Guatemala city was great, I got to hang out with a couchsurfer and he was kind enough to show me around. The worst part was not having enough time to stick around to check out the culture. Sunday morning I headed towards El Salavador, again I'm told of the dangers I'll encounter in this country. I don't feel it's any more dangerous than Guatemala or Mexico. Admittedly there is a lot of precaution and security in unusual places. For example today I went to a national park and there are armed guards stationed in various places along the trail. After talking to tourist police I guess I understand a little more. There are bandits who are opportunist and if you're walking alone in a remote location there are people to rob you bare. In Guatemala my friend told me she was relieved of her ukulele and camera while going on a hike from two guys welding machetes. I guess it happens when you least expect it. Funny they didn't take her money. Here in El Salvador they're trying to promote tourism, I can see it here in La Libertidad, a little beach town on the Pacific. 

Last night I spent my time in Santa Anna, a little city not far from the Guatemalan border, I decided to visit and ended up staying. El Salvador definitely has a unique flavour, the accents are just slightly different and particular. El Salvador uses the American dollar as their currency which I still find strange but then I guess it makes sense since just about anyone in latin America is constantly changing their fortunes to American dollars. Last night I stayed in the cheapest hotel I could find, it was two dollars cheaper than the other hotel down the street and I learned why. 

The rooms were small and there weren't any windows, they were only charging ten dollars a night which  is a little high for my rectified budget.  The hotel seemed fine, cheap, no hot water and relatively clean it wasn't until I leaving I realized that it's a fuckin' hotel. There were a couple negotiating the price per hour. I was paying ten for the night. They were paying five for a couple hours. My room had music which I thought was cool until I realized it was to mask the sounds of passion. You get what you pay for and being on a budget I get a little more of a story out it. I think the only terrible thing about the room was the lack of ventilation because there weren't windows. If you're there for an hour or two no problem but a whole night was a little uncomfortable. I enjoy my fresh air. Tomorrow I'm off to San Salvador and looking for the cheapest place I can find there.