San Salvador tops many internet polls for the "worst city in the world" due to its crime, violence, grubbiness and the fact that more people die on its public transport system than any other city in the world! Then again, if you look at Lonely Planet's "worst city" poll, Wolverhampton is the fifth worst city in the world; and as we all know, you can't believe everything you read (especially in LP... surely it must be higher than fifth?)! Incidentally San Salvador features in LP's poll too, but way down in sixth place. I've survived many a day and night loitering on the streets of Wolverhampton, so in theory San Salvador should be nothing to worry about.

My plan was to bed down in San Salvador for the night, as I needed to break up the long journey from the badly connected north of El Salvador down to the coast for some more beach time. However, as so often happens with my plans... this changed. I actually ended up really liking San Salvador, and stayed in the city for a few days rather than head to the beach as I knew I was going to have plenty of beach time ahead of me. I don't know what made me like San Salvador, I just did!

The final bus I had to get on in order to get to San Salvador was driven by the nicest bus driver in all bus driving history. I had previously selected a hostel I wanted to go to for the night. I asked the bus driver which bus I could take to get to that area of the city, and as we were on the other side of town, he told me that I would have to change buses a couple of times in some dodgy areas. It was dark by the time we had battled through the traffic and arrived at the final stop, so he said it would not be a very good idea for me to travel all that way alone by bus. He offered that I could stay on his bus whilst he took it to the depot, as he would be passing through the centre of San Salvador to get there... as long as I didn't mind waiting whilst he filled up the bus with petrol. Yes Mom, I know what you're thinking! I could've got a taxi, but in places like this, taxi drivers are just as likely (or in my opinion more likely) to kidnap/rob you etc... and who ever knows which ones are real taxis anyway?!

Once the bus was all filled up, we set off again and as we approached the central plaza, the driver started to tell me which buses go to the part of town I needed. I was all ready to disembark and start waiting for the next bus when he said he would take me instead. Hmmmm, suspicions of his intentions started to creep in, but he seemed like a nice guy, and I think I am a fairly good judge of character, so I sat back down and off we went. Rather than drop me off on the nearest main road, he actually went down all the tiny side streets in his massive bus to get me there. I had a map, so I could tell we were going the right way as I was in charge of navigation! It was a little difficult to find, but it was a fun adventure. On top of this, he refused to accept any payment, and just wanted to make sure I was safe and that I enjoyed the good things that his country has to offer. So much for the high chance of dying on their public transport system! This seems to be a sentiment shared by so many Salvadorians that I have met: they know that their country has a bad reputation all around the world, and they welcome the few tourists who "dare" to come here, and hope that they can dispel the myths of it being a bad/dangerous place to visit. 

The area I was staying in was just off Boulevard de los Héroes, which is a major road that I assume has been renamed in commemoration of the Civil War. However, walking down this road, you could easily come to believe that the "heroes" after which it was name are Ronald McDonald, Mister Donut, Wendy, Burger King and friends, with trusty old Colonel Sanders at the helm! I could easily have been walking down the road in the US if it wasn't for the rather large average waistline and throngs of rusty old buses rattling past and billowing out their fumes... oh, hang on a sec...  

Speaking of which, San Salvador has soooooo many buses on its inner-city network. It is absolutely insane, as are the drivers, and the passengers! Every time I got on one of these crazy buses I understood more and more how and why so many people die on the public transport system here. I thought the bus drivers in Rio all have a death wish, but it is nothing compared to the bus drivers of San Salvador. And the passengers are just bizarre. I saw all kinds of things from a man shaving his beard on a very quickly moving bus, someone chewing their (disgustingly filthy) toenails, a woman talking to the mannequin she had brought onto the bus... the list really does go on. In order to get on/off the buses here you have to pass through a turnstile, so anyone who comes on the bus to sell things/beg climbs over this to avoid having to pay. A mistake I made the first time I got on one of these buses was to sit at the front right next to the turnstile, so I was always getting hit with whatever they were struggling to carry over with them. Not too much of a problem until a tramp complete with a bandanna fashioned from a bin bag, and with a catheter fitted, open flies and a whole lot on show needed to clamber over... not the most pleasant thing I've ever had that close to my face! 

The more time I spent in San Salvador, the more it fascinated me. It seems that everything here is greasetastic... from pretty much all the food on offer, to the slick locks of the local males. On a trip to the massive Metro shopping centre, I saw the longest queue I've seen since Venezuela. It was for El Paso bugers and hot dogs. I was curious to get one and see why they are so popular, but after catching a glimpse of someone else's, I decided it was not worth joining the super long queue. It looked really grim, plus you can't enter any of the shops with food anyway; nor can you smoke, use your phone, or take your pets and/or guns in with you. Although a heavily-armed guard will greet you at every entrance.

In the centre of the city however, there are no such signs and people walk around with all kinds of food, phones, pets and weapons. For some reason though I did not feel at all unsafe. I never once felt like I was in any danger at all, I think sometimes I forget how much I do not blend in in places like this! The cathedral (as is the norm) sits on one side of the central plaza, and on the opposite side was an architecturally interesting church - El Rosario. I always like it when a church looks a little different to the million others that you stumble across all the time, so this one pleased me. The inside is rather pretty too.

The centre of San Salvador is a fascinating place. I am so used to seeing other tourists wandering about taking photos and staring at things, it took me a while to realise why San Salvador felt different. There is nobody there hassling you to buy tacky souvenirs etc, although I am sure this will soon introduce itself as tourism increases. People are genuinely interested to talk to you, and it is always in Spanish. You can go and look in the thousands of piñatarias which line the streets, and take photos as they are not yet sick of hoards of tourists doing the same! I could not get over the number of piñatas for sale, and they are so unbelievably cheap... I just wish they weren't so bulky or I would have bought loads. It was also nice to walk around a marketplace and look at the things that are on offer without somebody jumping in my face to try and sell me every last bit of tat that I could not possibly need or want! 

Other than wandering the streets of central San Salvador, and frequenting plush local shopping centre, I did visit a museum during my stay. I went to El Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen (Words and Images Museum), which contained yet more information on the Civil War. It was all presented in a much more user-friendly way than the museum in Perquín, and focussed very heavily around the life and martyrdom of Monseñor Romero.

Monseñor Romero

I was in there for ages, and actually didn't leave until they were closing for the afternoon! I wanted to take another trip into the centre of the city, but after about five minutes of walking, the heavens opened and I was forced to seek shelter under some nearby trees. There was no sign of it stopping, and there were no bus stops or taxis anywhere in sight. Luckily, I very nearby to a college which was just finishing, and students (who all very smartly had umbrellas) came pouring out. One guy who was there to collect his daughter offered me a lift. He seemed nice enough, so I got him to take me back to the hostel... all that knowledge of the small side streets from when I first arrived came in handy!  

Overall, San Salvador left a very good impression on me. Of course, as with any big city, it has its dangers and problems, but it also has so much more to offer. Although it meant missing out on seeing the beaches of El Salvador (which I've heard are amazing), I am glad I gave the capital a chance... it beats Wolverhampton any day!