El Salvador - like Marmite?

When heading south from Mexico (by land) it's pretty easy to go through each Central American country - perhaps with the exception of Belize, which I really wouldn't miss, by the way - whether you stop at each one or not. So we thought it'd be a shame to skip El Salvador. I put it like that because since the start of our travels we hadn't received one glowing report about the country. We did not hear anyone say, "Oh you simply cannot miss blah, west of blah blah in El Salvador", or, "You'd be foolish to miss the fantastic views of Valley Blah". Travellers are always full of advice they must impart. It can border on annoying, but most of the time it's pretty useful, if you pick and choose to whom you listen. No such advice for El Salvador, but we thought we'd go anyway. When in Rome...

Yes, go on. What do you do in Rome?

First of all, if you've been living it up on $9 a night (for two) for a place to rest your head and eating so many juicy steaks you're almost craving rice and beans, then El Salvador will provide a nasty shock to the system. Your dollar - they use USD - will not go far.

Next, the capital city San Salvador. Geographically it makes an ideal place to base yourself and explore what the country has to offer. It's a pretty small country, although it has a larger population than its vastly bigger neighbour, Honduras. San Salvador isn't a safe place. At least that's what everybody says when you go there. After dark, the central part of the city is not the place to be if you're a tourist - unless you fancy engaging with the gang culture, and my knowledge of hippity hoppity (or whatever these crazy kids listen to) just isn't good enough! The after-dark warning reminded me of the film The Lost Boys, and the inevitability of the sun setting and the vampires coming out!

Anyway, the two areas strongly suggested for tourist stays are west of Boulevar de los Heroes and the Zona Rosa, the former being a strange plastic bubble of US takeaways and the latter the most expensive part of town. Take your pick. Perhaps I'll put my hat on backwards, clip on a rat's tail and give the city centre a try!

In the city centre there are no particularly outstanding monuments, buildings or landmarks. Obviously being European, we're spoilt for all that jazz! However, a visit to the market provides an extremely chaotic experience. I'm not a big fan of markets unless I have something to buy (men don't browse) but witnessing the industriousness of the people was fascinating. This is a place where someone will board a bus to sell chocolate, and give a five minute speech bestowing the qualities of this particular brand. So you can imagine what the market is like! The enthusiasm for which they go about their business was great to observe.

But stray away from the busy streets and you get a feel for the after-dark scenario. On the way to the Ticabus office, a guy crossed the road to walk and talk with us. Nothing too unusual in most places, but here it wasn't clear if he was begging or about to mug us. There were enough shifty characters around sizing you up to make the pulse quicken a tad.

Tackling the bus system was just as much fun as the market. After waiting in various places for a while (there didn't seem to be bus stops as such), we eventually managed to jump on a moving bus which took us back to the plastic bubble. By that stage, there were enough friendly smiles to counter the gangster vibe earlier on.

Clearly San Salvador isn't for everyone. You either enjoy such scenarios or you don't. But if the country is to compete with its neighbours and get a slice of the tourist dollar, it needs to make its capital city safe. Perhaps, surfing aside, the country's assets just aren't unique enough to expect people to risk their safety.
If you're travelling on a budget or against the clock, there are plenty of better places to be.