The international coach left Guatemala City around 1 pm and already around 6 pm it was in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. There was still daylight and so I could see some parts of the city through which we were passing. I was sitting beside a woman born in El Salvador, but living in the USA, and she came here for a visit. We spoke a little from time to time during the journey and when the coach reached San Salvador she got out before the final station, since the coach made a stop in a very nice part of the city where a very nice hotel of that woman was.
As opposed to her, I did not stay either in the very nice part of the city nor in a very nice hotel and yet my accommodation in San Salvador has remained in my memory as one of the best things that happened to me during the entire journey and certainly as one of the fondest and funniest memories.
It all started when I decided to stay in a small hotel the rooms of which were located on the upper floor of a building within a smaller complex that also included the terminal of the transportation company I was travelling with. The reason for such a decision of mine was that I knew I would continue from San Salvador to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, using the same transportation company and that coach was leaving at 5 am, while the company insisted that passengers had to be at the terminal one hour before. That early in the morning, it was better for me to be on the spot. In addition, if I stayed in some other part of the city, it would mean that I would have to get up even earlier than this way, plus to get a taxi in the middle of the night in a city that was also considered dangerous. So, the decision was for me to sleep at the hotel that was located in the same place as the coach terminal from where I would move on.
This was at the same time the exact terminal to which the coach from Guatemala City was going. The distance of some 230 km, including the international border, was covered by a little more than 5 hours.
Getting close to the Guatemala-El Salvador border
Here is the map showing my stay in El Salvador.
Since I slept at the same place where the office of the transportation company was, I didn’t have to buy the ticket right away and after all I was not quite certain whether I would stay in El Salvador for two or three nights. That’s why I simply got my backpack and went to the reception of the hotel in order to get a room. By the way, I’m using the term “hotel” very loosely here – this was more of a hint of a guest-house.
So, I got to the reception and asked for a single room with bathroom for two nights (I figured that I could easily extend it for one more night if necessary), I gave my passport, filled out all that I needed to and the receptionist gave me the key. And then I remembered and asked him if he gave me a quiet room, since I didn’t like noise. Then he simply took that key away from me and gave me another one, but he also said that he would have to take me and show me where my room was. I was a bit confused, but I did as he said, putting my big backpack on and following him.
We got up to the upper floor and went through the single hallway that was covered by a slightly elevated canopy made of corrugated plastic panels, while the rooms were lined to the left and right. At the end of that semi-open hallway I saw a wall and metal stairs in front of it, almost like ladders. The receptionist went that way and I followed suit. I had to turn left right on the top of the stairs and it was all very narrow for me, especially with the large backpack on, but I twisted and stretched myself and so I made it. Then, after a meter or two, again a U-turn to the left and there were new metal stairs there. From there, to the right, I got out onto a strong, large metal plate, but right next to it there was a concrete platform as well which obviously served as the roof of the rooms on the floor below. In addition to seeing stretched clotheslines with clothes pegs there, I also say that I had a wonderful view at the surroundings.
But, my room was not at that level and there was yet another set of stairs that finally led to a small platform where there were two rooms and there were also large concrete washtubs. When he handed me the keys, after he had unlocked a room there, the receptionist left me.
When I first got here, I simply followed the receptionist, but the next day I just had to photograph all of this. Since I’m talking about the hotel and my way to the room now, here are the photographs. Just as a record.
Hallway; the regular rooms are to the left and right
First set of stairs; the second one can be seen to the left and up
Top of the second set of steps; on the right hand side, there is the metal panel first and then also the concrete platform
View from the concrete platform: clotheslines, to the right and down is the canopy of the hallway, also the surroundings of San Salvador
Stairs leading from the concrete platform to the platform in front of the room
The door to the left lead to my room and they are the same as the one in the middle of the photo
Washtubs for laundry
View from the doorway to my room
The room was in line with all of this, small and modest, but it was very clean. There was even a TV set inside and I had a small standing fan. The bathroom was slightly problematic, meaning that there was only a john, no sink, while the showerhead was on the ceiling. In other words, the small bathroom was in fact a shower cabin. Still, this was my room and I was quite content. I left my things there, washed my face and hands using the showerhead for the purpose, said “hi” to my “neighbour” (an American man) who peaked from his room in the meantime, and then I got down to the reception. By the time I had finished with all of this, it was already dark and I felt hungry. There was a question as to where I could eat, since the “hotel” did not provide for food. So I inquired and was told that more or less right across the street there were two joints where I could have dinner.
Well, now... Because of all those stories concerning security in the streets after dark, i.e., the dangers that foreigners face as soon as they step out, I was a little concerned. In addition, especially in the evening when it was dark, the surroundings of the complex with the hotel, the transportation company’s office and the inner yard large enough for a coach to be parked there, while there was very poor street light out and most of the houses seemed crumbly, did not help in creating in me any feeling of being safe. Still, I was hungry, so I crossed the empty street and entered one of the eateries which seemed to be leaving a lot to be desired.
This was a large room that was divided into two segments by a table-counter and a glass display cabinet. Behind them there was a smaller section that served as a kitchen, while in the bigger section there were wooden tables with two wooden benches each. A woman worked at the eatery and as for the guests there were 3-4 young men sitting at a table in a corner eating there. From the darkness in the street, the surrounding crumbly houses, the appearance of this joint, the young men, I found all of this quite disconcerting and it did not inspire any confidence. So, I promptly ordered and paid for two fried eggs and rice with black beans, sat at one of the tables, put my head down and very quickly ate everything that was on my plate. And then, just as swiftly, I returned to the realm of the, for me, safe terminal and hotel where there was also a computer with internet connection that I had the right to use free of charge for half an hour (included into the price of the room). Just enough for me to let people know I had arrived to San Salvador alive and healthy and safely, and that I found accommodation here.
