Cycling The Globe

Distance: 62.2 km
Ride time: 3:49:25
Average: 16.3 km/h
Max speed: 51.8 km/h
Total: 36287 km

Having been on the road for 7 days straight, I was beginning to look forward to a break. San Salvador looked like a good spot to spend a few days. Before arriving there was a few more mountains to climb. The capital of El Salvador is located at 900 m of altitude – providing a much appreciated milder climate than the hot, hot temperatures down at the coast.

I cycled into San Salvador enjoying the small town feeling. I love these small capitals of the world. As soon as I had arrived and checked into my hostel I met Jose Arturo YS1MS and his nephew Juan Carlos. We went for a drink and then visited the local radio club.

We then had a look around the old downtown area. It turns out that many downtown areas were left after a devastating earthquake back in 1986, and people haven’t really returned yet. Instead most people stay in the more modern neighborhoods in the northern part of town.

Thanks Jose Arturo and Juan Carlos for the great welcome to San Salvador!

My hostel is located in a university neighborhood, and I felt completely safe as I walked around there during the day. On the other hand there is no doubt that El Salvador is dealing with some pretty bad crime statistics. One day I opened the newspaper to read that 77 people were murdered during the weekend, and the yearly count stood at 2363. Quite some scary numbers. Good thing I’m not planning on entering the drug trade or join a gang.

The next day Juan Carlos joined me in a search for new tires. Juan Carlos is a keen cyclist himself and seemed to know all the people in the bike shops. That made the process a whole lot faster and smoother compared to looking around for the parts myself. Gracias amigo.

In the night I was invited over to Cisco YS1CF’s house for dinner and some radio fun. Great meeting Cisco’s nice family as well as talking to friends from around the world on the radio.

My time in San Salvador was coming to an end, and it was time to keep moving. This time not too far though. If all goes well I should be in Guatemala in two days. I place I have been looking forward to visit for a long time.