Back                                                     November 2007 El Salvador Trip                                         

                                               by Greg Vandiver

Day 1 - The flight was a little rough on Delta Airlines, from Atlanta to San Salvador. Once I arrived, I found it to be 95 degrees there. By the way, I am alone on this trip. After Immigration and Customs, I hired a taxi driver in front of the airport, to take me to my hotel in San Salvador, which I had already reserved for the trip through Hotels.com. The driver's name was Freddy, and he charged me $25 for the cab ride. He drove pretty fast and we almost had a wreck, on the way to San Salvador, but luckily we did not. Once we arrived at Hotel Villa Serena Flor Blanca, I showed the hotel clerk my reservation confirmation number, and they had no idea what I was talking about. They had no record at all of my reservation, and, had no rooms available. Needless to say, I was not a very happy person. I told Freddy to take me to the Holiday Inn instead, and they had plenty of rooms available for $109/night plus tax. I paid for 5 nights, and checked into my room. I emailed Danelo Deltran at Grayline Tours, and told him that I would need to be picked up at the Holiday Inn the following day, for the trip to Tazumal, instead of at the previous hotel which I had my reservation at.

 I was hungry, and decided to walk up the street for a late lunch, at Comedor El Economico. I had 2 bean pupusas and a orange mirinda soda, for $1.20. I decided to rest at the hotel while watching a Arnold Schwarzneggar movie. Afterwards, I took a shower and caught a taxi to the Zona Rosa in San Salvador, for $5. I had decided to eat at La Parrillada Argentina Restaurant for dinner. I ordered Bife de Chorizo, some Corte Alto soup, and a small bottle of Santa Helena Cabernet Sauvignon Chilean wine. The steak came with a baked potato and grilled vegetables. I also had 2 Pilsener beers as well. My bill was $29.62 for everything. The taxi fare back to the Holiday Inn was $7, with a different driver than before, of course. I knew he had ripped me off for $2, but he needed the money worse than me, so I paid it and went about my business. Along the way back, there were a lot of police roaring by us, and come to find out, the President of El Salvador was just ahead of us in traffic.

Day 2 - After I had a good breakfast at the hotel restaurant, I was picked up in front of the hotel at 9:30 a.m., by 2 representatives of Grayline Tours. My tour guide was named Bessy and my driver was named Carlos Pena. They both spoke Spanish, as well as a good bit of English. We drove about 45 minutes and went to the Maya Ruins of Casa Blanca first. Once there, I saw there were 2 different groups of school children there, touring the site. Many of the children were giggling, while talking about me. I simply smiled at them. The site was small, but had a few decent structures, which were not totally excavated. I did see a small snake of some kind, crossing the path, while walking from one of the structures to another. At the site, they also had a small indigo dye workshop. I watched the process and toured the small shop. They did have some souvenirs there, which one could buy. 

We left the site and drove into the city of Chalchuapa. Once there, we stopped in the town square, and Bessy and I walked into a cathedral. The name of the cathedral was "Iglesia Santiago Apostol". We drove for a few blocks from there and stopped at the entrance of the Maya Ruins of Tazumal. Once inside the site, Bessy and I toured the museum there, which was rather small, but nice.  I took many photos of the main pyramidal structure there. Nobody could get close to it, for they had a tall chain link fence, all around it. I took a photo of a small cemetary, which was next to the site. The cemetary was still heavily decorated with flowers and such, from the recent "Day of the Dead", which was on November 2nd. I also took some photos of a tree, which looked exactly like a poinsettia. It was probably 15 feet tall, to my amazement.

 Across the street from the site entrance, there were a few vendors selling souvenirs. They had a lot of jade and obsidian items for sale. Once we were headed back to the truck, a beggar asked me for some money, and I emptied the change from my pocket, and gave it to him. We drove nearby to Restaurant Town House for a late lunch. I had a very tender flank steak, which was accompanied by rice, refried beans, and fried plantains. I also had a glass of delicious strawberry juice. The tour with the lunch included, was $63. After talking with Bessy and Carlos, I found out a much cheaper way to see the sites, I had saw that day. From Terminal Occidente in San Salvador, one should catch the #202 bus towards Santa Ana, for $1.20. Along the way on the Pan-American Highway, one could ask to be dropped off at the entrance to the Maya Ruins of San Andres, at km. marker 32. Once a person were to visit that site, they could once again catch the #202 bus to Santa Ana, by flagging down a bus headed towards that particular city. After arriving there, a person could simply catch a bus towards Chalchuapa (I don't know the particular bus number), and ask to be dropped off at the entrance to the Maya Ruins of Casa Blanca. From Casa Blanca, one could then easily walk to Tazumal.

