Friday, October 28, 2011

Thoughts on El Salvador

We stayed at one of the hotels frequented by Peace Corps volunteers, so we got the scoop on El Salvador.  Frankly, with all the concerns about volunteer safety, I can't believe there's still a Peace Corps post here.  It seems every volunteer had a story about being robbed or people they knew that had been murdered because of gang warfare.

It's sad to see what gang activity can do to a place.  The locals take precautions.  Being a bus driver is a dangerous occupation.  It's hard to have a conversation that doesn't eventually lead to safety or crime.

And yet, El Salvador was a lot of fun.  Everyone we met was extremely friendly.  The landscape as you approach Guatemala is striking to say the least.  For all the crime and tragic stories, there's still plenty of wonderful things to experience in El Salvador. As we whizzed by the entrada for La Ruta de los Flores on the way to Guatemala, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.  Maybe we should have stayed longer.

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