San Salvador and the Road Less Travelled

From Playa San Diego, we made our way to El Tunco, a haven for those wanting to eat ceviche, surf, and relax on a beautiful beach. But, do to some unexpected injuries and other events, no one in our group actually surfed (but swimming and eating ceviche was still a blast). From El Tunco, we headed for San Salvador (via chicken bus). At first, we thought we would avoid the capital, given the reputation capital cities have for violence, but after numerous recommendations from other travellers, we thought we would give it a try. The city, it self, is not very impressive. Sprawled out and lacking a focal point, it is hard to navigate, expensive, and lacks big attractions. However, certain parts of the city are worth seeing. The ¨center¨ of the city is more or less, a huge marketplace. People sell anything and everything and whole scene is a quite spectacular display of ¨organized chaos.¨ Zona Rosa is exactly the opposite, more like an American suburb than a part of Central American city, it has museums, X mas decorations on each street, an enormous shopping mall, the president´s house, and security guards with shotguns on most corners (although that part is common for all of San Salvador). From San Salvador, we headed back to Antigua, again via chicken buses. This was quite the undertaking, and the journey took about 11 hours but only cost $8 (compared to $35 per person for a private shuttle). Walking across the border was a trip, so was being stopped by national police and watching them take away two people, presumably for not having the right identification. Now, we are in Antigua and are leaving for Semuc Champey tomorrow morning (considered one of the most beautiful places in Guatemala).