Once back in San Salvador, I had decided to hire Carlos, on his day off the next day, to take me to Aguilares, for visiting the next site I would see. He said he would take me there and bring me back, for $40. After considering the altournative means, I told him to pick me up the next morning in front of the hotel, at 8:00 a.m.. A roundtrip taxi fare from the hotel, to the Terminal Oriente bus station, was around $8 one way (so double that amount for that part of the trip). At any rate, one must catch the #125 bus (I do not know the bus fare roundtrip) for going to the city of Aguilares. Along the way, one has to go through the "Mara Salvatrucha" gang infested city of Apopa. The gang members are known to board the buses at times, for robbing everyone at knife point, or gun point. The gang members have a tattoo on their back or neck of the number "13". Once a person arrives (safely) to Aguilares, they should ask to be dropped off at the entrance to the Maya Ruins of Cihuatan.  After considering all of this, the taxi fare of $40 did not seem so bad. 

Once I had settled in, and dropped my waist pack off in the room, I decided to walk 5 blocks up the street, to see the U.S. Embassy compound, which is there. The compound is VERY large and nice-looking too. While I was walking back to the hotel, I had a front row seat (actually standing), to a pretty good auto accident. Neither driver was harmed, thankfully. After arriving back at the hotel, I got cleaned up and asked a taxi to take me to the Gran Vila Mall, for $5 one way. This particular mall, I would put up against any we have in the U.S.A.. It was very beautiful inside and outside. They even had about a 35 foot tall Christmas tree decorated inside. I also saw Santa Claus taking pictures with all the children there. I decided to eat at a Peruvian Restaurant there, called "Inka Grill". I ordered a HUGE garden salad, steak and jumbo shrimp, 2 Golden Light beers, a bottle of La Joya Merlot Chilean wine, and a tasty drink called a chicha morada. My bill was $55.44. After leaving there, I decided to buy a soda and some ice cream, at a convenience store there, inside the mall area. 

Day 3 - Carlos picked me up in front of the hotel at 8:00 a.m.. He had to get some gas along the way, for his truck, and I noticed regular was $3.57/gallon. I told Carlos, once we arrived into Aguilares, I was a little hungry and wanted to eat some typical food. He stopped at a street side restaurant named Chalet Stefany. I had 4 bean/cheese pupusas with a Salva cola. Carlos had 3 pupusas and 2 Kolashanpan sodas. I enjoyed the Salvadoran type food very much, and learned how to eat them with cabbage, while using my hands only, instead of with a fork. The total bill was $2.65. We headed onward down the Troncal del Norte Highway, and at the km. 36 1/2 marker, turned into the entrance of the Maya Ruins of Cihuatan. Once Carlos and I entered into the grounds and parked the truck, I started looking for a particular man who works there. We walked into the museum there, and I saw who I was looking for. As fate would have it, one of my best friends in this world (Clint Jones) is married to a lady (Yanira) , originally from Aguilares, El Salvador. Also, Yanira's brother Raul Garcia, works for the government of El Salvador, as a security guard at the Maya Ruins of Cihuatan. I offered my hand to Raul, and told him I was a friend of his sister in the U.S., and that it was good to meet him.

Raul was 34 years old, and had a kidney transplant 2 years ago. He seemed to be doing good, from the transplant, which his brother gave to him. Raul took out a calling card, and called Yanira from his cell phone. He wanted me to talk to her on his cell phone. When she answered, I could tell she was very excited to hear that I was there with her brother. Since the site had officially opened the previous Saturday, I was the 9th person to visit the site. Carlos and I entered the site, which was free to enter, and saw the site with the help of a brochure telling of the information about each structure there. The site had 2 ballcourts and a pyramid there, as well as a exterior wall around the site. Once back at the museum, in front of the site, Raul took me into a special room there. He showed me the plastic bags, which contained the artifact pieces from the archaeological digs, of previous excavations there. He had a nice collection.

 I spent 2 1/2 hours talking with Raul and Carlos about the area. Raul told me that the guerillas from the 80's and 90's, who were fighting the war against the government, would sometimes sleep there at the ruin site. He also told me of a time, when the guerillas stopped and basically stole a truck, loaded with supplies on the main highway. He said they hid the truck there at the Cihuatan site. I told Raul it was good to meet him and that I would be back someday, to visit him again. Once Carlos and I left the site, we drove into the city of Aguilares, to see the market there. We decided to eat lunch at Pollo Campero, there in Aguilares. We both had a 3 piece chicken meal, which included mashed potatoes/gravy, and coleslaw. I had a Suprema beer and a coke, while Carlos had another Kolashanpan soda. The bill was $14. 

After lunch, Carlos took me back towards the city of San Salvador, and took me through the old part of the city, once there. He showed me to different Embassy buildings, which were there. He also showed me some dangerous parts of the city, which are so, even during the daytime. Once back at the hotel, I told Carlos I would see him the next day, and caught up on my notes. I later took a shower, and asked a taxi driver to take me once again to La Gran Vila (for $5), for eating dinner at Villa Maria Mexican Restaurant. Once there, I ordered some soup called "El Convent de Santa Monica" (cream of poblano chili pepper soup), steak fajitas, a bottle of La Consulta Merlot from Argentina, a glass of rosa jamaica, and peaches/cheese flan for dessert. The bill was $51.38. I caught another taxi back to the hotel and watched a cartoon on tv, which I had not seen in a long time. It was "The Ant and the Aardvark", and was in Spanish too.

