Indian with Red Indians my Experience in EL Salvador (San Salvador)

SAN SALVADOR the city where I was staying.

"Where are you heading next?" people asked me.

"El Salvador"

"Oh!"

"Have you been there?"

"Yes"

"Whats it like?"

"Oh...well we didn't actually travel there. We just got a info about  San Salvador its meant to be really dangerous" ................ :( -- Of course Dangerous for first few days/weeks.

This is the same conversation I had with the very few people we spoke to who had actually been to El Salvador. No one had actually traveled around or knew anything about it.

No fears, no worries, no problems! Get on that plane as you planned & look forward to an incredible stay in spectacular El Salvador .Tourists are always warmly welcomed by the kind, friendly, proud, happy Salvadoran people who love their country & love sharing it with visitors!

Please don't be freaked out in any way by ridiculous propaganda targeting a country that the offenders know nothing about! Troubled times in El Salvador are over & done with decades ago & the more people who come & experience the real El Salvador the better to put an end to the false hype! 

El Salvador is a country, like many in Central America, getting back on its feet after a terrible civil war that lasted 12 years and cost thousands of lives . Its also suffered many natural disasters, and is still rumored by most travelers to be dangerous. So nobody goes there, but when you ask people what is so dangerous about El Salvador no one can actually tell you. "Oh the city is really rough!" Of course the Cities are dodgy, they are world wide, it's not like we were planning a tour around San Salvador at 2 am in the morning! Well we did end up doing this by mistake but we would´t recommend it! ----  After going there for 3 times , i can say its one of good place to go when you are a live (they respect Indian a lot)

I went to this country  last year 3 times for 5 months., but when  I am refreshing my memories of 2009 , I found this is one of different experience of my first ,2nd and also third on site o with 3 different feelings

That is EL/Ill/Hell/Hill Salvador (El Salvador--Latin America) ......

I can tell why I used many thing like Ill, Hell and Hill  ...hmm but not now anymore... In one word I can say, I had 3 business trips this place I started to El .. And returns with ILL next time it seems HELL to me I tried my level best to stop travel ... but my last (longest of all) is very good with Hill stations and ends all my trips Well.

I have been to most parts of the country and never had a problem. When travelling take taxis (they are cheap) and never take the bus or local minibuses. They can be a bit dangerous.

After few visits and making best amigos and Amigas (FRIENDS), I'm happy to say El Salvador is great place and people I met.

San Salvador is a good place where the shopping and nightlife is as good as you will get anywhere in the region. There are poorer areas which can be hazardous but if you take care, you will enjoy the life

San Salvador is capital of country , is a modern city of wide boulevards and narrow streets, outdoor markets, government buildings, high-rises, monuments, an exuberant nightlife, museums and other cultural institutions  all set against the backdrop of San Salvador volcano. The city is surrounded by shantytowns as well as affluent suburbs with restaurants and large shopping malls. 

 Language

Spanish is the official language and is spoken by virtually all inhabitants (some indigenous people still speak their native tongues, but all speak Spanish). English is also spoken by some throughout the republic. Many Salvadorans have studied or lived in English-speaking countries (primarily the U.S., but also Canada and Australia).

The funniest part is my Spanish & English of Few Amigos (anyway they improved their English faster than My Spanish). I  had good experience in my first trip I used call Roberto every time as mediator while speaking with Tester of course Google translator helped us a lot. Initial Days for me very tough to go out for shopping or eating ..I heard this place is very dangerous to go out , which is not true always we can go out in day but only problem is you should know min Spanish. Every Salvadorian likes Indians.. I was proud to say as I am Indian rather saying coming from Europe(I mean Cyprus).

Hindi is My National Language but i cant speak much and never tried to speak also, but i tried every day to speak Spanish( its a dead situation)......i succeeded little bit :).

FOOD





Popusa is a typical food of El Salvador. It's a maize flour dough which is made into a cup and filled typically with cheese and beans and then flattened into a pancake and lighltly fried. It´s served with pickled shredded cabbage and carrot and a tomtato salsa. WOWEEE! We were in taste bud heaven! (I ate in hotel Marriot did not feel much but after visiting  wanting to taste the best pupusas in the country go to Puerta del Diablo(Door of Devil) Mountain.



Pupusas are a thick hand-made corn tortilla (made using masa de maíz or masa de arroz, a maize or rice flour dough used in Latin American cuisine) stuffed with one or more of the following: cheese (usually a soft Salvadoran cheese, a popular example is Quesillo con loroco), chicharrón, and refried beans. Loroco is a vine flower bud native to Central America. There are also vegetarian options, often with ayote (a type of squash) or garlic. Some adventurous restaurants even offer pupusas stuffed variety of local items.

