We've Arrived!

The majority of our group of 22 left the Quad Cities airport at 6 a.m. (for some of us leaving Galesburg, that meant meeting at 3 a.m.!)  Our flights to Atlanta and then San Salvador were blissfully uneventful as far as I know.  Even getting through customs was quite uneventful...not even too painful for those who don't speak Spanish.

I forgot about the "stop and go light" on the way out the door.  When we get into customs, we stopped at one counter where they checked our passport and travel documents.  After we picked up our luggage (nothing lost!) we went through a couple lines where more customs officials checked our "declaration" papers.  After the papers are checked, each traveler gets to push a button, and it's kind of like a game show... Some people get a green light and can go straight outside, others get a red light and need to open their luggage or answer a few questions.

We were met at the airport by Luis from Habitat for Humanity El Salvador, who was a familiar face for many who are making return trips! What a blessed sight to see his face in a sea of people we did not know.  He was joined by Katy who is fairly new to Habitat, but also an energetic and welcoming face to see.  We'll get to know both of them better as the week goes by.

We had lunch at Cafe El Arco.  It's a beautiful outdoor space - covered, but open air,  overlooking the city.  It was a nice chance to get to meet some of the other members of the larger group.  We are really from all over the quad cities area, and also a few, who flew in from Milwaukee to join us from further north in Wisconsin

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We are checked in at Hotel Villa Terra, for the night.  Glad for an easy journey and ready for an adventure!