Friday, March 4, 2005

Landed at the airport around 1:30, an hour late...ahhhhh, back in the realm where nothing ever happens on time...good ol’ latin America!! The airport was far from spectacular for being the major city in this country. It was almost like landing on a country highway rather than a runway...it was lined with uncut, half dead grass on both sides and I could actually see farmhouses in the distance out the window. Toto...we’re not in Boston anymore.

After clearing customs I was reintroduced to the latin custom of about 40 guys trying to get you to...check that...pick you up and carry you into their taxi. I’m not kidding, as soon as you step through the door out of customs and they see you’re a gringo, they are all over you. Unfortunately for them, I’m perfectly aware that I can take a bus or a Kombi, which probably takes slightly longer but it is about 1% of the price of a taxi. I feel bad for all the tourists who get preyed on...although if you think about it, things like that help maintain a very weak economy from absolutely crumbling. I mean, not many people come traveling to El Salvador...even my plane was barely half full (I’m an optimist)...so it’s hard to fault these guys who are doing whatever they can to get ahead. That being said, you also can’t fault the one in twenty tourists like myself who hate to get ripped off and know better. So instead of paying US$20 that I was quoted for a taxi, I ended up taking a Kombi (see Porto de Gallinas journal from 2003 for description of a Kombi) for $1.15...strike up one point for the gringos.

After I got to the centro, I grabbed another cab ($4 USD) to the hostel I found in Let’s Go. After I checked in I tried to use the internet...I was not surprised to find that it didn't work...so I grabbed a beer and a sandwich. The girl at the desk was really nice so I asked her to take a picture with me. It was pretty funny because after I asked her, she went and combed her hair, changed her shirt, AND put on make-up. I was pleased with the effort but all I really wanted was a picture. Something tells me I’m gonna have a pretty good time here:)

After that, I walked to a nearby mall to use the internet and get in contact with some people. Afterwards, I grabbed a quick sandwich and I met a pretty cool couple from England...they were traveling for 4 months through Central America. Talk about jealous!!! It’s so cool to be out traveling and meeting other travelers and hearing their tales. It was a great reminder for why I love the traveling life.

Back at the hostel I finally got ahold of Karina and Angel and made a plan to meet up. After a short nap and a shower I was rady to roll. By that time, a lot of people had began to congregate in the hostel common area. It was an environment that I grew to love when traveling before and it felt great to see that atmosphere again...I really wanted to hang out and meet people but I had to leave. On the way out, I helped this guy make a call back the US. It was the first time he had called his parents in over a month. That’s the traveling life for you.

When I got to the hotel, I ran into Mario as he and Karina were arriving at the hotel. It was great to see them...Karina looked like she was a little stressed. That’s how it is when you’re trying to plan a wedding though...especially when you’re trying to coordinate things for 50 different people who are flying in from all over the place. I remember when I was living with Dave and Carla that Carla was the same way...dealing with a million different things to make sure everything would go smooth for the wedding. She was unbelievably stressed out. Reason #252 why it’s good to be a guy...we don’t worry to much about that stuff. I’ll tell you what, the older I get, the more I realize that I don’t want to do a huge production for my wedding, well, that is, if I ever find a girl who would be crazy enough to marry me.

Anyway, I left them so they could get ready and I grabbed a taxi to a place called “Zanzibar” to meet up with the others. I got there and met up with Angel and Rafa, who I already knew, and Eduardo, Maricela, and Karina’s older sister Christina. It was a cool outdoor bar that was pretty packed...it sort of reminded me of SP. It was a great time...we killed 2 bottles of rum! It’s cool to be back in latin America where you can order bottles to the table. Karina and Mario showed up later...and actually that is a funny side story. I went to the bathroom, and on the wall that the urinals were on, there was a window that was at eye level that looked out onto a parking lot. So I was there letting nature take it’s course and Karina and Mario pulled into the parking spot just outside the window!

So after the couple of honor joined us, the night is pretty much a blur. I’ll tell you one thing...I couldn’t believe their stamina. I had only arrived that night, but many other people had arrived as long ago as the previous weekend. They had all been partying pretty hard for the whole week, and it showed...but after a few shots and a couple drinks, everybody started to perk up. I was really impressed with Karina and Mario though...they were so exhausted but it meant so much to them to be able to spend this time with their closest friends that they kept on going anyway. That’s something I absolutely love about the latin culture...they definitely know how to party.

We spent the next hour hearing everyone exchange stories about life back in Houston and back in college at LSU for Karina and a few others. Finally we moved on to a little bar/club across the street that was called Alambique (or something like that). Everybody was already pretty wasted by the time we got there. More and more people began showing up and our group grew pretty big. It was such an awesome feeling for me to be back with all my latinos...back in an element in which I feel so comfortable and everything just feels right. That expect is certainly missing from my Boston life. I guess it was just a fun night of partying in San Salvador with great latin music and a lot of good friends around. I bet nobody was happier than Karina and Mario though...who once again get kudos from me...I mean, how often do you party until 3 a.m. with the couple who is getting married the night before the wedding? That’s the way to do it! And people wonder why I love the latin culture so much.

Anyway, pretty much everybody left sometime around 3 and as usual, I was the last man standing. I was literally the last person to leave the bar...I guess it was probably around 4:30. I got a cab back to the hostel and I wasn’t surprised to find that nobody was awake. I ended up hanging out and listening to music with Anna, the receptionist until like 7:00 a.m. El Salvador is treatin’ me right.

AC