To Santa Ana I go! [YQrtw Day 120 Aug 8]

Location: San Salvador -> Santa Ana, El Salvador

I needed a change from the San Salvador scene. I was in the capital for the past 4 days during which 3 were publIic holidays and nothing interesting was open for business.

I don’t remember how I end up choosing Santa Ana, a landlocked region in El Salvador. Previously I was thinking about learning surfing at some of the El Salvador beaches but then I remembered that I hate warm sea water and the sun so surfing did not make sense at all.

I checked out of my San Salvador hostel before 10am and had breakfast at a nearby cafe before catching a Santa Ana-bound bus.

Unlike the short distance buses, this bus had comfortable seats, air conditioning and even a small TV playing the Alex Cross movie.

Based on travel guides, I know that I have about 1 and a half hour of travelling before we reach Santa Ana. At first I was looking out the foggy window but I found myself sleeping one hour into the journey.

When we got to Santa Ana, the bus stopped at different places. Eventually, everyone got off the bus and I had to too. Last night, I had memorized the map of Santa Ana’s bus terminal to the hostel because I don’t trust offline Google Maps.

Unfortunately, the bus didn’t stop at the bus terminal but I was able to figure out where north was based on the street numbers. I had to ask a shop for the direction of some street but I found the hostel eventually.

Just as I was approaching the hostel, a lady left the building. I rang the doorbell but no one answered. A little sign on the door told me to head to a nearby shop and ask for Carlos* (his real name).

A person in the hardware store took his keys and brought me into the hostel. The lady who left came back about 30 seconds after we were in.

I was given my room key. After depositing my luggage, I went to explore the hostel. This is probably the best hostel I’ve ever stayed at.

The walls are painted vibrant colors and there are hammocks around. There is even a small square swimming pool. There are two kitchens and the one nearest to my room has amazing equipment such as an orange juicer!

After hanging around the hammock a bit, it was time for lunch. I wanted to try out a place recommended by the hostel notice board but all the food were sold out.

My back up was the top Tripadvisor-recommended restaurant in the area.

Yes, I know I am Chinese

I trekked a long way to reach the place. On my way, I still got called out by strangers about my race.

I still do not understand what the people who say fake Chinese words, hiss about my being Chinese or those who say out not-so-nice things about me expect. Do they want me to react badly at them? Do they get a kick out of pointing out the only Chinese person in nearest 10km radius?

Nowadays, I’ve started responding to these people. A few days ago, a man on the street called out, “Chinita!” (Little Chinese girl.) I turned back to him, pointed and said, “El Salvadoriano!”

Today, a young man was sitting on the ground and called out fake Chinese. I stopped in my tracks, turned to him and said something back in Chinese. He just looked kind of stunned.

Later, I passed an old man and his friend, both of them sells things by the road. The old man said something about Chinese and “Me gusta dfsdjafhjsdhf”. I stopped, looked at him and wanted to shout that I know what he is talking about.

However, the proverbial cat caught my tongue and nothing came out. So he asked if I was lost and needed help with directions. As if he didn’t just say not-so-nice things about me! I told him that I know my way and still couldn’t find my retort.

This is getting really tiring.

Relaxing in Santa Ana

The rest of the day was spent in the swimming pool and in the hammock.

For dinner, I bought a whole roasted chicken from the supermarket–where an employee sang out to his friend, “Chin chin chin chin.” I glared at him.

Tomorrow, I will be able to make fresh orange juice since the hostel kitchen has such a machine. I also bought eggs since I haven’t had those in a while.

El Salvador is back in business! This means museum time [YQrtw Day 119 Aug 7]

Location: San Salvador, El Salvador

[I have been binge-watching The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and I’ve almost forgotten to write today’s post.]

After 6 days of holiday in El Salvador, the country is back into school and business mode. For the tourist, this is much better news as it means shops are finally open and there aren’t too many people on the streets.

For me, this means I can finally visit the museums.

Since there were only two museums on my to-visit list, I left the hostel at around 11am. Unfortunately, proper restaurants do not open until noon so I had to settle with a few mini pastries from a bakery and a cafe latte from a cafe.

