El Salvador

(SORRY NO PHOTOGRAPHS - STOLEN)

Gautamala was a couple of rungs down the poverty ladder compared to Mexico. El Salvador was a couple rungs back up. Someone obviously cares about the country because the infrastructure is just so much better. Admittedly the country is small and therefore less money has to be spent on maintaining roads etc.

Four laned highway all the way from the border to the capital of San Salvador. The highway actually had a shoulder instead of the 300 to 500mm drop off I have become accustomed to. The city as I rode into it caused me to think of it as a little - mini America. There are huge shopping malls and flash cars everywhere.

Riding into the older part of the city the scene changes altogether. Poverty and the living standards confronted and shocked me. There was a small city of shanties ( plastic, cardboard and corrugated iron homes) within a modern prosperous city.

Found a budget hotel recommended in the Lonely Planet guide called Hotel Australia. More of a guest house really. It was clean and the hostess friendly. The suburb was clean and well tended. Security everywhere and I suspect that only a small minority live as well as this so they protect what they have.

All the American chain stores are there like Sanbornes and McDonalds.

Stopped at a large park and lay on the grass to read. Group of English speaking students cane over and engaged me in conversation. Once again the bike was of interest because they don`t have large bikes here.

Found a Honda and Kawasaki motorcycle dealership. The owner spoke perfect English and we had coffee and we discussed travel. Asked him if could do a quick oil change for the bike but he said that the BMW oil filters had to be removed with a special tool and the filter was also unique -he did not have either. No point putting new oil in if the filter is not changed. He offered for me to go to his beach house in a little town I don`t remember the name. Would have been great but I was on a schedule to meet Shirley in Peru and the time lost in USA made things tight.

A few have a good life here most don`t.