Puerto De La Libertad, a dynamic port town located in the coastal crease of La Libertad state in El Salvador, is emerging as one of Central America’s best surfing destinations for international travelers and as a spot for travelers and locals alike to spend a leisure day at the beach.
Only half an hour from San Salvador, La Libertad has an interesting fishing port with a curious seafood display and almost gag-producing sights and smells.
Here’s a quick looks at a typical day at the Pier Market at La Libertad:
(click images to enlarge)
A view of the coast of San Salvador. There is a good combination of family oriented beaches with surfing beaches.The pier at Puerto De La Libertad is like an iconic piece easily recognized in the area. There’s where all the local commercial activity happens.Families enjoying the warm waters on a typical Sunday beach-day.The Pier Market, where you can see and buy a variety of local seafood, fresh right out of the sea. Just walking through it is definitely an intense sensorial experience. Both curious sights and strong smells make you aware of the merchandise.A local saleswoman selling sundried fishes.The fish is cut in half on it’s longitudinal side and its interiors are exposed, showing the interesting texture created after the fish is sun dried.This is how they do it! These rock are located right on the beach. You can walk along the beach and see/smell hundreds of drying fishes “on the rocks”.Not everything is, er, common fish. There are stingrays and other tropical fishes. The bloody tail alone does tell this is fresh. I gagged after seeing/smelling this.Fishermen doing their work and preparing the fish to be sold at the pier market.All the boats are parked right on the pier, like small booths. They are raised from the water at the end of the pier, and get the first available spot to unload their catch.Even with the chaos and mess there is at the pier, the boats color display help make it an interesting and somewhat pleasing scene.Not only seafood is what’s for sale at the pier market. Locally made jewelry, sunglasses and other small items are on display throughout the parked boats.A fisherman resting on his parked boat.After exiting the hot pier market, there’s nothing better than to have a good meal on one of the many restaurants and street carts located at the pier entrance, or to buy an icy Minuta. A Minuta is flavored shaved ice on a cup.Of course, I had to enjoy a Strawberry flavored Minuta… Yummm… and so refreshing!While not the best beach to lay at, the rocks do make a beautiful scene.It’s also soothing to see and hear the water splashing and flowing between the partially buried rocks.
