El Salvador

After 14 days in Guatemala and 10 days in Antigua, we packed up the moto's and headed for the El Salvador border.   As we left Antigua, a green KLR that looked exactly like Neals pulled in, but it wasn't Neal, it was another Adventure biker, Darren from Toronto, who saw us and decided to follow along since we are going the same direction.

Our new travel companion, Darren from Toronto (and Trinidad/Tobago)

Before we left Antigua, we had to say goodbye to our wonderful new friend Corina. 

We heard conflicting reports on the difficulty of crossing the border, and some concerns with regards to safety in El Salvador, but pressed on.

As we approached the border, the usual assortment of helpers and hangers on ran out as we got off our bikes, and as usual we tried to ignore them as we figured out which offices we needed to visit to get our passports stamped and our bikes registered.

Our first visit on the way out was Guatemala immigration and customs.  Immigration took about 2 minutes …. bing-bang and we were through.. then around the building  to customs, where the line was about 4 people, but the guy at the back said he had been there for 2 hours already.  Then we saw the pile of customs papers in the window, and after talking with the people in line realized the procedure was to put your papers on the bottom and they would get to it… sometime.

After waiting 1/2 hour, and the pile hadn't moved, we took the offer of a $40 US bribe from one of the fixers.  $10 for him, and $30 for the customs agent to put our stuff on the top of the pile.

We were then promised 30 minutes and we would be through.

We gave him $30.00 US, and said he could have his $10 when we got our stamps and clearance.  I also told him I would break his arm if it was more than 30 minutes.  We all laughed, but I made him think that maybe.. just maybe, I might not be joking…. maybe.  Since he was about 5' 3" and weighed about 120 lbs… I thought it might speed the process if he was afraid for his life.

After 2.5 hours of shift changes, phone calls, running back and forth and photocopy after photocopy.. I was re-thinking my threat of arm breaking.  I was now thinking of bonking him on the head with my helmet.

Finally… we got our VIN inspection, a few more photocopies, and a signed piece of paper… we were free to proceed to the next stage… where we were hit up for another $5.00 US for a "Road Tax"… not from the customs guys, but from the local city.

Also, our Fixer, who we thought we had paid, now wanted a "tip"  I asked him what the $10 US was for, and he said it was for the other guy that was helping at the Guatemala side.  I said… "Ummm screw you… get it from him".  He was not happy.  I gave him all the Guatemalan currency I had, which amounted to about $3.00.  He still wasn't very happy.  I hope they don't have a fixer's Union at each crossing, because we might not get out of here.

The El Salvador side was not corrupt, they were just slow.  This process took another 2 hours, even though we were the only ones there getting paperwork for our bikes.  I would hate to imagine how long it would have taken if there was a line.

We had been told some horror stories about El Salvador, but knew the reality was usually quite different.  The roads are nice and twisty, pretty decent pavement, and the people are very friendly.  The "Chicken Buses" still come screaming around each corner, but generally it is similar to the rest of Central America.

Troy checking the map.

Cory Hanson, Adventurer. 

We made it back to the coast, and found a nice Hostel for $5.00 per night right on the ocean.  

We walked down the beach to a local restaurant and were the only customers.  The owner came out, and was very gracious and friendly.  The food was so-so.  The veggies were awesome, fresh and perfectly cooked.  The meat reminded us of leather.  Seems to be a common issue down here… not very good beef. 

After morning Yoga, Troy and I swam out to try and snorkel a 100 year old shipwreck that is just offshore, but the visibility is not great right now, so were only able to make out a bit.  Certainly nothing like a ship underwater, but we did see some man made shapes in the dim water that were from the ship.

It was a fun adventure.

We got to surf a bit.  Well Troy surfed (he's an Aussie), and I sort of paddled around till waves hit me.  Great fun even If I did't get all the way up. 

While we were surfing, Cory walked along the beach towards town saw some ladies who he described as "beautiful… in their own way.. they had glowing personalities"    I took that to mean they were not up to the "Russian Standard"  :)

Tonight, the boys are dining on Fish and chips, fresh caught within the last couple hours.  

Troy, Cory and Darren's supper.

We're sharing internet here with our fellow travellers Ivan and Karen from Buenos Aries, who have kindly provided us with their Cellular internet card, so we can upload the blog.  

Note:  Neal stayed behind in Antigua, he's been pretty sick for the last week, and was flat on his back in bed.  He will catch up us in the next couple days.

  

Pure joy in El Salvador.