El Salvador has challenged my expectations. This is partly because we had not originally planned to come here, and therefore I had done little research. But even if I had, I couldn’t have anticipated the beauty pageant in Suchitoto. But I’ll get to that in a minute.
We arrived in El Salvador from Nicaragua, crossing Honduras in the process. It was a long day, and certainly had the potential to negatively colour our first impression of El Salvador. But it didn’t. From the friendliest border official in the world, to the man who struck up a conversation with us whilst we waited for our bus in San Miguel, the people made it impossible to dislike El Salvador. Our entire time here people have been genuinely friendly. The downside to this, is that it’s made me realise how poor my Spanish is. I have fairly good functional traveller spanish, but when people want to actually have real conversations with me I’m left shaking my head and saying “No entiendo.”.
Our first few days were spent at El Cuco, or at least nearby at a place called La Tortuga Verde. Here we enjoyed sun, sand, surf and absolutely delicious food. It was one of those places that would be easy not to leave, but there was more to see so off we went. There is one bus that leaves from the hotel at 8am, and there were 7 of us who caught it. Six of us caught the next bus to San Salvador, but we jumped off early to change for the bus to Suchitoto. Despite needing three buses it was a fairly easy bus day, and we made it to our next stop in the early afternoon. Suchitoto is a small mountain town, that you can walk from one end to the other in 15 minutes. The cobbled streets are lined by charming colourful homes. Men tip their hats and say “Buenos”, as they ride by on their horse.
On Saturday, as we had wandered around during the day we noticed some unusual sights. A car surrounded by youths and decorated with flowers. A section of street cordoned off with lights and speakers being set up underneath a marquee. As the sun started to set we heard movement and music. The town square was bustling with people, who seemed to be waiting for something. Then we turned the corner to see the parade. Girls sat on top of highly decorated cars, practicing the royal wave or throwing sweets to their adoring fans. The cars were sometimes empty, at other times filled by friends or family. A teenage boy stuck his head out the car window and called to me, proffering a paper rose. The parade made its gradual way around the town, eventually ending near the marquee. At around 7:00 the ground beneath our feet started to rumble, and we felt the music course through our bodies. There were neon lights, and spotlights in green, orange and red. The music was an unusual combination of techno, electronica and folk. We watched children playing in the square as we waited for our pupusas, which were being churned out at a phenomenal rate with about half the town apparently having them for dinner.
Our last stop in El Salvador was San Ignacio. A small mountain town, from which we climbed to the highest point in El Salvador, which just happens to be on the border with Honduras. For fun we walked in and out of Honduras a few times, the next day it would take multiple border officials, passport checks, and the obligatory walk through no mans land, to do the same thing! The actual peak is on private property and it costs $3 to enter. When we arrived at the gate, the guard told us it was $3 per person, we nodded and Jason got out his wallet. He then proceeded to attempt to have a conversation, whilst I resorted to “No entiendo” almost every other sentence. The exchange ended with him telling us we didn’t have to pay after all, and to enjoy the walk. Perplexed, but grateful, we continued the uphill slog to the summit. At the summit we encountered yet another friendly local who tried his best to have a conversation with us, but “no entiendo.” Having recovered our breath we made our way down the mountain, past locals having picnics and children rolling down soft green hills. We reached the road around 3:30pm and waited for a bus. And waited. And waited. Around 4:30 with the temperature dropping I decided to stand by the side of the road looking cold, and hopeful all at once. The next car, well ute, that past called out to ask if we wanted a ride and we jumped in the back. We even had a comfortable seat (100kg bag of rice) and backrest (a rolled up tarp). We sat in the back, grateful for the lift, and enjoyed the stunning views.
I’m so glad we came to El Salvador, which we almost didn’t, as it’s turned out to be one of our favourite countries in Central America. The country itself is beautiful, but they all have had that. The difference is in the people. The friendliness, the fact they have time and energy to spend on enjoyment (beauty pageant, music concerts, award ceremonies), a pride in their country and eagerness for tourists to enjoy it. We have felt completely safe everywhere we’ve been, with no concerns about carrying valuables, or walking the streets at night. It’s such an easy country to explore with numbered bus routes, and timetables you can find online. I’m not sure why El Salvador is not higher on the tourist radar, maybe it will be soon.
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