El Salvador: A great start to the 2nd part of our trip

As Marie mentioned in her earlier post, we had no intentions of visiting El Salvador. Rather, the cheapest flight from New York to Lima, Peru was on TACA airlines, and required a connection in San Salvador. Turns out It was only a couple bucks more to stop-over there for a couple of days, so we figured, why not? So, we booked the flights and then looked into what there is to see and do.

On the surface its not so good: Here is a summarization from travel.state.gov and other sites:
- Former war stricken country;
- one of the highest crime rates in the world;
- don't carry a wallet around;
- don't walk around at night; and
- limited tourist infrastructure.

What were we getting ourselves into? Well, it turns out we stumbled upon a gem of a country.

The Good:
The people: The friendliest people we've met on the trip this far (even more than Mongolia). Even though we speak broken Spanish, no one ever grew impatient and were always willing to help out.

The environment: Lots of volcanos, lakes formed inside volcanoes, lush green forests, beautiful black sand beaches and oceans that are apparently excellent for surfing.

The cuisine: Lots of chicken, beef and the tastiest chorizo ever. Suffice to say, its not vegetarian friendly, although you can find plantains, rice and corn.

Driving: The roads are in very good shape (thanks to partnerships and investment from Japan and the EU -- similar to Cambodia), and rental cars and gas are cheap. Terrible road signs and maps though.

Tourist Infrastructure: Hotels in San Salvador will meet most westerners expectations, the official currency is the US dollar, and overall stuff is pretty cheap. And the best part: There are NO tourists in the country.

The Bad:
Security: Its not unusual to see security guards carrying shotguns (especially around banks and ATMs). Police and army folks carry semi-automatic weapons throughout the airport. Turns out theft is mostly gang related. Having said that, its like any big city -- as long as you're aware of your environment and don't stroll in unsavory neighborhoods, things should be fine.

Public transport: There are no subways nor a rail system. Buses are either overpacked mini-vans or colorfully painted, smog-emitting, old US-style school buses. Taxis are easy to find, and reasonably priced.


The Verdict:
We're huge El Salvador fans -- highly recommended for any independent traveler. Go there before everyone else does!!!!