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SAN SALVADOR |
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 Sprawling across the Valle de las Hamacas at the foot of the mighty
Volcán San Salvador is the urban melee of SAN SALVADOR , El Salvador's
chaotic, frenetic and polluted capital. It's a city which is unlikely to
win many hearts - on first impressions at least - with its crumbling
buildings, raucous traffic and surrounding fringe of shantytowns.
Earthquakes have robbed the city of most of its colonial architecture
and under-investment in public buildings is often painfully obvious,
while the legacy of war has left large slices of society without
employment or opportunity. The daily theatre that passes for street life
in the city centre reflects all of these factors, showing the public
face of a metropolis that goes about its business without recourse to
many of the advantages of Western cities.
For all that, San Salvador is a modernizing city, and the authorities
are making a determined effort to create a more attractive environment
in the old centro histórico . The plazas and parks have all been
renovated and many of the city's street traders moved into indoor
markets in order to free up pavement space and aid traffic flow. Extra
police have been deployed on the streets and, although much work remains
to be done, the city is a more pleasant place to visit than just a few
years ago. A stay, however short, in El Salvador's capital is probably
inevitable, and many people find it easier to get used to the place than
they imagined, appreciating the diversions and services it offers -
restaurants, bars, shopping, cinemas - that are unavailable in the rest
of the country.
San Salvador is also a surprisingly green city, with a canopy of lush
vegetation shrouding even the most unlikely of neighbourhoods, and a
ring of encircling mountains that seem at times close enough to touch.
Dominating the skyline to the north is Volcán San Salvador , accessible
via the town of Santa Tecla , 13km from the city, while in the hills to
the south lies the lush, extensive Parque Balboa , from where there are
vistas right across to the Pacific coast. Beneath the park to the east
is the predominantly indigenous village of Panchimalco , with its
splendid colonial church. Fifteen kilometres east from the city is the
country's largest crater lake, Lago de Ilopango , stunningly beautiful
and with views on a clear day across to the peaks of Volcán Chichontepec,
whilst to the west are the natural gorge, waterfalls and pools of Los
Chorros , a favourite weekend retreat for harrassed city dwellers.
The City
San Salvador is never going to win any prizes for elegance, and the
rough edge to life here can come as a shock to those used to the more
tranquil and colonial atmosphere of other Central American cities.
There's a singular lack of museums and galleries |
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