Lietuviskas aprasymas zemiau
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Day 25: La Palma
March 4, 2006
During the third day of traversing the towns and villages of El Salvador, we finally came to realize that it is not the headline sites that make this country distinctive and charming, but the quiet pace and the laidback style of the local life, and, on top of everything, the exceptional warmth and kindness of the people. It's funny how you rush into El Salvador from the much more hectic environment of Mexico and Guatemala, and it takes you quite some time to slow down, stop looking for "gems" and start enjoying the quiet, contemplative local life… and when at some point of time it finally hits you, you are no longer hurrying and realize you could stay here for months, maybe years…:)
As we kept rolling towards the Honduras border, the landscape around us started
becoming more and more picturesque: verdant mountains, lush valleys, banana
plantations, little clean towns and villages… and, finally, La Palma.
The tiny artistic La Palma was so different from everything we had seen so
far in El Salvador, and was sooooo irresistibly cute that we immediately knew
we had to stay here for at least another day!
La Palma is best known for its original art. It all started in 1972 when the painter Fernando Llort moved to La Palma and began painting bright-colored, somewhat childish-looking images of the countryside and people's daily activities. As he was willingly sharing the secrets and techniques of his unique style with the locals, the trend soon spread all across the region. Throughout the next two decades, about 75 percent of the residents of La Palma became involved in the mass-production of Llort-style art. Today nearly every building in town is decorated with vivid Llort-style images, what makes La Palma look like one gorgeous three-dimension painting which you can actually enter and become a part of. Amazing… La Palma is also the best place to shop for Salvadorian arts and crafts: the selection is endless and the prices are very attractive.
Our visit to El Salvador corresponded with the end of some big electoral campaign, therefore lots of political bustle was happening in every town: flags, demonstrations, leaflets, and speeches about a better tomorrow… La Palma wasn't an exception. In the evening we had a chance to witness one of the most popular political candies - a free concert in the central square followed by a party for the whole town. It's funny how countries and people around the world are so different, but the political propaganda seems to be identical everywhere: endless speeches, the sweetest words, and promises, promises, promises… The speeches lasted for at least 2 hours, then the concert finally started but the music was so bad… (no such thing as free lunch! :)) Well, at least now we know that when we come back to El Salvador several years later, we will not recognize it! El Salvador will have become a prospering country where all the people will have well-paid jobs and everybody will be wealthy and happy :))
Tip #1 If you are in La Palma, you must stay in Hotel La Palma - perhaps the nicest place we have stayed in so far! You will easily find it right at the entrance to the town, on a hillside, in a little bamboo grove. The rooms are big, clean and very attractive: every door is decorated with Llort-style paintings. It might also be the best deal in town: only USD 10 for a spacious room with private bathroom.
Cick on the pictures to enlarge
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Bienvenidos a La Palma! When they say "welcome", they REALLY mean it!
Sveiki atvyke i La Palma! Retai kas taip bemoka dziaugtis sveciu apsilankymu, kaip salvadorieciai. |
Llort is everywhere
Visa La Palma ispuosta ryskiaspalviais Llort stiliaus motyvais |
Hotel La Palma - zero stars, thousands of visitors hearts :) You just have to stay there!
Viesbutis La Palma. Nei vienos zvaigzdutes - visu sveciu sirdutes :) |
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The town of many colours - high up in the mountains and oh-so-pretty!
Tukstancio spalvu miestas - tarytum didziule marga pasaku knyga, kurios puslapiais vaikstai ir negali atsistebeti - jau tas zavumas nesvietiskas... |
One of the numerous artesanias: Pase adelante! - Come on in, be our guest! You don't need to buy anything, let's simply chat!
Viena is daugybes meno galeriju - parduotuviu. Pase adelante! - Uzeikite, klauskite, pasisveciuokite, nebutinai turite ka nors pirkti - pabendraukime! |
Nuvesk pelyte virs paveiksliuko, spustelk jos kaire ausele, ir paveiksliukas padides
25-oji diena: La Palma
2006 m. kovo 4
Trecioji diena El Salvadore, taciau kol kas nieko nepaprastai idomaus cia neradome. Paprasti, mieli, vienas I kita panasus miesteliai, nelabai ispudingi pliazai, o privaziavimas prie didziausios atrakcijos - veikiancio ugnikalnio - pasirodo, uzdarytas… Taciau, bevaziuodami per kalnus, slenius ir apsnudusius miestelius, pamazu pradedam suprasti, kad ne ten ieskom El Salvadoro zavesio! Po beveik menesio tempo ir nuolat besikeicianciu ispudziu maratono prireikia siek tiek laiko, kol suprantam, kad El Salvadoro grozis - tyloj, ramybej ir zmoniu draugiskume. Visoj saly nepastebejom beveik nei vieno turisto - sunku net patiket, kad siandien dar like tokiu saliu. O salvadorieciu svetingumas - be salygu ir be ribu… Visuotine salies ramybe pamazu "pasiekia" ir mus, ir staiga suprantam, kad visai nebenorim niekur skubeti… :)
Vakarop privaziuojam aukstai kalnuose isikurusia La Palma - meninku miesteli.
La Palmos atgimimas prasidejo 1972 metais cia atsikrauscius gyventi dailininkui
Fernando Llort. Ryskiaspalvius, zmoniu kasdienybe vaizduojancius paveikslus
tapes dailininkas meno ismoke vietinius zmones, ir ne uz ilgo visi La Palmos
pastatai buvo ispiesti ryskiausiom tropinem spalvom - miestelis tapo vienu
dideliu paveikslu :) Miestelis mazuciukas, bet ispudingesnis uz visa likusi
El Salvadora kartu sudejus! Siandiena net 75% La Palmos gyventoju uzsidirba
pragyvenimui kurdami ivairius meno dirbinius: paveikslus, suvenyrus, ranku
darbo krepsius, hamakus, drozinius…
Jaukus viesbutukas, kuriame apsistojam, irgi visas ismargintas Llort stiliaus piesiniais. Bendrai, viesbuciai visame El Salvadore - labai jaukus, grazus, tvarkingi ir pigus. Uz $10 galima gauti puikiausia kambari miestelio centre.
Dienos pabaigai sudalyvaujame "politines muzikos koncerte" - El Salvadore arteja kazkokios rinkimines kampanijos pabaiga, ir dvi dideles partijos neriasi is kailio, bandydamos papirkti balsuotojus. Vienas is universaliu triuku - nemokamas koncertas centrinej miesto aikstej. Politiniai makaronai, atrodo, visose salyse to paties skonio - pries koncerta dvi valandas kartu su salvadorieciais klausomes pazadu apie geresni gyvenima ir sviesu El Salvadoro rytoju… Pagaliau uzgroja muzika - tokia prasta, kad uz sita partija tikrai nebalsuotumem :)
