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. Hostels in San Salvador |
ROOMS EL SALVADOR
