Location: Lima, Peru -> San Salvador, El Salvador
I woke up this morning before my 6:30am alarm. My taxi to the airport would be arriving at 7:15am and I need to be ready before that.
Since my things were packed last night, I only had to finish my morning routine and slap on some sunscreen and I was alright.
The hostel owner had called a cab company to send someone to pick me up. I didn’t want to get a cab from the streets because early morning haggling isn’t anywhere near my favorite-activities list.
I came to Lima by bus so I was very surprised by the distance of the airport to the city center. It took about 40 minutes for me to get there. Along the way, we passed by several casinos and some wealthy neighborhoods.
Usually I’m quite reluctant to travel from one place to another. The new destination is always a mystery. And what if all the dangerous things that people say about the new place are true?
This time it was different. I was excited about El Salvador. I cannot wait to leave winter for the tropics. Do they eat less potatoes in Central America?
Checking out Lima Airport
I booked a flight with TACA but the airline had changed its name to something that starts with A. I forgot about the name change until I asked for directions to the TACA counter.
As usual, the queue was very long. It’s strange that queues at airport counters are always so long and slow but when it’s my turn, everything’s done in 2 minutes.
At check-in, the person asked for my yellow fever card. I was excited. This was the first time anyone asked for it. The last 2 times, I had to forcibly show the officers my little yellow booklet. “Why doesn’t anyone want to see this?!” I asked them then.
At the immigration line, I was stuck with the queue where a lady was questioned for a long time. She left the line for another line.
When it was my turn, it was shift change for the officers. I watched the two officers cheek kiss each other. The new officer painstakingly reinked his stamp then went off somewhere for about 5 minutes. He inked his stamp again before finally beckoning me over.
As a result of all the queuing, I didn’t have much time (that would be an hour for me) to enjoy the airport facilities. Instead, I waited at the boarding gate until it was our turn to board.
Flying from Lima to San Salvador
The TACA plane I was on was comfortable. I feared that my flight would be like the one I took with Star Airlines–tiny and with bad food.
My seat was the front row of the Economy class so I didn’t bother with taking out my TV set. I mostly slept with my mouth open or read a bit on my Kindle. I felt a tiny bit of motion sickness so I didn’t read too much.
Food on the plane wasn’t too bad but there wasn’t much. I was hungry since I didn’t have breakfast so I vacuumed the tiny meal box in a short period of time.
The 3-hour flight ended quite fast and we were flying over El Salvador. I noticed a lot of greenery and not as much mountains as Peru. I didn’t see any semi-active volcanoes with smoke coming out but I read that there are volcanoes around.
At San Salvador airport, there weren’t any money changers around. I was hoping to change my 100 Peruvian soles to US dollars since it’s the currency used here.
The airport shuttle to my hostel cost US$25 which felt a bit too expensive for El Salvador’s living cost. Still, it was my only choice since I didn’t want to go on some random taxi guy’s car.
I was ushered into an 8-person van. “Just for you!” the man said.
From the airport to the city, I saw a lot of trees. They looked like they could be a part of Kota Kinabalu where I grew up. The heat and humidity also reminded me very much of home. I think I’m going to like it here.
Staying at a San Salvador hostel
My hostel in San Salvador looked like it was someone’s home. My US$20 single room has a bed, a small drawers and a space to hang my things. In this weather, I can finally hand wash some of my laundry and find them dry tomorrow.
I took a nap before heading out. I didn’t realize how tired I was until the hostel employee knocked on my door. I was fast asleep then. The hostel owner, Ana* (her real name), said she will be in tomorrow and can help with travel plans in El Salvador.
My lunch/tea/dinner was a medium-size burrito from Mils Burritos. I had Fez Tea, a flavored tea soft drink, to go with my meal.
Then I went in search of the supermarket. Nearby, there was a Citibank ATM. I’ve forgotten how ATMs are actually willing to give you more than US$300 at a time. The ATM here even gave me cash in 20 dollar bills–I read that they don’t accept US$50 or US$100 bills here because of counterfeit problems.
The supermarket I went to was amazing. After 2 months of travelling in South America, I finally met a really amazing supermarket. It was stacked with so much goodies and I found things I need and some I don’t but would like to have.
I bought a soft drink with the enticing name Kolashanpan. Is it Coca-Cola with champagne flavoring? No. It was a disgusting bubble gum-flavored drink with a bright orange color that reminded me of Mirinda Orange.
When I got back to the hostel and did a bit of hand laundry, it started to rain. Again, the rain reminded me of the sudden showers back home. The windy was strong and laced with lightning and thunder. It stopped just as suddenly as it started. Now I’ll be able to sleep well at night.
YQtravelling 