I strolled back to Zona Rosa (the tourist area) to see the museums. Roads in San Salvador are kind of strange. The vehicles need to follow the road and make a big turn before it goes back to what should have been directly in front. That’s why I do not take the buses to Zona Rosa and prefer walking.

Walking in the El Salvadorian heat is quite a torture. Luckily, I have my umbrella from Sri Lanka or else I think I might get sunstroke. Umbrellas are also useful as defence weapons but luckily I haven’t needed to use it that way.

My first stop was the Archaeology Museum. For US$3, there wasn’t much to see there although I quite enjoyed the exhibit on religion in the country.

After the museum, I dropped by the restaurant in the compound. They have US$7 set lunches during the weekend. While eating, I started reading Love with a Chance of Drowning.

After the satisfying lunch, I had to trek up the hill to the art museum. I couldn’t figure out the entrance so I had to sit on the steps and stare out into space for a while.

I was glad to find the entrance in the end because the art museum is deliciously air conditioned. The exhibits were quite nice too.

Finding change for a bus ride

After the requisite museum visits, I was free (and quite bored). I initially planned to take the bus from Zona Rosa to the shopping malls but I realized that I only had 22 cents in change and US$10 and US$20 bills.

The buses that stopped had the fares written on their windows. One mini buses listed 32 cents and I remembered that the other mini bus I took was 25 cents. I don’t have enough!

So I had to walk a long way to the malls. However, I stopped to catch my breathe at one of the bus stops and found a big bus that charges only 20 cents. I hopped on, asked about the fare, gave my money and sat next to a fat man who decided to spread his knees even more after I sat down.

By the way, the big buses in El Salvador has turnstiles on them! TURNSTILES! I took a sneak shot of the object.

I bought some soap at the supermarket. Then I bought a local SIM card even though I would only be in the country for another 5 days. You never know when it’ll come in handy.

After the malls, I walked back to the hostel. I decided that I would visit Santa Ana tomorrow for 3 nights because I’m rather bored with San Salvador.

I searched for rooms in Santa Ana but strangely, they were all booked out on the online accommodation sites. In the end, I had to SMS one of the hostels. Fortunately, they arranged a room (through SMS!) so I will not be roofless tomorrow.

Eating Japanese in El Salvador

For dinner, I visited a Japanese restaurant I found on Foursquare. The restaurant was located in the residential area and was actually in a house! There wasn’t a proper sign outside and they only had a fluttering stand-sign near its door.

To enter, you have to ring the house doorbell and they will show you in. The interior was a dark mysterious red. The food was also mysterious since they only had sushi rolls.

I chose the OMG roll which had some unagi-like meat on top of my roll. The taste wasn’t something I was familiar with but it wasn’t as bad as the supermarket sushi I had in San Francisco.

After dinner, I head back to the room for some LBD watching. Now it’s time to go to bed since I need to wake up early tomorrow for check out.

CIao!

El Salvador on holiday [YQrtw Day 118 Aug 6]

Location: San Salvador, El Salvador

I extended my stay at the current hostel for another 2 nights because I am too lazy to figure out my next stop.

My hostel is in the neighborhood of University of Central America so it has a lot of nice-looking coffee shops, printers and a few bookstores. Unfortunately, it’s still the holidays here in El Salvador so I’ve not been into any of the shops.

Fortunately, the fast food places are open. Bless the fast food chains!

Cross carefully, if there are any cars around.

Bus 27 in San Salvador. My lucky number.

I walked from the hostel to Zona Rosa where the posh area is. It’s also where the Consuma Fair is held so there was a terrible traffic jam.

The two museums that I wanted to visit were closed as well so I had to spend time wandering around the streets where shops (excluding fast food outlets) were closed.

Domino's Pizza bikes. — Domino’s Pizza bikes.

From Consuma, I walked to the shopping malls near by hostel. It was 33 degrees Celsius so thank goodness I had my umbrella with me to block out the sun or else I would get sunstroke again.

At the mail, I drank two cups of coffee (in separate sittings) and ate half a bad Tiramisu cake. I walked to another mall (passing by another mall) and found it dreadfully boring.

The third mall. All three were side-by-side.

On my way back, I stopped by the supermarket, hoping to find some souvenirs (Yes, they are for you!). But in the end, I bought toothpaste and a bottle of water.

