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This isn’t exactly what I expected San Salvador to look like. Then again, we were in the suburbs. Which look a lot like parts of southern California, if you ask me.
Earlier this week we took the 11 hour international bus from Managua, Nicaragua through Honduras and to El Salvador. (While technically we got stamps in our passports for Honduras, we aren’t counting it as a visit. We only left the bus to go through customs and then got right back on. Totally doesn’t count.)
San Salvador has a reputation for being a dangerous and dirty city. There are several neighborhoods where gang violence is prominent, and many areas where tourists are advised to take taxis at all times of day instead of walking. As the bus passed through the downtown area we could tell there were some very slummy areas, and a lot of scenes that reminded me of the less popular/safe areas of Managua and Guatemala City. So when the bus dropped us off in the well-to-do San Benito area, we stayed there. Yes, we could have taken a bus or cab back to the more colorful part of town, but frankly we’ve seen enough poverty in Central America. It was nice to see some of the more modern, clean and safe parts of the city.
We didn’t have much time in El Salvador, so we didn’t explore a lot. We wandered around the Antigo Cuscatlan neighborhood for a while and explored the Botanic Gardens. But I think the highlight of our short visit was the pupusas. Pupusas are a delicious El Salvadorean food, essentially a corn tortilla stuffed with pork, beans and cheese, or squash, and grilled. They have them everywhere. In the mornings, cars turn their trunks into griddles and serve them to commuters, and there is an endless supply of women on the street making them up fresh and selling 3 for $1. Yum.
After a day of exploring, we hopped on a 6 hour bus to Guatemala City, ready to make our way to the next apartment we had rented. From there it was an hour shuttle to Antigua (where we spent the night), a 2.5 hour shuttle to Panajachal, and a 40 minute boat ride until we arrived at our new place near San Marcos on Lake Atitlan. We are so happy to be in Guatemala for our second time – photos from here soon!
