Getting across this border on my motorbike into El Salvador was supposed to me a nice riding day in the gorgeous sunshine. I headed for the Terrestre Las Chinamas border crossing at first light. I chose this border because it was supposed to be not as busy. On arrival, I was told that the border was closed because of a strike and I had to go back and reroute north to the Aduana Terrestre San Cristóbal.
Not the start to the day I wanted. Adding an extra 2 hours to my journey. I was also going to now arrive at the border around midday, so, it could not be a worse start to my border crossing by motorcycle.
Onto San Salvador
I had another 4 hours to get to San Salvador and got right on it. I had already wasted 4 hours getting to and across the border, so now it was time to get moving.
After my troubles, I then got an email from my hotel in San Salvador to tell me that they had to cancel my booking because they had double booked. I didn’t have time to respond so headed to the city. I spoke with a reception in the city, and they told me everything is booked out.
Not the greatest start to my stay in San Salvador and it was starting to get dark. I decided to head 30 minutes outside of the city to a coastal resort town of La Libertad and booked a hotel at a rest stop. You won’t believe this, but I arrived in the dark, and they didn’t even know they had a booking and they had no electricity. You have got to be kidding me.
They found me a shady place near the water about 10 minutes drive away, and I settled in for the night. Went to a local bar and downed a few beers. What a day!
San Salvador
San Salvador (English: Holy Savior) is the capital and largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country’s political, cultural, educational and financial center. The San Salvador metropolitan area, which comprises San Salvador and thirteen of its surrounding municipalities, is one of the largest urban centers in Central America, with a projected population of 1,767,102 in 2015
La Libertad, El Salvador
La Libertad is a port city on the Pacific coast of southwest El Salvador. It’s known for beaches with strong surf, such as the Punta Roca break. Near the Malecón waterfront esplanade is the renovated 19th-century pier and fish market. To the west, the black-sand El Tunco Beach is famed for its consistently strong waves. To the east is the forested Walter Thilo Deininger National Park, with numerous bird species.