Land of Assault Rifles

One of the most interesting things about this country is the assault rifles.

They hang off the shoulders of cops, private security guards and military personnel, and these guys are standing around everywhere you look. They're in the street, on the beach, and in front of the stores. The fancy beach resort we first stayed at even had these mean-looking dudes posted at the front gate around the clock.

I've offered a kind-hearted "hola" to many of them, and they would smile and say something polite back like, "buenas dias." Most of them seem nice enough. A couple of the heavily-armed young men were even nice enough to pose with me and Michele at one of the orphanages we visited. (Why the hell are these guys posted at an orphanage? We were told they were guarding some of the kids' valuable supply of HIV medicine, plus this particular children's home was pretty darn close to a maximum security prison. Good answer, I thought.)

I sort of learned by accident that these menacing-looking gun-toters are actually the best people to ask for directions to the nearest eatery or whatever. They're more than happy to point them out using one of their free hands.

A retired flight attendant and frequent visitor to El Salvador told me over lunch one day that it's actually much different these days. Several years ago, she tells me, the sight of these rifle-strapped men was much more common in El Salvador. I can't imagine that.