June 16, 2017
to Zacatecoluca: around an invisible volcano
"An overcast day and a light drizzle would be wasted being in a hotel at 10 o'clock" Patrick says after riding 50km and finding the Hotel La Pirraya in Usultan. We were to wait 15 minutes for someone to come to show us a room. The place looked decent and with a pool, but we decide to go onto Zacatecoluca. Just a 100 meters down the road there is a Wendy's, a perfect place for a second breakfast and WiFi to check on accommodations down the road.
We start out a little later than usual, about 6:30am because today is to be a short day to Usultan. A short day due the bus ride yesterday to San Miguel rather than stopping in Santa Rosa per the original plan. The road improved greatly with a shoulder, though rough in the beginning, smooths out but with many bridges where the shoulder disappears. The traffic isn't terrible and most vehicles give us 3-5 feet distance when passing. The landscape is green, though the Volcan San Miguel is shrouded in clouds, and we only briefly get a glimpse of the top. These first 50km went much quicker and easier than the last 58km.
The gray overcast skies remain and occasionally sprinkles of rain, and makes for nice riding. We stop for a cold drink about 5km from town. The last bit has climbing. We find the La Zona Auto Hotel. Hotels like this rent rooms per the hour, this one is $12 for three hours, or $25 for the night starting at 5:00pm. Since it is only 2:00 they want to charge us $37. Patrick explains we will leave at 6 in the morning and only want to pay $25. When Rachel puts her helmet back on and gestures to leave things change fast. We get the room for $25. It was a bluff, because there aren't that many places to stay around here.
The room is nice but made for ease of cleaning. Tiles everywhere, even the bed and nightstands are built-in and tiled. There are mirrors on the wall and ceiling, a built-in television and a music system. These are called love-hotels and typically rent by the hour. They have parking boxes next to the room and a curtain to hide the car and whomever enters the room. They are used by prostitutes and their clients, but Patrick read that since so many people here live in close quarters with their extended families regular people also come to these hotels for privacy.
Patrick rides back to town to a grocery store and picks up our usual beer, chips and breakfast yogurt and fruit. He also discovers a Subway restaurant and gets a sandwich for dinner. We are all set for the afternoon.
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Today's ride: 108 km (67 miles)
Total: 33,364 km (20,719 miles)
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