Easter in El Salvador

Saturday and Sunday (Easter), Apr. 23 & 24. 2011--San Salvador

Easter wasn't as I had expected it to be.  I figured that Sunday would be the worst of the days for a traveler, but really Friday was.  Friday was the day when the most places were closed, the fewest buses were running, etc.  Saturday was a bit better.  And Sunday was even better for some reason.  But Sunday was no where near a normal day.  Still traffic was light, many businesses were closed, etc.  It's just that there were a few more cars on the road, a few more businesses open, and a few more buses running in comparison to Saturday and Friday.

Both Saturday and Sunday I walked to the center of town.  Saturday, I did it to explore the area.  What I found was quite disappointing.  It is NOT a pretty city.  There are a few very nice buildings--the National Palace, the National Theater, etc.  But overall, things are in quite bad shape there.  Even worse is the fact that the streets are overrun with market stalls built along the side of the streets so that one cannot even see the storefronts of the businesses that are in buildings.  One side of one of the main squares (the left side in the photo which has really been avoided to show off two better looking sides) downtown was like this.  On the street where the National Theater is, only the theater itself fails to have market stalls lining the curb in front of it.

The reason I returned downtown on Sunday is that I wanted to see the interior of Iglesia Rosario.  It is a contemporary church on one of the squares downtown--an arch built of concrete with rows of contemporary stained-glass windows allowing light to enter from the two arched sides and from one of the vertical sides.  It's truly a nice design.  I was so happy when I returned today to find it was not only open but that there was no service at the time.  That allowed me to wander, take photos and really appreciate the building.  It reminded me a bit of the cathedral in Rio de Janeiro although its a completely different in shape.

Both Saturday and Sunday, when I left downtown I went to Metrocentro, a huge shopping mall complex that is not far from my hotel and is the largest shopping complex in Central America.  With little else happening in town, it was a place to mingle with people.  The mall itself must not have been officially open, because the mall lighting and escalators were off.  But many stores had apparently taken the initiative to open on their own.  There were more stores open today (Sunday) than there were yesterday.  While watching a dunking board activity yesterday, I had a nice visit with a Salvadorean man who lives in Maryland and drives a school bus for a conservative Jewish school.  We talked for quite a while, and it was nice to have some interaction with someone.  As we separated, a woman who had apparently overheard us and realized I was a tourist said, "Welcome to El Salvador.  God bless you."

With all the warnings I had read and heard related to both Guatemala and El Salvador, I have encountered nothing but friendliness in both countries.  Never has anything seemed threatening at all.  I have a feeling that the warnings are related more to fear than to reality, somewhat like the fear that so many people in San Antonio have about the west side which I often frequent and have never found to be dangerous.  My guess is that the dangers only exist at bars and in dark areas very late at night when people are drunk.

My hotel has been great.  I love the brightness and the cleanliness of it.  The wifi connection is strong.  I've had very good breakfasts both mornings.  Yesterday was more tradition with scrambled eggs, refried black beans, fried bananas, and a mango compote.  Today, it was a tamale with a small piece of white meat from a chicken in it and a slice of some type of tuber also inside, a red beans and rice mixture, and a small piece of cake with a sour cream sauce to pour over it.

Last night, I found a pupusaria open in the neighborhood.  I ordered three kinds only to find that they were bigger than usual--about 15 cm (6 inches) in diameter rather than the usual 10 cm (4 inches).  I should have had only two.  The one with three kinds of cheeses was the best.  UMMMM!  I also got a bean and cheese and a bean, cheese, and chicharon one.  Due to so many fried pupusas, I'm not losing as much weight as I would like on the trip!

Even though more places seemed to be open today, of the eateries there were mainly bar-type places and franchises.  Wanting something different, I went to a Mexican place half a block from my hotel.  The quality of the food was not great even though I had read a good review of it.  The reviewer must have been used to eating at franchise Mexican food places!  Anyway, it fulfilled my need for food for now.

Tomorrow, things go back to normal and I begin to travel again.  It will be a long travel day involving 4 buses.  I'll be back into the mountains in another small village.