Blogs from Eastern, El Salvador, Central America Caribbean

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Our time in Nicaragua was quickly coming to an end. Next stop: El Salvador. Leaving Nicaragua was rather simple. We got up at 0430hrs to catch the 0500hrs bus the 10km to the border for NOI10 each. There were plenty of locals on the way as well; but whether they were on the way to work, or their fields that were only accessible from the Honduras side, we're not sure. At the border we spent USD2 each to leave Nicaragua at the El Espino border. We took longer than the locals and got left in their dust. We sauntered across the border and had no troubles on the Honduras side... until we went to catch the bus. We thought the border town would be a little bigger so we walked a little farther to a bus ... read more
Play That Music
Made it to El Salvador


We only had the privilege of spending 9 days, in what is perhaps Ashley's favourite country in Central America, because of time constraints. There is so much to El Salvador that we didn't get to experience like the beaches, the surfing and the hiking but our time here was incredible nonetheless. First off, let us just say that El Salvador seems like a daunting country to visit because we hear that it's dangerous and you don't hear of many people travelling there on holidays. However, it was fairly easy to take local buses everywhere including in the big city of San Salvador which has a comprehensive transit system. Before going, locals warned us that the crime rate is at an all time high and to be very careful. We encountered nothing but warm helpful people who ... read more
Laguna de Alegria
Wall Art in Alegria


I’m writing this on an almost deserted beach on the pacific coast close to the Nicaraguan border. We are in El Esteron just east of Playa El Euco. The beach spans several kilometres east to west and at low tide it can spread a further kilometre out to the ocean, there are few amenities here, only a few small tiendas selling the basics, a couple of restaurants and occasionally a fruit or bread seller comes along on his bike. It is really quite blissful hearing nothing but the tide and the birds in the palms. I’ll admit it has not been like this every day, the weekend was much busier with Sunday in particular attracting many local visitors but still most of the beach remains unspoiled. Getting here from San Salvador was straightforward enough but not ... read more
Vultures feasting on a washed up Manta Ray
The view from our room

Central America Caribbean » El Salvador » Eastern » Alegría November 29th 2011

Spent 10 days in El Salvador, a country a similar size to Wales. One of the first things we noticed was how polite and courteous everyone was. No-one batted an eyelid at the monstrously tall, ice-cream eating, lost Europeans showing up. Started off in Alegria, a tiny town which is the highest in the country. A cooler mountain climate was very welcome after escaping the furnace that was San Miguel. Its hard to pick a highlight from the truly stunning views, the eccentric ensemble retro electronic equipment, or rather good coffee but the real winner here, head & shoulders above the rest, was the absolute luxury of a hot shower. Got rudely forced back to reality by having to brush teeth and shower in salt water in Playa El Tunco. On the plus side, ... read more
MOTH
swimming in a dam
surfers


Yesterday the ground was alive, grass glowed, the fish gave me a pedicure and the tides paced the day. living in El Salvador My husband´s 42nd birthday was a good excuse to take a short trip. So we packed up an overnight bag and headed out with our 5-year-old daughter and her little dog Freddy to the Bahia de Jiquilisco. The Bahia de Jiquilisco is located in the southwest in the department of Usulutan in south-eastern El Salvador. The drive time would have been about an hour an a half from San Salvador, but with traffic jams getting out of the city, and the cattle jams as we got closer to the bay it was quite a bit longer. Entering the region we found the air was thick, heavy, and hot. After crossing bridges over ... read more


So how do you guys feel about a history lesson today? Well, you'd better be up for it because it's coming! But don't worry, it's a very simplified version (and hopefully accurate)... Going back as far as the 19th century, the gap between the rich minority and the poor communities in El Salvador was vast. The rich in power were very busy trying to make sure things stayed that way and the poor weren't too chuffed about it. This caused tension in the country for a long time, including what was called “The Massacre” of 1932, when 30000 opposing the government got killed by death squads. So the civil war had been brewing for many years when it finally broke out. By the end of the 70s, several left-wing guerilla groups joined forces to form a ... read more
Perquín
Perquín
Perquín


After spending a day in Suchitoto, I really wasn't sure where to go next. I was tempted by the Jiquilisco Bay, but the lack of information available on accommodation around there, made me discard it, as I feared I would end up having to pay a lot more than I wanted to. Also the costs to get to some of the islands were out of my price range (the idea to pay $30 to get picked up didn't sound like such a great plan). The other 2 places I was really interested in were Perquin to the North East, an important location in the civil war, or the beaches and islands around La Union, to the South East. I felt that with time ticking, I really needed to pick one of the 2 to enjoy, rather ... read more
Alegría
Alegría
Alegría

Central America Caribbean » El Salvador » Eastern » Perquín February 23rd 2011

We were less than impressed as we entered San Salvador after a long bus trip from the other side of Guatemala. The level of litter, always about in Central America, seemed to increase as we neared the capital and I guess it was fortunate that nightfall came before we had to come to grips with the look of the capital itself. The Tica Bus delivered us to its base. Typically for here, the bus was backed into a small compound with good, strong steel doors topped with razor wire. We had found a hotel that looked reasonable not too far away but the only taxi in evidence on a very dark street had an occupant. All of the advice is not to walk around this city after dark so we weren't going far without finding a ... read more
Another Travel Day
San Salvador Street
Alegria Shop Entry

Central America Caribbean » El Salvador » Eastern » Perquín February 20th 2011

Perfect timing was to be our bag for the next day. We slept in a bit, then stuffed around a bit getting organised to leave. As we left the hostel we asked what time the bus would be coming past – there was only a couple a day, and we didn't want to wait until the afternoon. I had asked someone the day before, and they had concurred with the, now increasingly unreliable, Lonely Planet – the bus should come in about 9. “El autobus? Esta alli” she said as she pointed out the bus just about to leave from near the plaza. Happily they didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry and were happy to wait for four backpackers to crowd in with their stuff. From Alegría we headed on into the ... read more
Near Alegría, El Salvador
Coffee plantations near Alegría, El Salvador
Hills near Alegría, El Salvador


(Day 866 on the road)OK, first things first: I have booked my flight home for the end of October. Puh! It might not sound like much, but it is a big, no, a huge deal for me. Making plans to go home was one of the very last things on my mind for the past two and a half years. Of course I knew the day would arrive eventually, but I didn't image just how much the simple act of booking a flight home (Panama City-Miami-Dusseldorf on October 31st) would affect me mentally. Now I have about two and a half months left on this journey that has become my life. Long by some standards, no time at all when you consider it from my point of view. Anyway, Kristina and Tino are getting married at ... read more
Lonely tree in the fog at Laguna de Alegria
Memorial of the El Mozote massacre
Grass hopper eating bananas near Alegria




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