San Salvador
EL SALVADOR
Taking Care of Business
By LYNDI
Monday, June 23, 2008
Entering El Salvador, Aaron and I really didn’t know what to expect. We had talked to a few people whose brother’s uncle’s twice removed’s best friend had been to El Salvador and said it was really dangerous. And then there’s all the lovely press about having one of the world’s highest murder rates and highest rates of inflation – all true, by the way. Nonetheless, it was uncharted territory, there were rumors of immaculate beaches and stunning volcanoes, we’d already fallen in love with their national “pupusa” dish, and in the capital we would have the incredible opportunity to renew our visas. So off we went.
My first impression after crossing the border was how clean the country was. Central Americans – and all developing nations in general – litter like it’s their job. Every busride we take, people are constantly throwing their garbage out the bus window, either not caring that it is left on the side of the road forever, or hoping that the litter fairy will pick it up soon. Granted, these developing nations often have bigger fish to fry – namely education, healthcare, feeding their population, etc., so that cleaning up garbage falls pretty low on their list of “Things to Do”. The biggest pity is that the natural beauty of these countries is often its main attraction, so you soon learn to turn a blind eye to the chip bags, soda cans, and plastic bags piled all along every single road. But as we drove into El Salvador, there wasn’t a piece of trash in sight.
My second impression was upon entering the capital, San Salvador. I thought it just might be possible that we had accidentally taken the bus the wrong way and were actually back in Dallas. There were Hiltons, other buildings with beautiful lawns and fountains, modern malls, major highways, and an extraordinary amount of fast food outlets. As in, there were three Burger Kings in a two block radius. Apparently, El Salvador has an enormous population living and working in the United States. During the devastating and bitter civil war that lasted for 11 years, only ending in 1991, many Salvadoreños fled and were granted refugee visas, allowing them to legally work in the U.S. Now, remittances from family members in the U.S. account for 16% of their GDP (about $3 billion at last count). Considering that many Salvadoreños now get a monthly allowance from their relatives, it’s no wonder that there are so many shopping outlets. A lot of people use their remittances to pay the bills, open up businesses, fix their cars, etc., but a lot of people also now have enough to buy those new Nikes, go see the latest movies, and buy Happy Meals for their kids. Hence the ridiculous number of shops, malls, and fast food outlets.
Luckily, El Salvador uses the US dollar, making the exchange rate pretty darn easy for us to figure out. Apparently they switched over in 2001 for stability. Considering we’re entering the biggest recession since the Great Depression, guess the joke’s on them now. At any rate, Aaron and I found one of very few hostels off of a main street in town called Boulevard de Los Heroes and settled in. We soon found out that due to limited tourism throughout the country, there is also limited services for backpackers. Having just come from a backpackers mecca in Lago de Atitlan, we were shocked that there were no internet cafes or plates of spaghetti for $1.50. However, El Salvador is extremely cheap, so we made due.
The main reason we came to the capital was to renew our visas. Americans are granted a free 90 day visa upon entry that is good for Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Seeing as how we arrived just about three months ago, we knew it was time to try for an extension. We weren’t really sure how it would work, we just knew we had to go to a capital city and find a big government building. Once we had walked around in the midday heat for about 45 minutes to an hour, we came across the correct building and miraculously found the correct person to talk to. In order to renew our visas, we only needed 4 things:
- an address of where we would be staying during our extended stay (didn’t have it)
- a signed letter validating our good character and good intentions from a family member or friend in El Salvador (didn’t have it)
- proof of onward travel (didn’t have it)
- a visa photo (hey! got it!)
Somehow, the sun and moon aligned correctly and we were granted an additional 60 day stay for only $22.
While we were in the capital, we decided to have a look around. I had read that you shouldn’t bring a camera to the market, it’s too dangerous, make sure your pockets are zipped or empty, it’s so dangerous, and for goodness sake’s do not bring your camera out to take pictures because it is soooooo dangerous. Once we arrived, we saw how ridiculous all of these warnings were. Granted, El Salvador has a crime problem – but it is certainly no worse than any other Central American country as long as you are not actively involved in gangs. We found all San Salvadoreños to be extremely friendly and helpful, and yes, we did take pictures in the market and no one gave us a second look. Of course, we took normal precautions, but the danger of this place is way overrated. Aaron managed to get the bargain of the day by buying a $12 t-shirt for $2. I restocked with a $1 tank top as well, so we’ll be set for the next couple months – or until our new clothes fall apart next week.
We went out one night to a bar called Las Lunas to hear some live music. Apparently, after all of the crap that Salvadoreños have been through over the past two decades, a lot of creative talent has emerged in the form of music and poetry.
Overall, we enjoyed our time in San Salvador, but it’s really just another big city like anything we’d see at home. So it was time to move on. Lakes, beaches, hikes, and weird night markets were just around the corner.