Until the next shopping trip!

Around the world with The Overexposed Model

There’s a side of me on the internet that I’ve not shared on YQ Travelling, until today.

Back in December 2012 when I was in Singapore, I created a Tumblr called The Overexposed Model (OEM) to record ads which I’ve come across that feature an ambiguously raced young lady.

The tumblr was actually a follow up of a blog with a similar goal. The blog was called The Overexposed Big Mouth Model but it disappeared when I was trying to submit my sightings.

Since OEM was in so many ads as the generic smiling women, I thought it was fun to chronicle my discoveries. I shared the blog link with a few friends but I mostly kept it as a semi-private collection.

Then one day, a freelancer from the Phillipines asked if he could interview me about the blog as part of a feature on the model. I can now honestly say that I was in Esquire Philippines (or something like that), however not as a bikini model.

In March, the Singapore media ran out of story ideas and featured The Overexposed Model in various print and web outlets. Some readers started submitting their own sightings of OEM to the tumblr. I put those up too.

Naively, I thought that the tumblr will hibernate while I go on my four-month journey. I still keep seeing OEM.

In the beginning, it was fun spotting OEM but now it feels kind of like a nightmare. Each time I see her, there’s less giddy surprise and more “NOT AGAIN!” Of course, I still obediently take out my camera and snap her photos.

Overexposed Model in Malaysia

OEM selling ulcer medication in Sabah, Malaysia.

My first overseas sighting of OEM was back home in Sabah in a clinic. She was in a ulcer medication ad.

Overexposed Model in Greece

Overexposed Model in an optician ad in Athens, Greece.

In Greece, I found OEM hawking glasses in Athens.

Overexposed Model in Argentina

Overexposed Model in Buenos Aires airport

I thought I was safe from OEM but I found her at Buenos Aires airport, selling some sort of travel card.

Overexposed Model in Peru

Overexposed Model on Cruz del Sur website.

I found her on a bus company’s website, ready to go for an unplanned weekend travel.

Overexposed Model in a clinic ad in Arequipa, Peru.

In Arequipa, in a lonely building, I found her in a life size printout. I thought I should stand next to her to prove that I spotted her.

Overexposed Model in the papers in Peru.

Then I saw her again in the papers.

Overexposed Model in San Salvador

Overexposed Model in a pharmacy ad in San Salvador

When I was out window shopping, I saw her outside a supermarket.

I don’t think I will ever get used to seeing OEM in an ad. It’s funny how she’s featured in so many different countries. Does her looks makes her the everyday person of the countries she’s been featured?

Have you seen the Overexposed Model? Share where you’ve seen her in the comments below.

Drowning in the heat at San Salvador’s Consuma Fair [YQrtw Day 117 Aug 5]

Location: San Salvador, El Salvador

Today was my first full day in El Salvador. The hostel doesn’t provide breakfast so I lazed in bed until well past 9:30am.

The hostel owner, Ana* (her real name), was around when I was heading out. She told me about the Consuma Fair happening nearby and that the museum is right across the fair.

In the first week of August, El Salvadorians have a week of holiday in celebration of El Salvador del Mundo, patron saint of San Salvador. Consuma is part of this celebration.

I walked to the convention center where Consuma is held from July 25 to August 6. I bought an entrance ticket at 25 cents extra from a lady selling tickets. The other way was to queue for a long while and pay only US$1.50 but it wasn’t worth it.

The hall was rather full with visitors and exhibition booths. From the second level, I looked down at the booths. It had a strange mix of appliances, clothes, toys, phone and many other things. It felt like a Sitex fair gone wrong.

Exhibition hall at San Salvador's Consuma — Exhibition hall at San Salvador’s Consuma

I had a coffee at one of the booths before heading down into the hall. The place was so crowded that I had to move very slowly with the current of the crowd.

Based on the booths, I found El Salvadorians’ version of week-long fun strange. How fun it is when you are squeezing with 20 other people in a 5 square-meter space?

I thought I had seen enough when I saw the 10th clothes stall. I found the exit and went out into more exhibition halls and food booths.

I lost count of the number of exhibition halls. Some had a mix of food and clothes while others had cheap clothes that do not look attractive on any body. There was even fun fair games, one involving plates on waters and coin tossing.

