San Salvador and Playa El Tunco

I wasn't sure if I should visit the capital for a long time. However, after hearing from different people that it should be relatively safe for tourists in the corresponding neighborhoods, I decided to give San Salvador a chance.

However, I limited myself to one day to participate in the free walking tour in the center. I took the bus from Zona Rosa, which is usually the good area of a city, to downtown. The tour was extremely interesting. Some historical squares and buildings were being restored to make the city and the country more attractive to tourists. El Salvador is fighting with the slogan 'don't skip El Salvador' to make sure that people don't simply ignore the country on their Central America trip because of its bad reputation. The most interesting building is definitely the Iglesia del Rosario, a Catholic church with very unconventional architecture. Normally, I'm not that interested in churches, but this one is really special. The side semi-circular concrete walls are covered with a roof made of windows of different colors. This creates a very unique atmosphere inside. There are also some nice cafes and restaurants in the vicinity of the theater.
In the afternoon, I visited the national art museum near the hostel, where some interesting works about the terrible civil war that shook the country until 1992 are exhibited.

That's all about the capital. The next morning, I took the bus to Playa El Tunco, one of the beach towns on the Pacific coast that is equally popular among surfers and weekend holidaymakers from the capital. Originally, I also came for surfing. But the waves that would have suited my skill level were very close to the beach. And after a heavy storm just before my arrival, the beach was covered with large stones that seemed a bit dangerous to me. And the waves further out were quite big for me. So I enjoyed a few calm beach days before continuing to Costa Rica.

In retrospect, I think I could have stayed in this country longer. It is very authentic and even as a tourist, you are right in the middle of the people, much more than in the previous countries, because it is still hardly geared towards tourists. But unfortunately, my flight was already booked.

BUT of course, all this should not hide the fact that the situation for the residents is still catastrophic. There is great poverty and the terrible violence from the gangs that extort protection money, forcibly recruit young boys, and kill each other (and others) is horrifying. So it is understandable that most people would prefer to emigrate to the United States immediately.