|
|
Rising to the ChallengeMar 01 '02 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Renting a car is easy and cheap but roads can be horrible outside of cities. Buses are useful in the cities and between cities but can be pretty beaten up. El Salvador is the smallest and most populated country in Central America. We spent 8 days there in Jan. 2002 and were lucky enough to be with our son who lives there and was a perfect guide! We rented a car the day after we arrived. We had been warned that in this country where crime is a problem, the international arrivals at the airport was especially dangerous, including the road to San Salvador from the airport. Since we arrived at night, we arranged for someone to pick us up and drive us to the city. (I'm told hiring a cab is okay, too.) This "door to door" service cost all of $25 and was well worth it! The next day we picked up a car in San Salvador (all the major rental companies have offices there) from Thrifty. We kept the car until the day before we left and then arranged for the same person to return us to the airport. In the city, the biggest problem is heavy traffic. Gas is a bit more expensive than in the US but not terribly high. We found a good road map at the San Salvador Marriott front desk which was excellent (put out by Texaco). We did take buses in the city, too. They are in varying states of disrepair, take US change or local change (the country is dollarized so we used US money everywhere) and belch fumes that contribute to the horrible air pollution! Drivers were helpful in indicating the correct bus stop. Parking seems to be a problem but many of the sights have their own lots. Outside of San Salvador, the roads vary tremendously with some decent, hardpacked dirt roads and some very potholed paved roads that made us long for the dirt roads! Make sure you know how long it takes to get somewhere and travel in daylight given the road conditions.  |
| Write the first comment on this review! |
|
Ads by Google
|
by knotheadusc
by artemis8
