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On Saturday morning we set off to see the local waterfalls near Juayua. The guide, who also works at our hostal, walked with us to the entrance of the park 2km away. We approached a house and were greeted by several barking dogs. After our guide had changed into some more suitable clothing, we continued on our way to see the waterfalls. It wasn't long before we saw our first waterfall and it was a big one, with several streams cascading down. We continued along the path and saw a few more small waterfalls emerging from the cliff to our left.
We then came to one waterfall which looked like there was a swimming pool at the bottom. It had in fact been adapted for just such a purpose so so we both stripped down to our swim suits to take a dip. Suhanya went in first and, being as it was shaded by the trees, found it to be pretty cold. She quickly took the plunge though and did a few lengths to warm up. The water was really clear and very refreshing to swim in. Phant then joined in and did a few lengths himself. We also stood directly underneath the falls which was fun despite the water falling pretty hard. After a while we dried off and continued on. At this point the guide told Suhanya to put her trainers on as we were going to begin our ascent to the top.
We hadn't realised it was going to be on similar terrain to Parque El Imposible and perhaps walking boots might have been a more appropriate choice of footwear. We climbed up huge rocks and our guide needed to use his machete to carve a path for us through the jungley sections. We finally emerged from the undergrowth at another waterfall. However, it was extremely difficult to cross without getting our shoes wet and Phant had to carry Suhanya across some of the streams. We then came to the end of the path through the falls and wondered which way we were going next as we were at a dead end with a big waterfall cascading many metres both above and below us. Our guide then told us to rest a bit while he sorted the ropes out!
After 5 minutes our guide called us over and that's when we noticed the rope dangling over the edge of the rocky waterfall. Suhanya went first, using the rope, and with the help of the guide showing her where to place her feet, she managed to negotiate her way down the falls unscathed. It was a lot of fun, although all the care we took earlier trying to keep Suhanya's feet dry was in vain as after just the first section Suhanya was completely drenched. Phant also descended without any issues before our guide proceeded to climb back up to remove the rope and walk down freestyle.
There was then another section, this time taking us to a stream at the very bottom of the falls. Water poured over us while we climbed down. At times the rope was the only thing we could grip on while making our way down. It was an exhilarating climb down and we both loved it, especially since, beforehand, we had no idea we were going to abseil down a waterfall. Our guide then headed up once again to collect the rope, wrapping it up and slinging it over his shoulder before strolling down the rocks effortlessly. We made our way splashing through the water to an area where we sat and relaxed while our guide prepared a lunch of onions, peppers, tomatoes, avocado and egg with rolls. It was delicious! We chilled for a bit before continuing our way along the stream, across the jungle and up through trees and coffee plantations.
We had a great time on our Bear Grylls-esque adventure and survived yet another trek through the Salvadorian jungle!
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