{"id":2761,"date":"2011-11-06T11:53:41","date_gmt":"2011-11-06T03:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=2761"},"modified":"2011-11-02T08:29:34","modified_gmt":"2011-11-02T00:29:34","slug":"cyclin-el-salvador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2011\/11\/cyclin-el-salvador\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Reasons to Cycle El Salvador"},"content":{"rendered":"

On his ride across the Americas, Andrew Morgan discovered that the destinations that get the most hype aren’t always the most interesting.<\/h4>\n

This week he shares with us his\u00a0experiences\u00a0in an often-forgotten corner of Central America.<\/h4>\n

El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America, is a fantastic place to cycle:\u00a0 it has a coastline of desolate beaches, locals who are eager to help travelers, and some of the most delicious food in the region.<\/p>\n

The entire country can be traversed in a week or less by a cyclist.\u00a0 This is unfortunate\u2014there\u2019s much more to see there than meets the eye.<\/p>\n

#5\u00a0 Camping<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ll have no problem camping in El Salvador.<\/p>\n

Hotels that have the space will often allow you to pitch a tent on their grounds for a small fee.\u00a0 One night I asked around for a camp spot and was directed to an area behind the local soccer field.<\/p>\n

Every small village and town has a soccer field in El Salvador.\u00a0 As tempting as it might be to camp directly on these fields\u2014they\u2019re always flat and usually grassy\u2014cyclists should avoid doing so:\u00a0 soccer is taken seriously in Central America and the fields the sport is played on are equally as important.\u00a0 (More than once I heard people say that soccer was their religion.)<\/p>\n

Between the beaches and farmland, El Salvador has plenty of places for a cyclist to stash his\/her tent for the night.<\/p>\n

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#\u00a0 4\u00a0 Hospitality<\/h2>\n

Salvadoreans I met were quick to flash me a smile and ask questions about my trip.<\/p>\n

When I asked a farmer for permission to camp in his field one afternoon, he didn\u2019t hesitate to invite me to camp in the yard behind his home.\u00a0 We had a long dinner with his family, talking openly about local politics and crops grown in the area.<\/p>\n

I left the next morning feeling not only as if I had learned an immense amount the farmer\u2019s life, but like I had made a friend as well.<\/p>\n

I never once felt unsafe while traveling in El Salvador.\u00a0 Salvadoreans, like most people I met on my ride through the Americas, were kind and hospitable.<\/p>\n

Because of the country\u2019s budding tourist industry and because many Salvadoreans aren\u2019t used to seeing foreigners (and especially foreign cyclists), I constantly felt as if people were inquisitive about me and my trip.\u00a0 Starting conversations was easy.<\/p>\n

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#3\u00a0 Quiet Roads<\/h2>\n

Although El Salvador is the most densely populated country in Central America, you\u2019d never guess it by traveling its roads.<\/p>\n

Wide-shouldered at times and often free of traffic, the roads I cycled were always well paved.<\/p>\n

Taking a coastal route through El Salvador affords a cyclist with breathtaking views of empty coves and crashing turquoise waves.\u00a0 Some of the climbs are tough, but the scenery, very similar to views found along the northern California coast, is worth the effort.<\/p>\n

Further inland you\u2019ll see volcanoes looming over fields of maize and sugar cane.\u00a0 On one seemingly deserted stretch of road, I spotted a group of kids selling iguanas\u2014$12 US a piece\u2014by the roadside.\u00a0 Pulled from the trees by hand, the lizards, if the kids were lucky, would end up on someone\u2019s plate.<\/p>\n

Whether you spot volcanoes or iguanas, the roadside scenery in El Salvador will leave you eager to see what lies around the next bend.<\/p>\n

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#2 Food<\/h2>\n

Bike trips hinge on the food that fuels them.\u00a0 El Salvador is definitely home to cyclist-friendly cuisine.<\/p>\n

Pupusas<\/em>, a national staple, are thick, doughy tortillas filled with cheese, beans, or meat.\u00a0 You can find them at roadside stalls and sit-down restaurants alike.<\/p>\n

Not in the mood for something so heavy?\u00a0 Try a standard breakfast of scrambled eggs, beans, and fried plantains.\u00a0 Fresh fruit and hand-squeezed fruit juice are everywhere.\u00a0 Bakeries serve up a variety of cheap pastries and cookies, perfect snacks to stash in your handlebar bag.<\/p>\n

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#1\u00a0\u00a0 Beaches<\/h2>\n

I had never heard of El Salvador\u2019s beaches before arriving there.\u00a0 Lined with palm trees, the black sand beaches that stretch up and down the coast are some of the prettiest you\u2019ll see in all of Central America.<\/p>\n

Unlike some of Costa Rica\u2019s crowded beaches, El Salvador\u2019s long stretches of sand are, for the most part, people-less.<\/p>\n

An emerging surf scene is taking root at a handful of consistent beach breaks.\u00a0 If you like to surf or have always wanted to learn how to, don\u2019t hesitate to stop in one of the small beach towns\u2014places like Sunzal\u2014to rent a board and take a break from the saddle.<\/p>\n

The beach camping is good year-round, with warm equatorial water never more than a stone\u2019s throw from your tent.<\/p>\n

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