Wow what a nice surprise this country is! So much nature, lots of hiking, easy to get around, interesting history, and some of the most lovely people you'll meet anywhere in the world. You can hike through the national parks, visit coffee plantations, explore caves. learn about the Guerrilla history, visit cobbled artsy towns, and go bird watching on the lake. It's a reasonably budget-friendly country if you stick to the local food and travel by local bus, and there are so few tourists!
The gang presence in El Salvador is no secret and some precautionary measures are in place for foreigners such has having armed escorts on some hikes and tourist police posted in certain areas (which seems more to make the travelers feel safe than there is any real threat). You need to be careful in the larger cities (or just avoid them) and there are a few gang-run towns (like the port) but other than that the country is quite safe for travel.
The daily total includes all lodging, food, booze, transportation, sightseeing, visas, etc. I don't include the money I spend on gifts for friends and I do not include the flight price.
| Lodging (shared) | Food | Booze | Transportation | Other Stuff | $1 Exchange |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $6.53 (✓) | $4.17 | - | $1.22 | - | 1 |
| Language | Meaning | Phrase / Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
Spanish |
chicken stock / bouillon (also caldo de pollo) |
consome de pollo cohn-soh-meh deh poi-yo |
| Does this have animal products? | Esto tiene productos de animales? eh-stoh tyeh-neh proh-dook-tohs deh ah-nee-mah-lehs? |
|
| Does this have chicken stock? | Tiene caldo de pollo? tyeh-neh cahl-doh deh poi-yo? |
|
| I am vegetarian | soy vegetarian(a fem.)(o male) soy ve-he-TAH-ree-YAH-nah |
|
| I don't eat meat, chicken, or fish | no como carne, pollo o pescado | |
| Is this made with water or chicken stock? (handy for asking about the gallo pinto) |
Está hecho con agua o caldo de pollo? | |
| no meat, no chicken, no fish | ni carne, ni pollo, ni pescado nee CAR-ne, nee POY-o, nee pes-CA-do |
|
| with vegetables instead of mean (chicken), please | con verduras en lugar de carne (pollo) por favor |
| Language | Meaning | Phrase / Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
Spanish |
health / Cheers! | salud sah-LOOD |
| pure life / Cheers! (means; Pure Life) (Costa Rica) |
pura vida POO-rah VEE-dah |
|
| a light rain, like mist (literally cat’s hair) (Costa Rica) |
pelo de gato PEH-lo deh GAH-toh |
|
| giddy up (use it slangly like you do in English for "let's go" or "get going") |
arre AH-rreh |
|
| last drink of the night, although there are usually multiple last drinks (Costa Rica) |
zarpe SAR-peh |
Coffee