Adios El Salvador

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Although my stay in this beautiful country (great things come in small packages) was only 10 days I am leaving filled with impressions, adventures and stories. My initial sense that El Salvador would be distinctly different from Guatemala was confirmed with each passing day. Another observation that El Salvador remains undiscovered by tourism also held true: as I am leaving the country I have counted 3 other travellers. I was fortunate enough to visit toward the end of the rainy season leaving the entire country bright green and millions of red coffee beans awaiting harvest.

I entered the country on the Pan-Americana highway at La Hachadura and spent the first 2 days at the tiny ocean village Los Cóbanos. Los Cóbanos was both simple and charming in the sense that it seemed completely untouched from western tourism and one can still watch fishermen go about their business or women preparing the ubiquitous Pupusas without a pushy salesperson destroying the moment.

From Los Cóbanos I continued north along the Ruta de Flores (Flower Route) – yet there are no flowers to be seen. What is impressive about the route is the small mountain villages that lie along the way: small, charming and unspectacular but genuinely El Salvador. I make my way from Sonsonate to Nahuizalco, to Juayúa – where I spend another night. From there on to Apaneca, Ataco and Ahyuachapan where the flower route ends. My next stop is the small town of Tacuba where I spent 3 days filled with spectacular outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, swimming in natural hot springs and jumping off waterfalls and do not forget about holding a poisonous snake that we caught in the jungle. From Tacuba I continued north-east to Santa Ana, the second biggest city of El Salvador. There I spent another 3 days in the hostel of Javier (Casa Frolaz). Javier turns out to be the friendliest hostel owner I have ever met. Not only is he funny and smart but has vast amounts of free time on his hands. He is single and a coffee plantation owner and is so lucky to employ an excellent manager to take care of all day to day business so he only stops by every few weeks (sounds like a very nice life). One day Javier invited me to show me around his coffee plantation, another we visit his family’s house on the beautiful lake Coatepeque. The two peaks of the Cerro Verde (2000m) and Volcán Izalco (1900m) capture my interest and I decide to climb them. Finally I head north to Metapan and from there embark on the 3 ½ hour bus ride (about 30km) along the slow windy unpaved mountain road to the Honduras border at El Poy.

In retrospect, what made El Salvador so special were the people: open, interested, outspoken, helpful and funny. Although El Salvador is a tiny country (and most people would have trouble locating it on a map) it is definitely worth a trip (quite possibly exactly because there is no tourism).