My flight arrived in El Salvador last night, and I promptly rented a car and drove 50 minutes to the small surf town of El Tunco. Note to self: It’s best to make your first drive in a foreign country during daylight hours, especially if 75% of the headlights and taillights on cars and trucks in that country no longer function. I wish I had had the energy to go out and enjoy the bohemian nightlife when I arrived, but the long travel day had taken its toll, and I was asleep in five minutes. I did rise with the dawn patrol for some nice morning light photography.

I would have liked to have spent more time here, but it is the rainy season, and you have to make the most of the generally dry mornings. I stopped only once at Cueva El Zonte, a striking natural sea cave and large rock archway located along the scenic black-sand coast. It is accessible on foot only during low tide, which I missed, so I had to settle for an aerial photo.