El Salvador
Saturday. 10-15-22. El Tunco, El Salvador. Strung out. The car is finally parked. I’ve never driven here before, though I’ve spent enough time on these roads to know they can get a little sketchy. Driving at night only makes things worse. Hitting that random speed bump at 60 certainly woke me up. I was laser-focused after that. We’d been up for 18 hours by this point. Exhausted, everything was hazy. But we were ecstatic, on familiar turf. We sat under …
Riding the famous chicken buses of Central America is a right of passage for many travellers. It’s an experience like no other. And while most travellers on the gringo trail take the shuttle between these two countries (we did the first time!), this is a much more interesting, and far cheaper method. So if you’re like us and like to save money and enjoy the thrill of local transport, here are the bus routes connecting the most popular destinations from Guatemala to El Salvador. …
Taking local transport while travelling is one of our favourite ways to really experience a destination. It’s far more than simply a mode of transport, it’s en experience. And the legendary chicken buses of Central America are some of the best in the world. There are few experiences like taking a chicken bus. For many backpackers, it’s a right of passage, even a badge of honour, to travel this way. They’re not just exciting, they’re affordable. And, much like visiting …
*Updated January 2019 This is an account of one of many such journeys throughout our years of travel. Although experiences are rarely so interesting as this one, from time to time, travel days don’t always go as far as expected or planned. Our recent trip via bus from El Tunco to Leon (El Salvador to Nicaragua), is one such experience. Skip to the Tips! Though the bulk of this post is a story of our day/evening/night/morning, if you’re planning this …
That gut feeling, everyone knows it. Something inside of you, hidden deep within your subconscious, that pops up now and then letting you know you’ve fucked up, and that it’s time to change what you’re doing immediately before something goes sideways.
Being budget travellers we’re always looking for ways to stretch the dollars as far as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to volunteer your time in exchange for food and accommodation. While it isn’t quite as helpful as actually earning an income, we just aren’t yet in a position to make that happen, simply not spending anything is better than nothing. However, on some rare occasions, the description of the situations are slightly misleading to what …
Tuesday. 02-06-18. Medellin, Colombia. It’s such a tiny area. The entirety of Central America – including the regions of Mexico we visited – could fit within the country of France. Yet every country is different than the next, each one having its own distinct culture. In Guatemala for example, the Mayan roots are very obvious; from physical features to traditional clothing and general way of life. While right next door in El Salvador, due to several tragic moments in recent …
El Tunco is typically known for two things, either a quick stopover point after crossing into El Salvador from Guatemala, or for surfing. Considering the rocky coastline and our lack of surfing skills, we fit into the first category. A few short hours on a bus from Antigua to El Tunco, or five chicken busses over an entire day to get to anywhere else in El Salvador, it wasn’t a tough decision…
This might very well be one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make. It originally accompanied another recipe on this site. However, seeing as curtido compliments so many other foods, we decided it deserves its own post. During our first day in El Salvador is when we encountered curtido for the first time. The simple yet perfect pupusa, national dish of the country, is never served without this delicious slaw. Almost like a Latin saurkraut, the sharpness of the vinegar …
Vigoron. Found on street corners and kitchens throughout Central America, primarily El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. While technically a salad, it resembles one only in the vaguest way. While consisting of only three components, it requires all three to avoid it being a confusing or outright unenjoyable mess. We first saw this interesting mixture for the first time on the streets of Santa Ana, El Salvador. Though we were curious, the long, chaotic lines surrounding the food carts steered …