonte you'll find no shortage of amimals. You'll hear the sounds of roosters waking you up at dawn and hear the neighborhood dogs barking late into the night. Around town you'll see chickens, cattle and horses just roaming down the street.

This little guy now goes by the name Diego. He stole my heart and became my buddy for the week. We shared many pupusas, banana pancakes and lots of pizza during my weeks stay. Diego has a bum leg which causes him to limp and hop around on his three remaining good legs. Most likely he was hit by a car. He is very malnourished and they are pretty sure he has lyme disease. Some of the locals have been working hard to try to get Diego and the other countless stray dogs the medicine and treatment they need to survive. They have been working with a vet in San Salvador to try to get the neighborhood dogs healthy. Some are even being adopted by visitors and getting to go to the states. How rad is that?!

food coma from too much pizza haha :)

A short walk from the beach our place was tucked back about 1 km (5 min walk) from the point.

our calle- Michelle

Security in Zonte is interesing. Most of the homes are surrounded by large brick walls. The walls are lined with glass bottle shards and barbed wire. Most places, especially those with tourists have a security guard of some sort. In our case we had Carlos. At night you could find him in the hammock with a machete. Top notch security if you ask me!

Hanging around our house...