After having a very nice breakfast, we drive 1 hour back to the Guatemala City Airport.
During rush hour, this trip takes between 2 and 2 1/2 hours! Just too many cars.
Service by the airport is in no relationship to the price they charge: price is high and service is slow! On the way to El Salvador, we receive permission for a sightseeing flight around Volcano di Agua. Spectacular!! Unfortunately we get a bit shaken (not stirred), Mr. BeBü gets a funny stomach and the Video might not turn out that great.
After one hour we land in San Salvador and we need again one hour to drive to city center. The pilots stay at the plane since they have some work to do. The hotel is very nice and Internet access very fast; happy webmaster!
We decide to hire a cab and do a city tour. We knew that San Salvador is special but were really surprised. We never saw a city with so many buildings with barbed wire and iron bars. As Lonely Planet puts it: „Enter El Salvador and you‘ll wonder if you‘ve stumbled onto an National Rifle Association convention. Banks, hotels and even bikini boutiques are patrolled by clean-shaven guards packing M16s and 9mm pistols. While the war is long over, this security-obsessed country employs over 18‘000 security guards. Of the estimated 500‘000 firearms in El Salvador, 60% are illegal.
Crime is still a serious problem in San Salvador. Travel light, avoid wearing flashy jewelry and watches, and stay aware of your belongings, especially in buses and among street crowds. If you are robbed, just hand over the goods. Always take taxis after 8pm. The center is off-limits for walking around at night. Take a cab to get to your hotel, even if it‘s just around the corner.
Pollution is a consistent pest, seemingly set in place by the surrounding mountains. Thick vehicle exhaust, especially from buses, can leave you with runny eyes and a sore throat. Be extra-careful crossing the street. Pedestrians don‘t have the right of way and no car will chivalrously cede it to you“. Well – we actually just had burning eyes and felt a bit dizzy from the exhaust.
El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. 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.
El Salvador leads the region in remittances per capita with inflows equivalent to nearly all export income and about a third of all households receive these financial inflows.
Being aware of the security issues in this city, we are good boys and have dinner across the street in a steak house in a shopping complex. A drink at the bar and early to bed; as good boys should do.
El Salvador is Central America‘s smallest, most densely populated country, with the region‘s largest economy and its fewest foreign tourists. But now a new breed of traveler is pushing through in search of an authentic experience in an under visited land.
(Lonely Planet)
