San Salvador

So a lot has happened over the weekend! After putting up the last post, Andrea (my cousin) called her friend, Rony, in San Salvador and he came to pick me up at the hostel. Which means I lost my $8 to stay at somebody's nice house... shucks. ;)

Rony's dad is the director of transportation for Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America for Exxon Mobil. I know, I know, I don't even need to say it. Obviously their house was very nice, not like Princeton Estates nice, but like two live-in maids nice. Every morning I just "ordered" my breakfast from a window into the kitchen. It was a little strange for me to go from a hostel (Rony asked if we really all sleep in the same room when he came in) to staying at this nice house! But after traveling around for a while the hospitality was appreciated.

Now for something completely different. On Friday I met with this woman, Karla, whom I had been in contact with (it's a long story). She is a labor organizer here. We talked and visited CRISPAZ, this Christian Peace and Justice organization. There I met this nun from Boston who will give me some contacts for my time in Peru! I got to met Karla's boyfriend, Mateo, who is from Cincinnati, and another guy visiting here from Detroit working on a fair trade clothing company. Very cool stuff!

On Friday night Rony and I went out with a few of his friends to the clubs in San Salvador. I think I stuck out like a sore thumb one because I always seem awkward in clubs and two my backpacking clothes were far from appropriate. They were "members" of the club (I don't know what that means) so that got all these free drinks and whatnot. The clubs were very fancy and definitely a contrast to what I have been experiencing elsewhere in my travels.

On Saturday we went to a friend of Rony's, Camilla's house on a lake very close to San Salvador. It was very nice and ..errr... a little different than our digs at Pretty Lake! Her mother designed the furniture for the U.S. Embassy here which is about the size of Rivertown Shopping mall. I got to try ceviche with baby shark (!!) which was really good. The pool was very pretty as well and I managed to not get burnt!

So this is where it gets funny. Rony and his friends, especially Camilla, were very excited to go on something called the Bonga Bus Saturday night. This is the concept: retrofitted two story old American school bus, first floor with club, second floor with seating, lots of music and booze. It is something that could easily be satirized by Arrested Development or possibly made into a video store backroom movie (okay it wasn't that bad...). It was indeed entertaining, but it turned out to be more comical. In many North American cities wires and cables and whatnot are buried underground. Not so here. For two and a half hours we were dodging cables and trees and trying not to get decapitated on the top. Lots o' fun with about 50 drunk Salvadorians. But probably not something I will every do again, because as many of you know I have a hard enough time not spewing on normal bus much less a BONGA Bus. I didn't have anything to drink too!

Yesterday we just hung out, and last night I moved to stay with Karla and Mateo. They are closer to downtown so I can go to some museums and whatnot. And plus they have 5 baby kittens! Last night Karla and I got pupusas... yum.... traditional Salvadorian food that you eat from somebody's garage. That's the best way to get food. It is a hot tortilla/empanada filled with beans and cheese that you eat with a coleslaw salad type thing. Very good, I will try to make it when I get home.

So my time in San Salvador has been interesting because of the contrasts. Despite the people I was staying with, poverty is just an issue here as it is throughout Central America. People live in shacks in deplorable conditions next to huge shopping malls and fancy restaurants. But as my trip to the border of Mexico and the US taught me, just because we are living further away from poverty (as I am in Michigan) doesn't mean we are any less responsible than the people in poor countries who can afford to live well.

Not sure what my next step will be, I haven't decided whether I am going to go to Honduras and go straight to Nicaragua.

Hasta luego!