There was a serious gang problem. Without getting too far into it, many criminal organizations - among them, Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18, the most well-known gangs - had become more powerful and violent in recent years. They were intensely and violently fighting over turf and other profitable enterprises between one another and the government. Luckily though, most of the fighting was between themselves and the government. They pretty much ignored normal citizens and tourists.
This August, things took a turn for the worst. During the past month, there were at least 911 murders, or close to 30 murders per day. In the first 8 months of this year, the nation already has 4,246 murders, surpassing the 3,942 murders in all of 2014. El Salvador is, without a doubt, one of the current most dangerous countries in the world. El Salvador has not seen violence this prevalent since the days of the Civil War in the 1980s.
On August 29, just a couple of weeks ago, I returned to El Salvador. During this past summer, I had been reading various reports about the surging violence. I grilled the people who came to Oscar Romero Airport to pick me up on the safety and security of El Salvador. I'm sure my constant questioning about murders rates and the safety in certain areas of the country got old quickly, but I was nervously reentering a country that had rather recently become much more violent than before. As we drove through San Salvador, the city which had recently become known as the murder capital of the world, it seemed just the same as when I visited in March. We stopped for pupusas, as young and well-dressed people roamed the street late at night, going to clubs and restaurants.
I was driven to Juayua, a relatively safe and peaceful town in the western mountains on the Ruta de las Flores. In the two weeks since I arrived here, I have not seen any firsthand violence. I am staying at Hotel Anahuac, a tranquil youth hostel a couple of blocks away from the center city square. I have not left Juayua, preferring to spend my days away from the humidity of the beaches and among the friendly locals. Everyone who I have talked to - generally people around my age - assures me that the country is safe. They say that the killings happen in certain parts of the country that tourists generally would not be attracted to. But there have been some killings and violent acts in the past fews days that have occurred close to Juayua, nonetheless. I read in the newspaper yesterday that a father and two of his sons were murdered in their own home in Nahuizalco, a town about the same size as Juayua. Nahuizalco lies about 10 kilometers south of Juayua. A young American-born woman who lives in and works near Juayua was assaulted by two men with a gun this past weekend. I have heard multiple stories about people being assaulted by gangs in the outskirts of Juayua.
The hostel I am staying in and many tourist-related businesses in Juayua yearn for the tourism that El Salvador rightfully could garner. But I'm just not sure if that "could" should become a "should." The amount of negative coverage that El Salvador receives in the United States and Europe does not at all reflect the general feeling of the average El Salvadorian. However, these issues of violence are affecting even the usually quiet and peaceful towns such as Juayua.
I am left sitting on the fence of ambiguity. There are plenty of reasons to travel to and experience El Salvador, but the constant threat of violence has given this country an odd asterisk. Generally, I am someone who will travel into a country despite and sometimes even because of the possible risks (I am weird like that, I know). El Salvador was and continues to be no exception. However, concerning more careful travelers who prefer to have as few dangers as possible when traveling to a foreign, new, and relatively unknown country such as El Salvador, I am not sure how I would truthfully respond to a question concerning their potential travel plans.
