ON THE PIER

Text and photos by John Mitchell

The port and fishing village of La Libertad on El Salvador's Pacific coast has long been popular with vacationers and surfers chasing the world-renowned waves of the area.

    Anglers park brightly painted boats in two rows along either side of a long wharf, which stretches out beyond the rocky shore. Every morning, they load their skiffs onto trolleys and tow them out to the end of the wharf, where cantankerous, gasoline-powered cranes gently lower both crafts and occupants into the rolling surf.

    When boats return they are plucked from the sea by the waiting davits. Then, the anglers lay their slithering catches out before eager customers who swarm the pier. The air is alive with banter and bargaining as vendors weigh purchases in hanging balances or stand guard over metal tubs rimming with glistening eels.