San Salvador, El Salvador
13° 42' N 89° 12' W
Jul 07, 2010 23:55
Distance 3577km

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Why would anyone go to El Salvador??!! or #76

Wednesday, July 7th, San Salvador 

The day started like so many others in my travels, up at some ungodly hour (6 AM) and heading to the airport.  What happened next was a first in my travels; my flight was cancelled!!  It is indeed remarkable that in all the hundreds of flights I have been on since June 26, 2007 that I have not once had a flight cancellation.  The nearest to a flight cancellation was to be voluntarily bumped off a flight from LA to Miami (I agreed as connecting flight meant I had to layover for eight hours somewhere and I was given a voucher for my charity).  It is indeed remarkable that I have been so fortunate and experienced so few of the common flight inconveniences.  Even delayed departures have been very few. And on all but one flight I have had a window seat, almost as important to me as leaving on time.  So, welcome to the real world of travel.  Other than being a little short with the staff at the Cusco airport it all worked out and we were off five hours later than scheduled. 

After an active and elevating week devoted to hiking in the Highlands of Peru, the eventual goal was to get to Vancouver towards the middle of July.  Jane had never seen the Grand Canyon of Arizona so I thought we could pass by on the way up from South America.  But why did we stop at San Salvador.  Three simple and logically reasons.  First, we had to change planes in San Salvador. Second, I had never been there.  Third, WHY NOT and we had the time.  

There are many reasons not to go to El Salvador (the country) or San Salvador (the capital) and they are all reasonable, especially as it is one of the most dangerous, violent and armed places in the world.  The murder rate is right up there, there are guns of every type in large supply, a less stable government and all the other symptoms/problems of a poor Latin American country.  My solution is simple: don’t go out late at night, stick to the busy “tourist” areas, keep moving, avoid alleys and dead end streets, stay in better hotels, make the visit short and keep your wits about you.  Note, these are the same strategies you would use anywhere else in developing countries.

When we arrive, the first things that impresses us was that no one spoke English and even the immigration official was surprised that we were there as tourists. Mindful that Jane was anxious, I had booked the best hotel in the better part of San Salvador as recommended by Lonely Planet.  The hotel was cozzie, folksy and in a saver/touristy part of the city.  We have two days in San Salvador so we did the usual stuff; museums, markets, central square and market, cathedrals, and scout about the upscale shops.   

In fairness, San Salvador is a pretty scary place.  In front of the banks and hotels there are guards with rifles and police (army??) are everywhere with machine guns in ready display.  Whereas the revolution that gripped the country has been over for ten years at least, the rebels forgot to put the guns away.  Also, there is not a lot to see if you have seen poorer South American cities before, the only things that is different is that under-belly of the country is easier to spot and there is limited architectural or urban beauty to be found.   Curiously we visited the national museum and learned about their history and as a bonus there was a Canadian government exhibit of Eskimo art so Jane got a bit of Canadiana for free.  And, for the first time in my life I was up-graded to business class on the way out.  Nice, but not worth the extra fare unless someone else is paying. 

 

PS: El Salvador is country number 76 I have visited (out of 192 countries in the world).

Below is a little about El Salvador from Wikipedia (as you likely know little about the nation):

El Salvador (literally meaning "Republic of the Savior") is the smallest and also the most densely populated country in Central America. It borders the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. It lies on the Gulf of Fonseca, as do Honduras and Nicaragua further south. It has a population of approximately 6.1 million people. The capital city of San Salvador is the largest city of the republic.Civil War (1980 to 1992). The Salvadoran Civil War was predominantly fought between the government of El Salvador and a coalition of four leftist groups and one communist group. Approximately 75,000 people were killed in the war. In 1992 the government signed the Peace Agreements ending a 12 year civil war. Today El Salvador experiences some of the highest murder rates in the world,

 

Photos / videos of "Why would anyone go to El Salvador??!! or #76":

Interior of the main cathedral in San Salvador.  It is in the church that the Arch Bishop of El Salvador was assinated in the 80's.  This was the turning point of the revolution and the people started to say enough.  Note how simple this RC church is, unusual but reflects the poverty of ES. Statue of some hero who freed the people from their Spainish oppressors. In the centre of San Salvador central square. Former Presidental palace, now a library facing out on the square. In the central square there are "classrooms"set up for learning, discussion an debate. Bus burning very low quality fuel, as it past you definitely had to hold your breath. Internal gardens of the former presidental palace.  Must have been a nice place in its day. View of outside of the main cathedral. Note the sign on the top of the shop, it celibrates the Marx-Lenist heroes of another era.  Not sure if they are the cure to El Salvador's current situation. San Salvador's other cathedral.  This one is in a poorer area of the capital, right in the middle of the market area. Another simple interior.  These less ornate RC churchs feel much more spiritual then many of the more eleborate ones.  Challenge for these buildings is to not fall down in an earthquake, which are usual on a century basis. Market, a very busy area but you had to watch yourself and you were definitely being watched by the locals. Normal strret scene.  Things are very functional and simple. Everywhere there was barb wire, armed guards, steel fences and other security devices; if you had money you had to defend and guard yourself accordingly. Modern statue remembering the poor and women in the struggle for independence. Large mural in front of the national musuem.  That is the clothed me in the foreground. In the musuem there was a display of works by Picasso.  Showed prints he made over a few days; he sure knew how to capitalize on his fame and talent.  It was an interesting display; not often I like an art gallery but this was the exception. Jungle hills that surround and are part of San Salvador.  The city does not feel crowded or busy.  Populaton is 2.1 million, or 1/3 of total population of the country. The guard at the hotel lent me his machine gun.  Really not sure how to use, but made sure my finger was not on the trigger. Mountains and rain forests behind the city.  It was very hot and humid. Went to a second musuem (in two days) and saw more pottery.  Not alot to do in San Salvador.  Pottery was nice, but not as impressive as the display in Lima. Canadian Innuit art on display in the national musuem.  Ironic that I had to travel so far away to see a superb display of Eskimo art (sponsored by the Canadian government). Sundial.  Note how accurate it is.  As it was early July you should look at the second line from the centre.  Each line/ring was for a different month of the year based on the position of the overhead sun at different times of the year. Overhead view of the sundial.  Interesting how the line are laid out to reflect different months of the year.  I have seen several sundails, but never with sure visual detail. View form our hotel, which was in the most tourist friendly and touristy part of the city.  That is a Hilton Hotel in the background.
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