Day 4 - Ate a good breakfast at the hotel restaurant and met Carlos in front of the hotel, at 8:30 a.m.. He drove me to the Maya Ruins of Joya de Ceren. Along the way, Carlos explained to me, how a person could do the trip by bus. He said one would have to catch the Occidente #R-24LL, #R-40, or the #R-108 bus from San Salvador. A person could ask to be dropped off at the entrance to the site. The one-way bus fare, was between 50 and 80 cents, depending on which bus a person was on. At any rate, I paid the $4 to enter the site, once we arrived. The site was very different, from what I am used to seeing, as far as Maya ruin sites are concerned. It was basically the remnants of a Maya village, which was found while digging in the area. There are no pyramids or temples there. It reminded me of the Maya Ruins of Kaminaljuyu, in Guatemala City. I took a few photos there, and visited the museum. 

Carlos then took me to the Maya Ruins of San Andres. I paid the $5 entrance fee, to enter the site. Carlos told me he had been to all of the sites we had visited, many times. We first toured the small museum there, before actually entering the site. The site had one pyramidal structure there, and also there was another in the distant, which appeared to be in the process of being slightly excavated. We saw some sheep feeding on the grass, which was on the pyramidal structure there. Only 2 other tourists were there. Once back out in front, we looked at some souvenirs and handcrafts, which a few people had there for sale. One man there, spoke English, Spanish, and also the native language - Nahuat. He was funny and we talked to him for a few minutes. He told me his items were not from China or South Korea. I could not help but to laugh at him, when he said that.

Once we left San Andres, Carlos took me to the city of Santa Ana nearby. He said he wanted to show me the cathedral there, which I found to be very nice. We were only there for about 15 minutes. I told Carlos I was getting pretty hungry, and he said he knew of a nice place nearby. He took me to Lago de Coatepeque, for eating lunch at Restaurante El Gran Mirador. The very beautiful volcanic lake, was the largest in the country. We ordered some Golden Light beers, and put our food order in. While we were waiting, a man named Jose, wanted to play a song and sing for us. He said he would do so, for $2. He played a Mexican song called "El Rey". He could play the guitar and sing very well. I took his photo, while he played for us. Our food arrived to our table, and I had ordered fruit cocktail and plato mixto pequeno. The plate was basically grilled steak and chicken, accompanied by rice and beans. Carlos had plato tipico, which was basically a steak, and was accompanied by rice and beans also. Our bill was $28.60. Carlos told me that a person could catch the #220 bus in Santa Ana, for going to the lake and back. I am sure the fare would be very cheap also.

As we were driving back to the hotel in San Salvador, we went through a construction zone, where they were working on repaving the road. A man flagging traffic there, was dressed like a clown. He had makeup on and everything. Carlos told me that El Salvador had the best roads in Central America. After traveling down them on this trip, I believe him too. I paid Carlos $50 for the day, and he took me back to the hotel. I gave him my email address, and said he would send me an email sometime. I took his Hobby Tours business card, and told him maybe we would meet again someday. Once back at my hotel room, I watched a nice show on the Infinito tv channel, about the Maya in Belize. Later, I took a taxi to the Multi Plaza Mall, in San Salvador for $5. 

The mall is very large. I almost got lost in there, but thankfully figured out where I was, before I did so. I walked over to the food court there, and walked by many American chain food restaurants, to get to a local chain restaurant. I had been wanting to eat there since I arrived to El Salvador, and saw advertisement for it, in many places. The restaurant was called "Biggest", and it was basically a hamburger restaurant. I ordered a 1/2 lb. hamburger, curly fries, a fig pie, and a 20 oz. horchata. The total was $7.25. After eating, I caught a taxi back to the hotel, for another $5. Once there, I watched the USC vs. ASU college football game on ESPN, in Spanish.

Day 5 - I decided to go to a nearby artisan market, for buying some souvenirs. I had a taxi take me there. I did not go to the mercado centro, because a man at the front desk at the Holiday Inn, told me that he would not suggest it. So, I took his advice. I only bought a t-shirt and 2 shot glasses while there. Afterwards, I had a taxi take me to the Museum of Anthropology in San Salvador. The museum was pretty nice, but I have seen much better, in other countries. In the evening, I went to a good restaurant near to the hotel. The restaurant was called "Hacienda Real". I had a Lomito and Robalo dinner, which was accompanied by grilled potatoes and garlic bread and a nice garden salad. Also, I had 4 Golden Light beers, a bottle of Casillero del Diablo Merlot Chilean wine, and macadamia pie. My bill was $52.