The following day I decided to see some of the city. I had chosen a few places to try to get to but mainly my love for cities in other counteries is in their markets. Rows and rows of vendadores that stretch for many many city blocks, enough to easily get lost in, and boy did I! When I got up in the morning, I asked the man who ran the hostel how to get down to the market. A Californian, yet very knowledgable about the city. He went on to tell me a good route if I wanted to walk and good museums and parks to check out. Not knowing the city, I left everything but $20 at the hostel. San Salvador is a very large city and I knew I could get lost very easily so I figured I could just take in the experience and save taking pictures for the smaller, safer cities beaches and towns I would soon travel to.
My day was an adventure to say the least. I decided to walk to market which was 1.5 hours, yet mostly down hill. I could then take the bus back uphill to the hostel for 0.20 cents if I got too tired. The walk down was long but interesting. I would say San Salvador is most similar to NYC, but not as built up. The recent civil war has left much of the city in shambles. Walking from Zona Rosa to the City center, I was really able to see the differences. After the war Zona Rosa became the new center of attention. Businesses, hotels and restaurants began building there and leaving the city center to not much more than the markets, which even they took over old barracks. On my walk I enjoyed some delicious fruta with papaya, watermelon and pineapple covered in lime, salt and chili, sipped fresh water out of a small bag for 25cents, and drank a yummy strawberry liquado (smoothie) for a dollar. It was too hot to think about eating anything besides fruit, being that I was walking for what will end up being a total of 7 hours in 95 degree weather!
Some interesting sights along my walk included:
*burger kings in trailer homes (you wouldn't believe the amount of American fast food places there are and all of them the same price as in the US! I can't imagine who would want to spend $6 on a burger and fries when there are delicious papusas, liquados, and so many other cheap salvadorian fares)
*the park was colorful yet looked very dangerous for any child. The slides consisted of a ladder to the top and two poles coming down off the other side. I'm not sure exactly how it works
*boys and men alike peeing on the side of the street (if you have to go, you have to go. Luckily I was sweating out all the liquids I was taking in so I didn't have to pee once the entire day, since bathrooms are few and far between)
*an adorable little boy sleeping on the bottom of a cart selling goods at the market
*a store called So Cal that sells Vans and Hurley gear
* a juicer that is usually 100$ in the US was $219 in San Salvador
*an entire 2 blocks of tiendas de pampers (stores that sell nothing but pampers)
I wandered around the market searching for all that I forgot to bring from home; shampoo, conditioner, soap and sunscreen. I know, what a list to forget, but like usual I decided hanging out with friend is way more important than preparing myself for a 3 week trip :)
The market was amazing, rows upon endless rows of stalls that sell everything you could ever need. Everything that is, besides sunscreen. If I can give any advice to a future traveler going to a place where the locals skin is darker than yours, bring your own sunscreen! After searching for hours, getting told there isn't any sunscreen by every pharmacy and store, I finally found some very overpriced sunscreen at the supermarcado, but by this time my shoulders and face were both bright red with a very large sunburn.
After applying the much needed sunscreen and enjoying a refreshing liquido, I decided that being lost in the market for 4 hours was enough fun for the day and I began my journey up the hill toward my hostel. I planned on walking until I saw the bus I needed pass by, but when it finally did I was far enough that I just kept going. Crossing the street is always a difficult task in San Salvador since pedestrians never have the right of way. I got to a busy street where I thought it was going to be completely impossible to get across, but then I followed a spunky old man in a nice suit, around 60 years old, who led me across and then stayed ahead of me for the next 5 blocks uphill! I finally made it back to my hostel too tired to do anything but shower and relax and call it a night.
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