Rob and Anna's travel adventure

Perquin, El Salvador - updated with PHOTOS

Anna´s entry:

I must admit that El Salvador was not initially a country planned for out trip, however, since we decided to skip COrn Islands, Nicaragua, it quickly became a substitute. El Salvador brought a very different experience for us. First of all, the country has not luckily been over-run by tourists yet, and locals have been very friendly and hospitable with us. This is I think the first country that we felt more tranquil - without being hustled or sold something. We are also glad that we took Spanish classes in Guatemala, we have been using it every day, and the majority of population do not speak English. Our first stop in El Salvador is a town up in the mountains called La Perquin. If you have an in interest in history, you may have heard about this town. Perquin was the headquarters of the guerrilla war in 1980s conflict. Leftover bunkers and bomb craters remain the evidence of the former guerrilla presence, and a war museum in Perquin is a sobering reminder of what atrocities befell fighters and families alike. We visited the museum there with photos, posters, weapons and histories of those who died in action. It was very sad to read and see the stories about atrocities of war, with innocent children falling victims... I think I could relate more to those stories, as my home country Russia also undergone a very tragic past, and lots of similar parallels could be found... We also took a hike up the mountain called Cerro de Perquin - really beautiful nature, and very sad war history again - we took some photos of both.

We felt enriched after our stay in Perquin - we seemed to be the only foreign guests of the town, and it was refreshing for a change. So far, a very good impression of the locals, and we are very glad we decided to experience El Salvador.

posted by Rob and Anna @ 2:40 PM