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SAN MIGUEL |
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 Some 136km from San Salvador is the bustling, hot and flat city of
SAN MIGUEL . Sitting at the foot of the prodigious Volcán Chaparrastique
, the city is the expanding commercial hub for the east of the country.
More relaxed than San Salvador and with less claim to grandeur than
Santa Ana, the city doesn't offer much by way of tourist attractions. It
is, however, a pleasant enough place to spend a couple of days resting
up between bus journeys, and makes a good base for exploring the nearby
Lenca archeological site of Quelepa and the wetland reserve of Laguna el
Jocotal . San Miguel is also a regional transport hub, and the starting
point for buses to La Unión and the port of Cutuco (bus #304), the
stunning beaches of El Cuco (#320) and El Tamarindo (#385), and the bus
to Perquín and the highland villages of the Ruta de la Paz . And no one
should pass up the chance to eat at La Pema , El Salvador's most famous
restaurant, just outside the city.
San Miguel really comes alive in November for the Fiestas Novembrinas (November
Fiestas), particularly during Carnival on the 29th, whose music,
fireworks and street dancing represent the climax to two months of
celebrations for the festival of Nuestra Señora de la Paz , the city's
patroness. A relatively modern affair, the carnival was instituted only
in 1958, but has quickly grown to be the largest carnival in Central
America (or so they say). If you're around during the festival look out
for people wandering around holding large plastic iguanas aloft - the
locals are nicknamed garroberos (iguana eaters) due to their penchant
for the lizards' meat.
The City
The heart of San Miguel is the shady Parque David J. Guzmán , named
after the eminent nineteenth-century Migueleño biologist and member of
the French Academy of Science. On the east of the Parque sits the
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