Blogs from Central, El Salvador, Central America Caribbean

Getting from Copan Ruins in Honduras to Suchitoto took the entire day. I left at 8AM and took 5 different buses and a taxi, with a total wait time of about 10 minutes, since buses just wait till they're nearly full to leave, which doesn't take long at all. But the journeys were pretty slow-going since the buses stop to pick up anyone waiting on the side of the road. The border was easy since several Central American countries have an agreement to allow travelers a 90-day visa. The town of Suchitoto is a charming time capsule of cobblestone streets, fading pastels, and a bustling town square. This is all worth a visit, but aside from trying different restaurants and cafes, there isn't much to do there, aside from checking out Lake Suchitlán, the largest lake ... read more

Kaum in El Salvador angekommen, haben wir auch schon die lokale Spezialität Pupusas ausprobiert. Dies sind Teigfladen welche mit Käse, Bohnen oder für Nichtvegetarier auch mit Fleisch gefüllt werden. Diese waren wirklich sehr gut und extrem preiswert. Am nächsten Tag besuchten wir einen Wasserfall. Dies taten wir, wie dass die lokalen Einwohner auch tun, das heisst stehend, oder hockend auf der Ladefläche eines Pick Up Trucks. Dies ist für uns zwar ungewohnt, aber in El Salvador ganz normal und man sieht teils Pick Ups welche mit etwa 15 Personen besetzt sind. Nach kurzer Wanderung erreichten wir den schönen Wasserfall in welchem man auch baden konnte. Dies konnte man aber nicht wirklich lange tun, da das Wasser einfach viel zu kalt war. Danch waren wir dann auch schon wieder zurück im kleinen Städtchen namens Ataco. Hier fand ... read more

Here we are, spending some time in the last country of Central America I have never visited. Put it simply, El Salvador doesn't have the best record for safety, so basic rules do apply. Kind of funny to write when you know I'm writing this today from Congo DRC! Yes, El Salvador is classified as one of the more dangerous country in the world. There is no war here per se, but the gangs, and gang wars do rule in most part of the very poor country. So I was not going to play any game on this multi-weeks trip. Why El Salvador, well, it was an easy 48 hours stop between Roatan and my next stop, just an hour from here. San Salvador is also country count 157 for me. As of today, I still ... read more

“Welcome to El Salvador; my name is Edgar,” grinned a stocky man in his late thirties. Edgar possessed an enviable shock of black hair, and his friendly face made me warm to him straight away, which was great since he was going to be my guide for the next few days. “Is this your first time here?” His accent was thick but perfectly understandable. I nodded. “It’s good that tourists are starting to come. This is what the government wants and what I want.” He led me outside into the blinkingly bright sunshine. “Wait here, I’ll get the car. I should only be a couple of minutes.” With that he was gone, leaving me alone to take in this most dangerous of Central American cities. El Salvador was the edgiest country of my trip. The mention ... read more

I had put my alarm on time, I woke up as well, but then I fell asleep again. I guess I was still tired from the hike. At 4:00, the night securety of the hostel woke me up with his flashlight telling me the shuttle was waiting for me. Luckily I packed my backpack the night before already! I was traveling with Bryan from El Salvador and Emma from Switzerland. The other night, when I asked Bryan what to visit in El Salvador after he told me he was from there, he told me I could join them because they were going there on monday. The shuttle brought us to Guatemala City. There we had to wait for the busstation to open. We could wait in the lobby of a Holiday Inn hotel. Emma and I ... read more