After that I went up to my room and, just like every other evening, I planned to go to bed early here as well, but I was greeted up there by that American neighbour of mine. Since there were only two of us there, we easily found the space in front of our rooms to sit and we started to chat.
Right away he asked me whom I knew at the hotel. What??? He explained to me that the hotel kept those two rooms on the top only for the drivers, “their people” and possibly for regular guests. He was already retired, living in Texas and spending a couple of months every winter in Mexico and Central America, and thus he regularly passed through San Salvador and the people at the hotel knew him. Of course, I didn’t know anybody, but I was apparently very lucky. With my stomach pleasantly full, feeling quite protected and safe, with the nice chatting, I started to relax slowly and I also started to appreciate very much the wonderful gesture of that great receptionist who in a way gave me “treat” with this room.
In addition, it was warm, with nice, gentle breeze and the temperature was ideal, so the evening was quite pleasant. No, it was actually more than that. It was perfectly pleasant. So much so that I thought it was worth staying in San Salvador for three nights just because of the room and the terrace. How absurd!
The hanging around and chatting with the American were also very interesting. Back in the day, he used to work as a diver on the installation of oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and it was probably from that period that he developed more interest in Mexico and Central America. On top of that he was also keenly interested in the Tarot, like me, and we also found some other shared topic, so all in all this was a very pleasant evening indeed. So much so that I stayed up almost until midnight when I finally withdrew to my modest room and went to sleep.
Irrespective of going to bed “late,” I woke up around 7 am the next morning and after the morning routine and the basic preparations I went out.
I was still in two minds whether I should stay for one more day and night or not. Namely, the plan for this day, and this was what I did, was to visit Joya de Cerén and to walk around the city a little, and to go to Cerro Verde the day after. This is a part of the Parque Nacional Cerro Verde from which it is possible to see a nearby volcano. However, since the weather was not perfectly clear, with thin mist covering the sky and leaving a lot to be desired in terms of visibility, I thought that it was really not worth spending who knows how many hours on local buses (minimum an hour and a half one way) in order to get to a viewpoint on the top of a mountain from which I probably would not have a nice view at that moment. At least, not nice enough. And so, I still pondered about this at the beginning of the day, but soon enough it became quite clear that after all I should leave for Managua the following day.
Generally speaking, I don’t really like to run through the countries I visit. And yet, during this journey, I certainly stayed in some countries less than what I would consider optimal, for I believe that in each country, more or less, there are certainly many things and places worth the visit. First, I love seeing new places, learning about new things and without an exception I’ve always fallen in love with the landscapes, towns and countries I have visited and thus for me a longer stay and more thorough sightseeing are almost like paying respect to the object of my love.
By the way, I also feel the need to emphasise that this equally applies to the hotel in San Salvador at which I stayed. I did post photos here that show the modest accommodation, but this is by no means in order to mock the accommodation in a poor country, rather because I genuinely found all of this to be exceptionally picturesque, even fun, and I ABSOLUTELY loved every minute of it. If I were ever to go to San Salvador again, I would only like to stay at that same hotel, but only on the condition that I’m given the same room.
In addition, I’ve learned one of the most important lessons of my entire life precisely through accommodation. Back in 1993, when the then Yugoslavia went through the third worst hyperinflation in the world EVER (the monthly inflation rate was: 313,000,000 %!!!), when the food shops and supermarkets were incredibly empty, I was lucky enough that through my work I went twice a month to Budapest, Hungary, where I regularly stayed at a 5-star hotel. So, everything was seemingly perfect, except that I worked with a horror of a boss who yelled and belittled everybody (I mean his employees, myself included, of course). He often yelled at me in that hotel where everything dazzled with luxury, while I felt awful and humiliated, like a piece of crap, and all that luxury around me could not help me feel any better. At approximately the same time I used to go to Montenegro for hiking during weekends and there we regularly stayed at seters of local farmers who during summers bring their livestock to graze on highland pastures. So, there was no electricity, nor running water – we washed ourselves and got water to drink at the nearby water springs. And yet, during those hiking weekends I was always exceptionally happy, filled with joy and with my heart full of life. Conclusion: the place where one sleeps means ABSOLUTELY nothing for the person’s happiness, fulfilment and inner peace, and these are the only things that really matter.
So, after the great sleep of the previous night, I headed for a bus stop in order to catch local transportation to the West Terminal where I was to change the bus and proceed farther. Along the way, I also walked through some parts of the city that constitute the centre of San Salvador (for my hotel was actually in that part of the city), but I did see the previous afternoon when we entered the city by coach that there were other, much more developed and more modern parts of San Salvador.
Part of the centre of San Salvador
Part of the centre of San Salvador
It was somewhere here, along the way, that I finally made up my mind and decided to say in El Salvador and its capital for only two nights and this day in-between.
Since I did not have breakfast at the hotel, I had to eat something and I solved this issue along the way since already around 8 am there was food cooking all over the place. One can often see people sitting by the street with platefuls of soups and stews even in the early morning. For me, it would be too much for this part of the day, but there were certainly many other places where one could buy lighter food. I also passed by joints that offered fresh juices. But, since these were mostly juices mixed with water, not knowing the origin of the water, I didn’t take them for I used only bottled water during the entire journey.
Soon I reached the West Terminal (Terminal de buses Occidente), found my bus and settled in it. While I was waiting for us to depart, I noticed another local bus and reading the wording on its windshield, I somehow felt glad I was not on it – wouldn’t have the faith in it.
“If this is my last journey, may it be towards you Lord”