The Weekenders
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America, making most destinations a short hop from the capital. While travelling through small towns, we can’t help but be reminded of quaint New England towns that spring to life with New Yorkers and Bostonites on the weekends.
Because there are fewer ¨natural wonders¨ here than neighboring countries, local travellers vastly outnumber foreigners. Tourism is growing rapidly as Salvadoreños become more affluent reconstructing after their civil war. Travelling here, there are two distinct experiences, the weekday and the weekend. Weekdays are quiet and relaxing as people go about their business. On the weekends, towns and villages burst into life as families take day-long picnics and the Capitaleños flee the city for a two day break.
No place exemplifies this more than the Ruta de las Flores. During the week in this string of adorable towns, everyone is shut indoors by 7pm and most of the restaurants are closed for business. On the weekends, each town sets up tents in the park of their handicrafts and cuisines, and there is dancing in the streets.
Weekdays and weekends we enjoyed El Salvador for its reliable local pupusa joints and its gimmicks to attract Capitaleños… and us.
Adam