Toss quarters into the plate and win soft drinks.

I also passed by a large tent area which smelled of horses. They have horses at a fun fair!

By this time, I shouldn’t be surprised by anything else but I found a full-fledged amusement park with roller coasters and even a pirate ship. El Salvadorians really take their fun seriously.

Despite all the promised fun in the fair, I was feeling very uncomfortable due to the heat and the size of the crowd.

I checked my watch and was surprised to find that I was only there for 2 hours when it felt like I had spent the whole evening there. My head was pounding as I looked for the exit. Everyone else’s steps were too slow and they were between me and the exit to fresher air and the blinding sun. (I dislike the sun but I hate crowds more than the sun.)

Visiting San Salvador’s city center

After escaping the fair, I took a bus to the city center. The bus fare was cheap at 25 cents. I didn’t memorize the map so I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to get off the bus.

In the end, I followed the crowd and got off at the second bus stop after most of the people went off.

The streets of San Salvador’s center was different from where my hostel was. Here, things were dirtier. It didn’t look like a proper city center but more like an abandoned area populated with people.

I had lunch at a fried chicken place where there was thankfully Wi-Fi. I figured out the nearby landmark and saw the National Theater, the church of San Salvador, the National Library and other monuments.

I took a bus back and rested a while before walking to the shopping malls near the hostel. MegaPlaza mall was huge but under-visited. It looked very empty and some of the shops were not occupied.

I walked over to another mall which was even more depressing. I headed back to MegaPlaza where I had dinner until it became dark.

I debated if I should walk back to the hostel. It didn’t seem wise as it was also raining. In my head, I kept seeing passages in travel guides about the dangers of walking at night in Central and South America.

In the end, I took a cab and was given an over-fluctuated price. I bargained one dollar down. I reached my hostel after the taxi took many long turns.

The Wi-Fi on the second floor of the hostel has miraculously fixed itself. Thank San Salvador!

Journey from Lima to San Salvador [YQrtw Day 116 Aug 4]

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.

Getting a haircut in Lima [YQrtw Day 115 Aug 3]

Location: Lima, Peru

As I said yesterday, I don’t have any thing planned for Lima so I decided to get a haircut today. So much for doing my own hair, huh.

Below my hostel is a nail salon and a proper hair salon. The salon was closed when I was going out so I walked along the street looking for another hair salon. (I later found out that they also do hair jobs in the nail salon.)

I got my hair cut in the shop on the left

I found a little place called Gladys. It was the name of my host mother in Arequipa so I thought that it was a good sign.

When I went in, there was only another customer doing her nails. The owner, employee and customer were all watching a volleyball match on TV between Peru and China. I interrupted them, asking if I could get a haircut.

The only chairs were taken by the customer so I didn’t think that I could get my hair done. However, the owner told me that there were haircuts so I stayed.

The owner dragged a chair from behind the counter and put it in front of the mirror above the sofa. That was my makeshift hair cut chair.

While she was getting her tools ready, she excitedly pointed at the TV and then to me. “China,” she said. I replied, “Soy de Malasia.” (I’m from Malaysia.)

I thumbed through a few hair catalogues and pointed to a short bob. The hairdresser looked at it and shook her head.

She got out another book and showed me other hairstyles. I chose one that looked very much like the last one. Fortunately, she agreed.

She started snipping away. And she even used a fun-looking razor. It was a razor covered on one side with a teeth-shaped plastic.

I was kind of worried that my hair was cut too short. The problem with my hair is that if it’s too short, it will start to stand vertically. When I was a baby, my hair defied gravity all the time.

Halfway through the hair cut, the result of the volleyball match was announced. China won and Peru was “among the top 4”.

I was really worried that the hairdresser might wreck my hair because China won. (Chinese-looking person == China == Gals who beat Peru.)

Fortunately, I was still alive by the end of the haircut. I don’t hate my new hair but I suspect they will be doing some gravity-defying stunts when I get back to humid Southeast Asia.

It was only 10 soles for the cut (about S$5) so I won’t complain!

Rest of the day:

Took the bus one from one end to another. The areas away from the city center reminded me a lot of Indonesia.

