Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
h at i rst trip lit a i re in me. I realized I have the right, if not the responsi-
bility, to form my opinions based on my own experience, even if it goes against
the mainstream at home. It was liberating, empowering...and exhausting.
After that i rst trip, I published my journal, l ew to Washington, DC, and
spent two days hand-delivering it to the oi ce of each Member of Congress
on Capitol Hill. Deep down I knew that my ef orts would likely end up in
congressional recycling bins, but I needed to do it. And doing it felt good.
h at little mission marked the start of the time when my travels became
more than just recreation.
El Salvador politics line up on two sides: h e left includes the FMLN
guerillas-turned-politicians, students, labor groups, Protestant churches, and
many Catholic priests and nuns (especially those who espouse a Liberation
h eology approach). h e right includes the dominant ARENA party, the
military (and Civil War-era death squads), big business, wealthy elites, and
the oi cial Catholic Church hierar-
chy. h ese two forces are locked in a
seemingly endless battle for the souls
of El Salvador's
campesinos
(peas-
ants). h e US typically supports the
right wing, both to protect its own
economic interests and—back in the
1980s—to i ght the perceived “com-
munist threat” of the left.
While the players remain the
same, the game has changed. The
peace that ended the country's Civil
War also ushered in an era of globalization. By my third visit, in 2005, North
American chains—from Pizza Hut to Texaco to Subway—were thriving.
h e Marlboro Man looked good on his horse. And, as I cruised through
town past a cancan of American-owned franchises, it seemed the victory of
the US-supported faction had been a huge success.
But living in San Salvador—a city of a million and a half people—
was still no picnic. It had been 13 years since the end of the Civil War, i ve
years since the collapse of the cof ee industry, and four years since two huge
earthquakes devastated the country. El Salvador had the highest homicide
rate of any city in the Western Hemisphere, and gang violence was on the
rise. Exploring San Salvador, it was clear that any nice home came with a
