How to experience the best of Central America in 50 days solo and overland – Stop 10 San Salvador and El Tunco, El Salvador

16-17 March 2024 I wanted to cross into El Salvador at La Union from Potosi in Nicaragua by boat. Upon arriving at the crossing, there was no one except me. The border crossing was shuttered, and there was no boat until the next day. Potosi was a village with limited accommodation. So, I took the chicken bus back to Chinandega, where I had come from (about 2 hours away), to spend the night. The following morning, a shuttle bus and boat transported me and a group of other passengers into El Salvador. I arrived in San Salvador after 9 PM. Confronting any frontier requires grit and a heavy dose of stubborn stupidity, both happened to be my forte.

I like to create my own adventure.

Chinandega main square and historical church

Shuttle bus that drove us to Potosi — Chinandega main square and historical church

Walking to the boat to drive us to La Union, El Salvador

Shoes off and waiting to climb into the boat to La Union, El Salvador

The boat speeding toward La Union, El Salvador

Salvadore excited me, partly because of its past as a gangland. Their brutality and viciousness, like their neck tattoos, are etched in my head. However, I had read before arriving that they had transformed.

The next morning, I took the public bus downtown, eager to witness the reformed gangland. The bus was packed, including the aisle. I felt someone’s chubby bum pressed against my bonny bum, while someone’s cold bottle touched my back, sending a chill down my spine. Surprisingly, the city had a Western vibe. I visited a mall’s food court hoping to savor a spread of local delicacies, only to be introduced to many more American fast-food chains. Though a sovereign state, I saw no local currency in use at all. Instead, the official currency is the US dollar. It is very confounding, even amusing, to see the images of US presidents on the currency notes in day-to-day transactions. In 2021, it became the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as a legal tender. They are trying, and that’s impressive.

Downtown was an open area great for strolling. The market streets were noisy and the people were enthusiastically making honest money. The streets were well planned and wide, many converted to pedestrian streets. Crowds hung around iconic colonial buildings – the National Theater, Palace National, the modern National Library, the Metropolitan Cathedral, Iglesia del Calvario. Police were visible at many street corners, armed and bulletproof, ready to shoot or be shot. Otherwise, how calm and normal it looked.

A Western burger dinner in Salvador soon after arriving from Nicaragua

Western fast food dominates the food court in a shopping mall — A Western burger dinner in Salvador soon after arriving from Nicaragua

Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador — National Palace, San Salvador

The National Library, in Plaza Barrios in the historic center of San Salvador

The busy open market streets in San Salvador city center — The National Library, in Plaza Barrios in the historic center of San Salvador

Plaza Libertad, where people gather — Iglesia del Calvario

I then made a short trip to El Tunco, a surf beach where many foreign visitors have come to test the water and ride its waves. I met a young German girl who was trying to help me find a hostel. She is 30 and now decided to take up surfing here. She does not know when she will return to Germany, as she said, “life is short”. I thought to myself, shorter for me. All of a sudden everyone seems to realize life is short.