El Salvador

When asking other backpackers for advice about a country or a town it’s always worth bearing in mind that their experience of a place will be largely based around the people they encountered there, even the shabbiest of cities can be transformed into somewhere quite magical if you meet the right people. Obviously quite the opposite can also occur, which is why although I have no doubt in my mind that El Salvador is a stunning and culturally rich country, my memories of it are tainted. On first impression Manolo was one of the most charismatic people I’ve ever met, full of charm and enthusiasm for life but also one of these people whose confidence can intimidate you a little. Abi and I arrived at ‘Mumma and Pappa’s’ hostel in Tacuba after a long weary day of travelling so it was a pleasure to be met by such a odd ball host. Donning a t-shirt printed with the words ‘mono loco’, Manolo couldn’t have chosen a more apt piece of clothing. He quickly showed us to our room whilst warning us of the pet ducks that have a tendency to attack guests, which indeed they did and then ushered us back down stairs where he entertained us with tales of various encounters he’d had with backpackers. That evening he offered us his bedroom for the night to watch a movie in while he went out. We felt rather intrusive excepting this offer but our hunger for comfort got the better of us and we enjoyed an evening of being transported to a realm of fiction.

The following day Manolo insisted we take a tour of a coffee plantation with him free of charge, which again we gratefully accepted, but the more time we spent with our host the more uncomfortable I found myself feeling in his company. Manolo was a particularly tactile person which was a little over bearing for someone we’d only just met. He also made it quite impossible for Abi and I to explore Tacuba by ourselves as every time we attempted to leave the hostel he’d insist on driving us ,even if we only wished to pop down to the local shop. After a while we began to feel like his show ponies as he’d make a real point of driving with his music blaring and his windows wound down. Still when he offered to take us on a tour to the beach the following day it was a difficult offer to refuse given how much he had done for us for free, so along with a Swiss boy we accepted. The following morning he took us to the super market to stock up on snacks for the road trip. Whilst shopping he insisted that we purchase some alcohol for the evening even though he was a T-total himself. The three of us agreed that given our budget a few beers would suffice, to which Manolo looked quite put out. He insisted that this would not be enough and bought us a bottle of tequila, ‘his treat’. During the day Manolo’s slightly manic behaviour lost its charm. He took us to a crocodile infested river where he insisted on wading in and capturing one. You may assume this would be quite exciting but much like when a child with ADHD continues to pester you for attention to the extent where you refuse to give it, I felt a deep reluctance to appear too enthusiastic. That evening we were provided with a large camp fire right on the beach which would have been a wonderful way to spend an evening if it hadn’t have been for Manolo’s behaviour. He quite intentionally plied both Abi and I with alcohol while he didn’t touch a drop with the clear intention of taking advantage of us both. The next day after discussing the night with each other it turned out that both of us had ended up physically pushing him away on a number of occasions, thankfully neither of us got too annihilated and with the presence of our Swiss friend nothing serious actually occurred. Never the less, the experience left us both feeling uneasy, frustrated, and very much relieved to move on to a new town the following day. It’s a sad but true fact that western women are often perceived by Central American men to be 'easy' and therefore fair game.

So from Tacuba we made a swift exit to Santa Ana, of which we saw little more than the swanky new super market before moving on to Suchitoto, a pretty little colonial town situated next to a lake. I’d like to be able to tell you more about the place but I’m afraid my affection towards travelling had certainly wavered at this point and I felt quite fatigued by the lack of familiar faces in my life. It’s at times like these I realise how spoilt I have been with Abi’s company and how much I will miss her when she’s gone.

Despite being on a slight downer throughout El Salvador we of course still found the country’s culture, history and politics fascinating. El Salvador has a terrible problem with deforestation which is largely due to the amount of money that can be made from farming sugar cane. Indeed often throughout our time in Central America we’ve driven past fields alight at the side of the road which we later discovered to be the easiest way of harvesting sugar cane. During our visit the country was having a national election which, regardless of our personal interests, was quite impossible to miss. Every street we turned down was quite literately plastered with posters of the two opposing parties, FMLN (previously a guerrilla organisation) and Arena. To understand the significance of this election it’s important to have a basic grasp of El Salvador’s past. In a nut shell El Salvador was engaged in a bloody civil war from 1981 until 1992.During this time an estimated 75,000 people were killed, 300,000 citizens fled the country and the US government gave 6 billion dollars to the Salvadorian governments war efforts. Although the country is reasonably stable today, its infrastructure has obviously been shaken and one of the biggest problems it currently faces is gang related crime. During the war many young people fled to the US, which caused tension with the Mexican immigrants who had already staked claims over certain districts of various cities, particularly LA. To cope with this violence many young Salvadorians joined together to form an equally lethal gang called the MS13. Today many of these gang members are being deported back to El Salvador, bringing the problem home. With the proposal of solving this problem, along with the promise of lifting the working class out of poverty, soon after we left FMLN won the election. Whether or not this is a positive move forward for the country I am not educated to say but it certainly made it an interesting time to visit the country.