Antigua, Guatemala to Santa Tecla (new San Salvador), El Salvador 210 miles

I woke up with that same feeling I get when we have taken a good rest, and are about to hit the road again; excitement. We quickly packed up our things and set out to mail a postcard at the Correos around the corner. Although it was supposed to be open at 8:00AM, at 8:20 there were still people standing around waiting to go in; that’s what I’ve greatly noticed since we left the US, a lot of waiting, everything is on the time of the person you need, not your own. You must get used to this pace of life and inconvenience or else the frustration will get the better of you. Waiting for the post office ended up giving us a nice encounter with a couple that was also traveling south on a Vstrom. They were from Canada and had made their way down and will be continuing until Tierra de Fuego just as we will. Mike exchanged some tips on the Vstrom and I got to talk about some of the things we have heard about the road ahead.

As we head out of town, Mike managed to put us on a road which leads to a small town and that is it. The detour landed us in a town in which I don’t think they have seen a gringo in some time; a lot of stares and a completely different lifestyle. Although it was interesting to see, we did feel lost and somewhere where we shouldn’t be; I kept my camera hidden and Mike got us out as soon as possible.

We found the main highway after weaving through a different end of Antigua; they sure don’t make it easy to find main highways/roads around here! Starting off the morning on the road is exhilarating. The feeling of the unknown ahead of you, seeing completely new things, entering a new country, and enjoying all of that in the comfort of our own transportation; it’s an incredible feeling.

As we headed out of the mountains, the weather become much warmer, the lifestyle different and slower. Instead of corn, there were banana, guava and pineapples lining the hillsides. We also began to pass fields of coffee beans, the most delicious, Guatemala coffee. Our route lead us to Guatemala City, a huge city which seems to be the hub for all of Guatemala. Talk about confusing, we most likely cruised the entire city before finding the road out of town. Even when you ask directions here, nobody knows where anything is, but still attempts to give you a long answer which ends up being useless.

This particular border consisted of two stations; Guatemala and El Salvador. First stop was to do the required paperwork to exit Guatemala (which didn’t take too much time) and the next to enter El Salvador. Every time we hit a border crossing I prepare myself for the worst; most inconvenient and timely process. Although each time I get pleasantly surprised at the length of time and simplicity (maybe we’ve only received good luck – knock on wood). Although the people at the station work at incredibly slow speeds in which you aren’t sure if they have fallen asleep, the process started soon after we arrived and ended without much interruption, I’d say about an hour. On top of that good news, we didn’t have to pay a thing, I think that might have been due to Mike throwing down the new law we read about CA-4 which entitles citizens and US to freely cross most of the Central America countries without filling out or paying any additional fees. This time we didn’t receive a warm welcome of singing ladies, it was pretty quiet. The entertainment for me, while watching the bike, was the women. They sure like to wear their finest in El Salvador; what a difference from Guatemala where the women still wear their indigenous garb. I got one lady, dressed in silver high heals, belly shirt, long dangly belly ring, shorts and a ton of makeup which made her look something like Elvira walking through the border with her two little girls. I got another woman dressed in a white satin gown (almost looked like it could be a wedding dress) and white satin shoes opening her Zapatoria store early in the morning. Quite a few amazing outfits for such a place and an ordinary day.

Yes, as soon as we crossed the border, we were in a different country and you could feel it. From all you hear about the dangers of El Salvador, everyone owns a gun, a lot of unrest, etc, I was on high alert and hoping we wouldn’t take a wrong turn. After being surrounded in Guatemalan woman, the people here make the place feel like a whole new world from their bordering country. The people here look quite a bit more European which makes sense from the history of El Salvador in which there are not many Indigenous left. We weaved through a few small cities, a great big city, and more small before coming into the new San Salvador which borders the real San Salvador. The city consists of what I believe to be the corporate El Salvador. The first giant malls I’ve seen since we left from the US, the first giant cinema and great big shops and restaurants. All which are surrounded in ghetto type neighborhoods which resemble the worst of Mexico. The sun was beginning to set and Mike didn’t want to ride into the most dangerous city, San Salvador at this time of night so we stopped to figure out where we could stay. We noticed a huge Holiday Inn on the hillside and decided to inquire as there wasn’t much else we noticed as far as accommodations. Mike was sold on the $150/night room (yes, they use US currency here), but I couldn’t stomach it. For that much splurging I’d at least want an ocean or pool side accommodation and enjoy it for the entire day! We set back out into the slummy adjoining neighborhood, and while weaving through heavy traffic and having the sun disappear on us, Mike was in a bad mood and attempted to blame me for not already being parked and resting. Soon after we discovered a little gem; a B&B (without breakfast) with a nice little courtyard, large clean rooms, a TV and a Fan, all for $35. The owner graciously ordered us Pizza Hut, delivered (two pizzas delivered for 6 bucks!) and I was able to veg-out, relax and watch some American TV; ahh, just what I needed after such a long and exhausting day.

So far, from what I’ve seen of El Salvador, it’s beautiful and the people are friendly. Although there isn’t much as far as sites for the tourist, I’m glad we’re able to drive through it to catch a glimpse. Its Halloween night and Mike and I are watching a E! Hollywood True story on Scream Queens; at least we are being somewhat festive. They definitely don’t celebrate Halloween here, and I don’t believe they will be celebrating the dia de Muerto either. Bummer, but we’ll just have to make up for a lost Halloween next year.

Amie says 'thumbs down' to a long day

The last of 'Pimp my Schoolbusses'