First Impressions

Before we got started with the actual "mission" part of our journey, Michele and I decided to fly into El Salvador's main airport, near the capital city of San Salvador, a couple of days early to get our bearings and take a look around.

Our local guide suggested we take a 45-minute taxi ride from the airport to Costa del Sol, one of El Salvador's resort beach areas.

The whole cab ride was a jarring, fast-moving blur of fascinating images. Ramshackle food and beverage stands lined the roadside almost during the entire 45-minute trip, their roofs consisting of either cheap scap metal, or thatched-together palm tree leaves. We would discover that this is a common roadside feature all across El Salvador.
We also noticed a large number of bicyclists and pedestrians, people who very likely had no other mode of transportation.

And we were surprised to see so much livestock -- cattle, horses, pigs -- seemingly roaming free along the streets. "Who owns these animals?" we wondered. "Do they just always know to stay close to home, or are they somehow community property?" In some places, our driver had to stop and honk, waiting for the animals to clear the road.