Why El Salvador…Again:
I was invited back to El Salvador to run a consulting project through an NGO called BePeace. I consulted with them in August 2023 at a beach resort in Surf City and had a great time. This go around, I would be working with a small chain of coffee shops in the capital.
Before starting the work, I wanted to see more of the country. I picked western El Salvador because it has most the country’s main tourist attractions and is easily accessible by public transport. Santa Ana also had a few hostels. While I could not get space in the famous Casa Verde hostel, I was able to stay in another highly rated one for just $14/night for a private room. Can’t beat that!
January 19, 2024: El Salvador by Public Bus
El Salvador’s lone international airport is in the middle of nowhere 1 hour southeast from the capital. Ubers and taxi cabs can get to over $30. After doing some online research I discovered that there is a public bus (route 138) that travels from the airport into town for just $0.70. Yes, less than $1.
To reach the bus from arrivals, I had to walk across a parking lot and through a small building to reach the street. After 10 minutes of waiting the bus showed up.
The saying “you get what you pay for” rang true. The bus was crowded. So crowded that people were half hanging out the doors because the seats and aisles were so packed with human flesh. Every time the driver would stop, somehow more people would get on. For safety, I wore my backpack on my front.
Buses in El Salvador do not have fixed stops; rather they stop whenever somebody either on the bus or on the road requests it. As a result, the bus stopped nearly every minute. The stops are short- the passengers barely have time to step on/off the bus before it takes of – but they add up.
The bus driver was playing a custom mix of Latin top hits with great transitions. He also was texting his friends and leaving voice memos – truly wild given he has at least 60 lives in his care. Due to traffic, the ride to the outskirts of the city took slightly over an hour.
Bus 138 went to the city center instead of the long-distance bus terminal I needed. So, at the diverging point between the bus’s path and the optimal route, I hopped off and caught an Uber for $2 to the Occidental bus terminal. The driver told me that the Miss Universe pageant was just held in El Salvador and that he is in love with Miss Nepal. He explained that Salvadoran men like curvy girls and Miss Nepal was the first plus-sized finalist in pageant history. So naturally, she was a big local fan favorite.
Once at the Occidental bus terminal, I caught an express bus to Santa Ana. The express bus costs more ($1.60 vs $1.20) but does not stop at any intermediary towns along the way. The ride typically takes just over an hour but due to the Friday rush hour traffic, it took over 2 hours to reach Santa Ana.
Most passengers disembarked at a Pollo Campero three kilometers south of town, but I stayed on hoping it would take me to the bus station in the city center. It did not and I soon noticed we were heading west out of the city. I immediately asked the bus driver to stop and I disembarked in a random dark neighborhood. There, I called an Uber to take me directly to the hostel.
After checking in and planning my weekend with the hostel owner, I walked to a nearby pupuseria for dinner. Having eaten nothing since Panda Express chow mein at 7:00 am for breakfast, I was very hungry and wolfed the pupusas down.
January 20, 2024
Based on advice from the hostel owner, I decided to climb the Santa Ana volcano. While I visited the volcano with my friend Roberto back in 2021, I did not get to do the famous summit hike.
Climbing the volcano is only done by guided tours run by the national park authorities. They leave at 10:00 from a specific staging area.
There are two ways to get there: by a private shuttle service or public bus. The private shuttle services are between $25-60/person while public bus 248 is $1.40 roundtrip. The catch with the public bus is that you have to catch the 7:30 am bus to make it to the hike on time.
I stood on the street corner from 7:25 and waited 30 minutes but no bus came. I thought I had missed it, but luckily another bus numbered 209 showed up. The driver said that he was actually going along the 248 route.
The ride took two hours and the bus driver decided to only play an up-tempo mashup of Love Hurts by Nazareth and Heaven by Bryan Adams. It was fine for the first 15 minutes but then became just painful.
We disembarked the bus right at 10 when the hike was leaving. The guides who spoke only Spanish explained that we had to pay them $3/person for their services and then we would pay the national park $6 for the entry fee. Easy enough.
Our group (which ended up being one of many) then headed out towards the national park entrance. We were a big mix of locals and tourists including quite a few Americans.
Ten minutes in, we reached the entrance station where we paid the fee. Before entering the park, guards checked our bags to ensure there was no alcohol.
From this point, the hike up the volcano took about an hour. I was shocked to see hundreds of people climbing. The trail started in a thick jungle but halfway through we emerged into a treeless rocky landscape. While we did gain elevation, it was not too tough.
Eventually, we reached the crater rim of El Salvador’s third highest mountain. The crater was far deeper than I expected: at least 400 meters deep. At the bottom is a hot but not boiling lake and numerous fumaroles.
Well over 200 people were gathered along the crater rim taking photos. Security guards made sure people did not get too close to the edge. Also servicing the tourists were two vendors selling popsicles for $1.50 each. Even though that is an outrageous price by Salvadoran standards, everybody (including myself) bought one. I think these vendors might be among the richest people in the entire country.
At 12:10, the guide asked if I was heading back to Santa Ana. When I said yes, he suggested I descend the mountain on my own to make the 13:00 bus. Otherwise, I would have to wait three hours for the next and final bus of the day. I was told if I missed that bus, I could actually hitchhike back to Santa Ana.
So, I ran down the volcano. It took me 45 minutes to reach the street…only to learn that the bus was actually coming at 13:30 instead. I waited another 35 minutes and hopped on the bus back.
This time, the ride only took 90 minutes and, unlike yesterday’s ride, dropped me off right in the city center.
Santa Ana is a colonial town with some beautiful old buildings. The center of all the action is in the main square. The square is ringed by three large public buildings: the city hall, theater and the magnificent cathedral. The square was heavily patrolled by police and the military. There were at least 20 people protecting the square including a Humvee of soldiers with very large guns.
For lunch, I ate yuca con chicharron (yucca and pork), a regional specialty. Without much else going on, I headed home to rest.
A few hours later, I got pupusas from a famous spot called La Ceiba. I then headed into the center square which was still full of life. It was so exciting that El Salvador is safe enough for people to be outside at night. Two years ago, this scene would probably not exist.
On the way back to the hostel, I heard music and followed it. Turned out it was a funeral. The mourners, all in black except for white head scarves on the women, were singing and dancing. In the front of the room was a preacher and the coffin of the dead guy. I have no idea what they were singing but I want this kind of energy for my funeral.
The next day, I headed back to San Salvador via the famed Ruta de las Flores.
Final Thoughts:
Santa Ana is a lovely town. The colonial architecture is pretty, the town is compact, the restaurant scene is good, and it is a great base to get around the country.
In addition to the Santa Ana volcano, there are numerous Mayan ruins and hot springs in the vicinity. Three nights is probably the ideal amount of time here, but I feel good with what I saw.
Santa Ana is now well established on the Gringo Trail- the backpacker network through Central America. Transport to/from here is very easy. Going north, the most popular places are Copan in Honduras or Antigua in Guatemala. Going south, the most popular places are the Ruta de la Flores and then El Tunco beach.
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