On day, two borders, ten means of transport, getting to El Salvador

Mirror of the Chicken bus.

One day, two borders, four hitchhikes, three chicken bus, one minibus, one collective, one rickshaw and walking for two kilometers. Very fulfilling traveling day. From Leon (Nicaragua) I wanted to get to Perquin (El Salvador). To achieve it I had to cross Honduras.

If one wants to cover long distance in one day one needs to wake up early. So I started my day before 5 in order to catch my first chicken bus at six. In Nicaragua chicken buses are great fun. It was the first place when I came across.... Clowns in the buses. They entered and for ten minutes they were telling different jokes.

Clowns in the bus!!!

With this chicken bus I got to city, where I had to change for the minibus afterwards. Than border, which I crossed with rickshaw, and the only one chicken bus in Honduras, which got me from one boarder to another. Then the final bridge to cross and I would reach El Salvador. Suddenly, when I was crossing the bridge, a pick-up track that was driving in the opposite direction stopped. The driver said that it was very unusual to see the backpacker walking with the rucksack from Honduras to Nicaragua, and that he would like to give me a ride, and he would be coming back in 3 minutes. WOW! This happened for the first time that I catch a ride without waving and BEFORE entering the country!!! I jumped to the van and started to talk with the guy. He was Salvadorian, but he lived for many years in USA and we continued our conversation unfortunately in English. Unfortunately because I wanted to practise my Spanish.

Chicken bus.

But anyway, in English I can get know more things. Than I changed for a short trip with the bus (in order to get out from the city) and than  another lift, this time at the back of the truck for several kilometers. Than I changed once more a pick-up track. This time I drove at the back from where I could enjoy the beautiful views of mountains around. The guy had to set up several things in the neighbouring villages so I was able to enjoy also this. He dropped me at the road crossroad four kilometers before the Perquin. Since there was no traffic I started to walk up, and I managed to cover at least half of the way before the first car, collective came by. I jumped on and I managed to reach Perquin.

Bridge in Perquin.

In Perquin I spend one day. It is beautiful located in the mountain, and has a semi-interesting Museum of the Revolution of Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1990) and a very interesting camp of partisans. In the camp one can walk through the underground bunker and walk through very rocky wooden bridge. The next day I had to move on, since it was my traveling birthday and I knew that the best way to celebrate traveling birthday is to travel.