San Salvador

So M. and I have been taking taxis everywhere cause we don't know how the buses work here and we're lazy. Taxis are about $5 to most places, we took one to Walmart yesterday and tonight we decided to go out to a real restaurant. I looked up some restaurants on tripadvisor and made a little list of them and their addresses. We decided on a Brazilian place called Fascia do Brasil. No phone # was listed and the address just said Blvd de los Heroes & Av Sisimiles. So we got in a cab and of course we couldn't find it* so we headed to another place on the list, La Pampa Argentina. I think this is a chain since I've seen three different locations so far but the food was good. We were the only ones in there but I attribute that to us eating at 3:30 like senior citizens.

So after we finished, we went outside and briefly debated taking the bus but then some one sketchy walked by and we figured we'd just take a taxi. A man from the restaurant came down and asked if we'd like him to call a taxi for us. We asked how much and he called and they said $7. PFFFT...do we look like suckers? We know taxis shouldn't cost more than $5 so we said no thank you and we walked down the street a bit to hail one. Hmm, 15 minutes later and all the taxis that have passed are occupied. We kept seeing them cross on the other side of the street, so we crossed....10 minutes later, still no taxi. Finally we see one on the other side of the street and we signal it and it makes a u-turn for us. It pulls up and we agree on $5 and we get in. It's a beater that racing accessories all over it and a fire extinguisher mounted to the front dash.

We get to the hotel and the valet signals to the driver to pull up ahead but either he didn't see him or didn't care, I got out and shut the door while M. paid. The valet is staring hard at the driver and I heard the taxi cut off. M. opened the door and the alarm went off and the poor driver could not get it to stop. We're walking inside, alarm still going off, and I looked back and they're pushing the taxi away.

Tomorrow, we're off to get the police document we need and then taking the bus back to the campo!

*I googled Fascia do Brasil when we got back and it's located inside of the Intercontinental Hotel, which is why didn't see it.
Fernando Llort painting at the Museum of Modern Art (MARTE)