Raphael Kessler

After first arriving in El Salvador I decided to head over to the town of Metepan. The countryside en route was pleasant as Luis our mad cab driver drove us through what was apparently bandit country (photo 1), completely mental but good fun and with a car that defied physics by actually staying in a shape that was recognisable as a car, despite the exhaust pipe falling off within the first few minutes. The first town I stayed in, in El Salvador was Metepan which was an interesting, friendly town although without typical sites of interest the town did have character. Next door to the hotel where I was staying was a cowboys suppliers complete with hammocks, lassos, saddles, holsters, knives and anything else a cowboy needs except for the livestock (photo 2). There was also a colourful market including a florist with only fake flowers (photo 3).

Joya de Ceren is the site of what is sometimes called the Mayan Pompeii. The village was buried under volcanic ash (photo below) from a nearby eruption and as such left the village in an extremely good state of preservation with numerous artifacts found that gave archaeologists an unprecedented insight into Mayan life. 

The Mayan site of San Andres is set in attractive countryside (photos below).

Santa Ana is the second largest city in El Salvador and quite pleasant although not particularly attractive (photo below).

The site at Tazumal was unfortunately restored by the United Fruit Company, source of woe to people around the world. In this case the United Fruit Company decided that they would "restore" the ancient buildings by covering them in concrete (photos below).