Scene from Lima's street — Scene from Lima’s street

Lunched at a Foursquare-recommended place. Had seafood soup.

Took bus to Miraflores. Drank coffee.

Went grocery shopping before heading back to hostel.

Had a pedicure in the nail salon downstairs.

Caturday: Catlen of Troy

Location: Troy, Turkey

Catlen poses with fake chariot and gladiator

I found this cat in Troy. Unlike other cats I’ve met on the road, this is more affectionate. Maybe it smelled food on me or something.

What will you name your cat?

Picking up mail in Lima [YQrtw Day 114 Aug 2]

Location: Lima, Peru

Last night, the hostel owner drove me to the bus station for my midnight bus from Nasca to Lima. Thankfully, I was not car sick during this trip although I was disturbed by loud snoring.

It was around 6:30am when the bus rolled into Lima. The sky was grey and it looked like it rained. The bus stopped at two stops, mine was the last at La Victoria.

I haggled with a cabbie (30 soles to 25 soles) for a ride to my hostel. It took a while to find the hostel because the addresses in the area weren’t in order.

After a call to the hostel, we found the place. The place that I’m staying at is actually someone’s apartment turned into a hostel. It’s really pretty inside but a bit far from the main bus station (6 blocks!)

I explored a bit of Lima’s historical center when I went to run an errand.

Dunkin Donuts invades pretty, old building in Lima

Picking up mail in Lima

I don’t plan to do much sightseeing in Lima for the two days that I am in the capital.

Since I’ve seen Machu Picchu, pretty much everything else is dull. However, there is an interesting museum that I might go to if I can figure out where it is exactly.

However, I do have a very important errand to run. My friend, D, in Singapore has sent me a package using a poste restante service. It means that the post office keeps your mail for you and you collect it by showing your passport.

Ever since I’ve read about poste restante, I’ve wanted to use the service to collect mail in a place where I do not have an address. For me, this is really romantic.

It took a while for me to find the central post office but it was really easy to pick up my package. The lady looked at my name and went in search in the “L” box which did not have anything for me and in the “Y” box which had an envelope for me.

Woopee!

Bus system in Lima

The hostel owner, Marco* (his real name), passed me a transportation card for Lima. I went off to explore the public bus system on my own.

Here in Lima there are different types of buses. The one I took was the Metropolitano which reminded me very much of TransJakarta, the public bus in Jakarta.

There are levitated platforms in the middle of the road where the buses stop. Here in Lima, you’ll need to tap your transportation card, paying 2 soles for one entrance.

There are several doors for the buses which are quite long. Then there are different doors for different routes but sometimes these are shared among different routes.

It’s easy to take the bus but it’s difficult to get on since there seems to be a lot of people already on the bus.

Where to find cheap food in Aguas Calientes [#FoodFriday]

Aguas Calientes is the town nearest to Machu Picchu. This is where you will likely stay a night before you visit the site or having a meal before you take the train back to Cusco or Ollantaytambo.

Most of the infrastructure in Aguas Calientes is targeted at tourists. This means jacked up prices.

In Aguas Calientes, I had eaten a 45 soles (S$21) set meal where the rice was as large as the head of my fork and a 67 soles meal (S$30) that was actually pretty tasty.

Of course, not every meal in Aguas Calientes has to exceed 50 soles. I can show you a place where you can have a meal plus a fruit juice for just 10 soles (S$4.50).

Where to find cheap food in Aguas Calientes

This little piggy went to market

Go to Aguas Calientes market for cheap food

On the second floor of the local market (not the “craft market) is where they sell cooked food. At lunch time, a lot of the stalls write their dishes of the day on a whiteboard. Just order off the list and you will have tasty, freshly made food.

The second stall on the left gave me a good vibe so I had both my meals there. The stall is run by a family of women. The first time I went, the elder sister cooked while the second time, the mother cooked.

The beef steak meal was lovely but the Milanese chicken (breaded chicken cutlet) wasn’t as good. I love how they have rice along with the meal. I also requested that they only give me tomatos and not greens as the salad.

After your meal, you might want to have a drink. At the market, juices sell for 5 soles. For this price, you get about 2 glass-full of juice. That was enough to stretch my stomach.