Blogs from El Salvador, Central America Caribbean - page 53

After staying one month in Puerto Escondido, i got the feeling it's time to hit the road again! i met Argentina-Chile guys who were heading to Costa Rica and on the next day I was sitting with them on the bus to Guatemala. El Salvador's name still evokes images of the brutal civil war fought throughout the 1980s. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms. The government made a series of economic reforms in USA model of free market. In 2001 El Salvador adopted the U.S. dollar as its official currency, replacing the previous currency called the Colon (Spanish for 'Columbus', as in Christopher Columbus). The war, however, is over and ... read more

What a surprise and delight El Salvador has been! When I planned this trip I thought many times about adding El Salvador. It has a reputation for being very dangerous. what I have found is a peaceful country, lovely people, swet little villages and one of hte most beutiful hotels I've ever experienced in over 30 years of traveling. I did heed many warnings from family and friends and decided to book a tour rather than do the collectivo vans and buses by myself. ( I can be up for an adventure but I'm not crazy). Turns out I am on a private tour. But it is good because they basically get me to a town and leave me on my own to explore. fhe first day was in the little colonial village of Suchitoto. It ... read more

And we thought the Guatemalans were paranoid. Our first night's accommodation in El Salvador involved us calling through a locked gate just to get into the village, the guesthouse was even more secure; but Rachel struck a bargain deal again and for two nights we had the whole beachfront place, with pool, to ourselves. We'd earned it though; the border crossing was the most hassle yet and took over two hours (although it did cost a grand total of $0.70), we'd looked at a couple of other hotels - the first prompted a face from Natalie that we'd never seen before, the second had rooms with no windows, adjoining garages and hourly rates...if you know what I mean - and our final choice was at the end of a dirt track that didn't seem to lead ... read more

We woke at 8:30, or tried to. The bed and breakfast is very comfy. Today was dedicated to tourism, but first we ate. People here eat such large breakfasts! Eggs, plantains, beans, some kind of cheese, I just ordered toast, as breakfast is always a minor meal for me. The plan for the day as to look around at the city and learn a bit more about the history concerning Romero and the war. We walked where ever we went, but boy was it hot! The streets were lined with houses, poor mixed in with the rich, shanties and mansions. Everything there was so colorful. The houses were painted with bright colors and even the trash and recycling cans were bright reds, greens, yellows, and oranges. In contrast to the happy, brilliant colors were the ... read more

So i take the bus back from Flores to Guatemala city. There was an accident on the road about half-hour before the city and the road was blocked both ways. We had to wait on the road for about 3 hours until they cleared one of the lanes. There were lots of trucks and busses, the accident happened before 5 am. The drivers´ reactions shocked me: as I was eager to find out what had happened and when we would be able to get through, all the bus and truck drivers started talking on the road, making jokes and laughing. Noneone seemed upset that they were getting delayed because of the accident. When I asked the driver if he knew when we would be able to get through, he said, "i don´t know, there is nothing ... read more