San Salvador, El Salvador

We avoided staying in the city, and in fact never saw it close up. Earthquakes and a civil war did no favours for the historic centre of the city, which has fallen into decay since the 1980s. Office buildings have long been abandoned, and streets are congested with thousands of street vendors and makeshift stalls, where shopping is at its most frenetic and the informal market buzzes at a fast and loud pace. Efforts are currently underway to restore many of the majestic historical buildings that date back to the 1800s, and to relocate the vendors to a new central market just outside the centre. If you do visit, it is important to remember that gangs currently control different sectors. While you are unlikely to witness or be the victim of violence, it is recommended to visit as part of a tour, which can be organized at most hotels or hostels.

The Iglesia Rosario, a church built by sculptor Ruben Martinez in the 1970's, is arguably one of the most radically beautiful buildings in Central America. Resembling an airplane hangar from the outside, it is visually awe-inspiring from the inside, where a rainbow of colours rush across the floor and across the altar, as the natural night bounces off the metal and rock. The Metropolitan Cathedral nearby was built in 1956, replacing the previous Cathedral that was destroyed by an Earthquake in the 1800s. A steady stream of local and international tourists visit daily to see the tomb of Oscar Romero

Sochitoto After leaving the Ruta de Flores, we skirted San Salvador via the hills with views over the city, and headed north to Sochitoto. Having explored Sochitoto we headed back to San Salvador via Cinquera

Cinquera

The former FMLN stronghold of Cinquera has transformed itself into a successful example of grassroots tourism. The community has initiated a series of projects that have helped it to rebound from the horrors for the civil war. Ex-guerrillas share firsthand accounts of the conflict at a war museum. A terrific little rainforest park is great for a short hike and waterfall swim, and there's a sustainable iguana farm.

During the war all the residents of Cinquera and the surroundings fled, leaving the area around it deserted. Beginning in 1992, the residents of Cinquera began to return, in order to rebuild and restore their village. The vision of Cinquera's residents was to restore their town and to preserve the delicate ecology of the surrounding forested area. The natural preserve was developed with the assistance of international relief organizations to preserve and protect the delicate ecological balance, along with the historical monuments.. The mural on the church commemorates the death of two clerics

Óscar Romero (15 August 1917 – 24 March 1980) was a prelate of the Catholic Church in El Salvador, who served as the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador. He spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations, and torture. In 1980, Romero was assassinated while offering Mass in the chapel of the Hospital of Divine Providence. Pope Francis stated during Romero's beatification that "His ministry was distinguished by his particular attention to the most poor and marginalized." While seen as a social conservative at his appointment as archbishop in 1977, he was deeply affected by the murder of his friend and fellow priest Rutilio Grande a few weeks after his own appointment and subsequently developed into an outspoken social activist.To date, no one has ever been prosecuted for the assassination, or confessed to it. The gunman has not been identified

Rutilio Grande was assassinated on March 12th, 1977. The crime was attributed to the Guardia Nacional. He was ambushed as he was going to preside at a Mass in El Paisnal, a township of San Salvador. With him were assassinated two of his collaborators.

There are reminders of the war everywhere. There are plenty of murals depicting the conflict and the peace, there is a monument made from the remains of a downed helicopter and de-commissioned guns, and the church bells are two used shells.

All of the buildings in town had to be reconstructed, mostly in cheap, drab cinderblock, including the church. However, the bullet-riddled bell tower of the church has been preserved and propped up as a kind of monument. FMLN posters are up on every street. There’s a crude bust of Farabundo. Murals list the names of locals killed in the conflict.

Hotels

Sal & Luz Hotel 9.3 On Booking.com and on TripAdvisor . 7 rooms. Sal & Luz Hotel Boutique offers an on-site restaurant. Every room is equipped with a TV. There is concierge service at the property.

We stayed here because I did not want to stay in the centre of San Salvador. It is in a quiet suburb, and offers good, but small , modern rooms. There is a nice bar and restaurant area. We enjoyed dinner on one of the outside tables. Our two travelling teddy bears were very surprised and grateful to get mounted photos of themselves from the hotel

The staff are very welcoming and really do look after one. It offers good value for money. If you are visiting San Salvador, then this is the place to stay. It seemed quite safe in this quiet suburb, but we observed that the man looking after the car park lot opposite was sporting a pump action shotgun, and most commercial properties in Salvador like shops and supermarkets employed armed guards. It was difficult for a tourist to know if this was just because everyone employed an armed guard, or whether it was really necessary. However we never saw any in action during our brief stay in Salvador

So after a few hours in the hotel, it was time to wake up and leave before 5am, drive past a chain of volcanoes, to reach our ferry, a private boat for two to take us across the estuary to Nicaragua

And with that it was goodbye to El Salvador and hello to Nicaragua

Central America Holiday