El Salvador

I had booked with United miles for my trip to South America. Originally, I was to take Avianca, a Latin American airline, to fly out of Los Angeles early on April 6 via El Salvador and Bogota to arrive in Rio de Janerio on April 7. Avianca cancelled the early flight on the 6th and substituted a late at night flight from LA, not arriving in Rio until April 8. On the cancelled flight, I was to be at the San Salvador, El Salvador, airport for only one hour before flying to Bogota. Now I had a nine–hour layover in San Salvador.

Viator was offering four layover tours. I reserved the San Salvador Layover Tour: Private Sightseeing and Museums Tour. Other tours went to places such as Joya de Ceren, a World Heritage site of a farming village that was buried and preserved by volcanic ash and called the Pompeii of the Americas. So, lots to see in El Salvador.

My flight arrived at 5:15 a.m., but it took me two hours to get out of the airport. I first walked about a mile from my gate to immigration and was told that I had to pay a departure tax and I had to go back almost to my gate to pay it. I asked people there where I had to go to pay the tax but was no one understood English. I finally found an English speaker and she told me I had to wait for 1/2 hour for Avianca information to open up. In the meantime, I tried to call the tour company to tell them what was happening. They weren’t open yet. Then when Avianca information opened, it took another 1/2 hour for the Avianca representative to determine that I hadn’t already paid the tax. (I found out later that Avianca should have charged me for the tax as my layover was over 6 hours.) The departure tax was $38.50. Then back to immigration where I had to pay $10 for a tourist visa. Next, a wait to get through customs and then out the door. I was amazed that my wonderful guide, Celina, had waited two hours since 5:15 a.m. for me to appear.

Celina told me that what should have happened was that a representative from the tourist office should have met my plane and walked me through the airport. I had called the tour company a couple of days before the tour to confirm it and all I was told was that my guide would meet me at arrivals. I hope Viator can straighten out the logistics of these layover tours as mine was great.

I had a three–hour layover at the beautiful Bogota, Colombia, airport and then arrived in Rio early on April 8. No English at either the San Salvador or the Bogota airports when boarding. The Spanish was so rapid I had to find someone who spoke English to help me with the directions given. I can only speak and read school Spanish and that did not help me.

Is El Salvador safe to visit? Yes, and many tourists do go there. We ran into an Italian tour group which had come from visiting Guatemala. However, there is a big problem with gangs (made up of many Los Angeles gang members who were deported) and, right now, a truce between the government and the gangs has been broken. But if you stay out of gang territory (the same way you need to in LA), you should be fine.

Mural of Father Romero

I was excited about being in the San Salvador airport as the great artist who painted a mural on the side wall on my property also was one of the artists who painted a very large mural of Father Oscar Romero at the airport. It was on my walk from my gate to immigration and I was thrilled to see it.

Father Romero will be beatified on May 23, 2015. This is a momentous event both for El Salvador and for El Salvadorans. Father Romero was the archbishop of San Salvador during the time leading up to the civil war in El Salvador (1980–1992). He spoke out against the injustices and massacres committed against civilians by government forces. He was considered to be “the voice of the voiceless.” Neither the government nor the rebel forces were pleased with him speaking out, and on March 24, 1980, he was assassinated while saying Mass. No one has been prosecuted for his murder, but it is thought that a rebel death squad was responsible. Historians consider that the El Salvadoran civil war began at 5:30 p.m. on  March 24, 1980, the day and time of Father Romero’s death.

Photo: the mural.

Mural of Father Romero

Another view of the mural.

Mural of Father Romero

Close–up from the left.

Mural of Father Romero

“Si me matan, resucitare en el pueblo salvadorneo.” “If I am killed, I will rise again in the Salvadoran people.”

Mural of Father Romero

“Mi amor eas el pueblo.” “My love is the people.”

Mural of Father Romero

Close–up.

Mural of Father Romero

“!Cuanto vale para mi que un nino me tenga la confianza de abrazarme!” “How much is it worth me that a child have the confidence to embrace me.”

Mural of Father Romero

My muralist name is on the bottom: R. Escamilla. (The R. is for Rafael.)

Celina, My Guide

On the left, my great guide, Celina, at the tomb of Father Romero. Celina told me that her father was forced to run for city mayor of San Salvador. He was elected in March 1979 and sworn into office on June 1 of that year. He was supposed to serve until June 1981 but had three death attempts on him after the death of Father Romero, so he left office in July 1980. The family moved to San Francisco. Her father’s cousin, Mons. Jesus Delgado, was Father Romero’s personal secretary. You can look him up on the internet.

At the Military Museum

Celina drove me around San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, and La Libertad (a city that runs into San Salvador). I have put my photos of the rest of my visit to El Salvador on slide shows. Go to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/el–salvador–1/

(Slide Shows, Central America, El Salvador, “El Salvador–1”).

and

http://www.peggysphotos.com/el–salvador–2/

(Slide Shows, Central America, El Salvador, “El Salvador–2”).

A preview:

Our first stop was at the Military Museum where there was a fascinating relief of El Salvador, showing its 22 volcanoes, some still active.

At the Metropolitan Cathedral

Our second stop was at the Metropolitan Cathedral to view the tomb of Father Romero.

At the Iglesia El Rosario

Our third stop, at the beautiful Iglesia El Rosario.

At the Handicraft Market

Our fourth stop, at El Mundo de las Hamacas, the handicraft market, offering many items to bring home. I needed to go back to the airport after the handicraft market––I was dragging after having hardly any sleep the last night.

Murals at the Handicraft Market

Many beautiful murals at this market.

The Peace Monument

Also seen, the Peace Monument, to commemorate the reconciliation between the right and left movements during the El Salvador civil war.

Monument of the Heroes

At Plaza Libertad, Monument of the Heroes, commenorating the centenary of the “First Cry of Independence” in 1811.

Colorful Houses

Many colorful houses in San Salvador.

Colorful People

And many colorful people in San Salvador.

And Many Vendors

A food vendor.