Bullet Points (El Salvador/ Hondurus)

 

·         El Salvador and Honduras are two good reasons why some of the world should be done following the lead of a professional. They are among the most dangerous countries in the world. Honduras has the world’s highest murder rate, and El Salvador is ranked second. We ventured through both these countries briefly.

·         We entered El Salvador and spent most of the first day driving, avoiding the vast portion of the country not safe for foreigners –the driver refused to stop anywhere but specific petrol stations he knew to be safe. And even there, there was a security guard holding with one of the most obscene, offensive looking guns I’ve even seen. At first it shocked me, but I would see heavily armed guards outside all petrol stations, banks, hotels, and even some restaurants. The tip we got was that if you could see a big gun, you were safe.

·         Our two stops in El Salvador were Suchitoto and Ataco, two small, quaint towns that had been designated as safe areas for foreigners. There was no way we would be going to the capital San Salvador, or any other big city or town.  It’s safe to say that we didn’t get a proper representation of El Salvador (or Honduras).

·         El Salvador, which means ‘The Saviour,’ a reference to JC, is a small country of six million people. Its economy is heavily dependant on money sent back by relatives working in the USA – the ultimate leech country.

·         On our journey we passed epic cone volcanoes that would have had everyone reaching for their camera a couple of weeks ago but have now become a standard part of the passing scenery.

·         Our guide told us that our biggest chance of having the bus pulled over and robbed was in El Salvador.

·         The reason  El Salvador is so bullet ridden is this; in the 80’s lots of Salvadorians escaped the civil war in their country moved up into the USA. To protect themselves they formed gangs, which became excessively violent and powerful. This has led to 2014, where up to 500 people are deported back to El Salvador each week, the majority of them guys from the gangs, who continue on with the things they learnt up in Los Angelis (think turf wars for ‘protection’ money from businesses and drug dealers) back down here.

·         The thing that gets to me most about these gangs is the bullying of innocent people into paying them. The drugs, the violence, all that is kosher if it’s kept on their level. But when its innocent people, from business owners to hot dog vendors and bus drivers, having to pay up to 50% of their income to gangs - that’s what’s going to knock political corruption off the top of my list of hates.

·         For the most part it’s this killing thug, but life is cheap here and it doesn’t bother these guys who gets caught in the crossfire. People who refuse to pay or don’t cooperate will be killed. Teenagers as young as 14 are drafted into these gangs and if they refuse they lose a hand or their life. In this part of the world, you’re either a gang member, or a gang victim.

 

·         We had no trouble here but we did talk to other travellers who had; one was chased on her bike by a man on the ouitskirts of town and had to give up all her valuables, another woke one night in her shitty dorm room with a man holding a machete standing over here.

·         El Salvador is addicted to Papusa; this is a common market place food that consist of meat or bean or cheese filled tortillas topped with picked cabbage and hot sauce. They were a hit, and for two days they were all I ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They were about 20 to 40 cents a pop, and three was a filling meal.

·         Both towns had a church, a central park, and a market, but nothing extraordinary to see.

·         After a stint in dangerous countries, it seems to good to be true that I could walk around Wamberal or Erina Fair or even Sydney without even a thought of personal safety. Anytime I’m outside nowadays I am aware to the point of paranoia about my belongings in my pocket and bag, and about the people around me.

·         In Honduras we stopped only in the town of Copan. This was a three hour drive away from the capital, which had been proclaimed to be ‘the most dangerous city in the world.’ There was a huge police presence in Copan, especially at night; lots of bullet proof vests and big shot guns. It was just shocking to see such readied force in such a small and otherwise quiet town. It’s the only place in the country tourist have been given the green flag for, so they have to protect that source of income I guess.

·         The reason people visit Copan, aside from the adrenaline rush of being in Honduras, is the Mayan ruins. The Mayans lived in an area now covered by Mexico, Guatamala, Hondurous and El Salvador. The ruins reminded me of Angkor Wat in Cambodia; crumbling rock structures with big, thick rooted tree’s, growing over and around them.

·         In Copan we also went and swam in a series of hot springs in the middle of the jungle. It was an expensive little excursion, an hour outside the town on a dirt road and in the back of a truck, but was worth every cent to sit in these pools as dusk then darkness rolled over and the canopy became black above us.

·         In Honduras, refried beans and tortillas were unavoidable, and Papusa had made its way across the border from El Salvador.

 

 

·         These chaotic countries were interesting to visit, but I wouldn’t say I got see or know them as well as I hoped. I can’t complain though; I came, I saw, and I was able to leave unharmed. I got to be bewildered by the complexity and danger of Central America, had my love/hate relationship with the world further intensified, and reminded how lucky I am. Wamberal has never seemed so glorious.