Pupusa comes from the pipil-nahuatl word, pupushahua. The pupusa's exact origins are debated, although its presence in El Salvador is known to predate the arrival of Spaniards.

One of the most noticeable desserts that El Salvador has is fried plantain, usually accompanied with beans, cream, and cheese. It is one of El Salvador's great dishes in desserts. Although it is recognized as a dessert, Salvadorians usually eat fried plantain as breakfast or as a snack.

A drink that Salvadorians love is chuco, usually made out of purple corn. Chuco is made by soaking purple corn in water, then blending it and cooking the corn over a medium fire. The thickened drink is called chuco. Toasted pumpkin seeds and boiled beans are added to the drink

San Salvador is the capital and largest city of the nation of El Salvador. It is the third most populous city in Central America;. It looked nice and I shocked that i came to India instead of El Salvador , lovely looks  like poor India. I also met the first of many real friendly people in El Salvador. My Dear Amigos, Muchas Gracias.
As a result, San Salvador contains affluent suburbs as well as slums, representing the discrepancy in the country's distribution of wealth. Still recovering in many ways from an extended history of violence, San Salvador can be sprawling, grimy and chaotic. But once compromising first impressions are set aside, many travelers will discover San Salvador's other side: friendly, globe-conscious, cultured -- even sophisticated.

“Unexpected Natural Beauty.”

If you have never seeing an up close volcano crater this is your chance. The views are exceptional and everything is so green. I love it.

San Salvador is located at the foot of the San Salvador Volcano in El Salvador’s Valle de las Hamazas – the Valley of the Hammocks – named for its powerful seismic activity


 

Othere places like Joya de Ceren, Joyas Negras are also good.

It was like being in the states with shopping malls, cinemas and fast food restarunts everywhere .  Ummm not good. There were 5 of us so it wasnt to bad but being as all resturaunts shops and bars have "NO GUNS, KNIVES OR DRUGS" signs on the door. This wasnt a place you wanted to be lost in.A selection of top San Salvador shopping malls includes the Multiplaza mall, Galerias, Metrocentro, Moma Linsa, Ka Gran Via and El Paseo. The llopango marketplace east of the city center is the best place in San Salvador to shop for handicrafts and goods from local artisans, along with the Mercado de Artesanías near Zona Rosa.

The waterfall wasnt falling with water as it is dry season but it was still beautiful. Due to volcanic nature of the rocks it was made up of lots of hexagonal pillars giving the look of a giant black church organ . Definatley worth the visit.}

San Salvador Beaches(Pacific Ocean): Fooled me  :( . There aren't any San Salvador beaches. However, the most popular beaches in El Salvador are at La Libertad, just half an hour from San Salvador. I went to one San Blas Beach ,which FULL of Rocks .One good thing is the waves( the biggest waves i ever seen) are awesome here .

Culture

San Salvador is a rich cultural city, with many places such as the historical center or downtown, which en marks some of the most beautiful architectures in town. One of the main historical places of the capital city is the National Theater. Recently remodeled, it was originally built in 1866. The National Palace keeps its original front, and combines neoclassic, neogothics and renaissance architectural details on its structure.

San Salvador also has other cultural places such as the El Salvador´s Art Museum (Museo de Arte de El Salvador, MARTE), the National Museum David J. Guzmán, the Luis Poma´s Theatre, and the museum for kids Tin Marin., among others.

For anyone thinking of going to El Salvador, DO! Its a beautiful country and a shame to miss..even its Dangerous for first trip then you used to be dangerous only when u met some Red Indians

to be continued....................................

 History

El Salvador (Spanish: República de El Salvador, literally meaning "Republic of the Savior"; original name in Nahuatl was Cōzcatlān) is the smallest and also the most densely populated country in Central America. 
It borders the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. 

In 2001 El Salvador dropped its own currency, the colón, and adopted the U.S. dollar instead.

 Spanish rule

In the early sixteenth century, the Spanish conquistadors ventured into ports to extend their dominion to the area. They called the land "Provincia De Nuestro Señor Jesucristo El Salvador Del Mundo" ("Province of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World"), which was subsequently abbreviated to "El Salvador".
A thousand years ago a giant metropolis flourished in what is now El Salvador, rising from the ruins of Maya civilization