We've left Honduras and we're just heading up over no-man's land to El Salvador
How exciting and that will be country number 15.
So it's 4:20 in the morning we must be mad but this morning we are getting a 5am bus
from Somoto all the way to San Salvador in El Salvador.
Yay - Which will be country number 15 for Tread the Globe
And we're whispering because everyone else is asleep.
Exactly and it's gonna be really hard filming on the way to the bus because
it's pitch black and when we get on the bus I know that everybody's going to be asleep.
We are just on our way to the bus and I think every cockerel in the neighbourhood
is letting loose (noise of cockerels)
I'm not sure if Gladys can pick it up.
But every cockerel in the neighbourhood is on it.
So you might wonder why we don't get a later bus and we're up at this
ridiculous time in the morning. Well it's always good - one because it's cooler to
walk to bus stops and things like that because it's a nice temperature,
but also, the most important thing is to make sure that you arrive at your destination
in plenty of time, in daylight, so you've got time to find your hostel.
The infrastructure is awake and the bus
comes through at five o'clock in the morning. This bus was the only one.
So today we're going through to the north of Nicaragua to the border.
Which is very close to here and then across the bottom of Honduras and then
crossing the border into El Salvador.
So super excited
I'm sad to leave Nicaragua
Yeah we're sad to leave Nicaragua because it's been amazing.
So we've made it to the bus stop. We've got about 15 minutes to wait for the bus.
And so far so good
Yeah we are sad to leave Nicaragua but we are excited for the next part of the adventure.
Absolutely. Again going to the next country we have people saying - Oh be
careful it's really dangerous but every country we've been to so far in Central
America the neighbors have warned us about the next one. That's true
So we're excited to be able to go and report on our experience whilst
traveling in El Salvador and also using the Nica bus the transport systems are fab.
15 minutes late but over here that's not necessarily unusual.
Fingers crossed -we haven't seen a bus pass so ...
No - that's the local bus. It's not that one it can't be that one
Are you sure?
It can't be that one
lt's not love.
I was a little but nervous that it was our bus.
Not that I mind going on the chicken bus but his very nice guy I just showed him the ticket
and he went - no it is another bus and it will stop here.
So keeping the faith.
Okay it's now 40 minutes late but it's
alright because the guy behind us said it's alright it should still be here soon.
He said 10 mintes.
Ten minutes.
But that's what the other guy said.
The ticket says five but it should turn up by six ish.
Welcome to Central America.
Well as you can see it's daylight and it's now
six o'clock and the 5 a.m. bus has not arrived.
So here's the question how long do you wait for a bus?
I don't know. We've paid. I know Nicaragua's is very relaxed.
But these buses you pay more because they tend to be more
efficient and more comfortable and it was a $100.
To get to San Salvador which is like two days budget
So I don't know how long we're going to wait but we probably should wait a little bit longer
incase they've broken down or something.
But we did give them our phone and nobody's called.
But there's a horse coming down the pavement behind me
It's a mule. There a mule -
Maybe it would be quicker to get to El Salvador on a donkey.
The more efficient bus that you pay a lot for is late and it's now ten past six
and what's funny is that one ticket says 4 a.m. and one ticket says 5 am from Somoto.
When he asked the guy when we bought it, he said oh yeah it leaves its
original destination at 4am and he gets to Somoto at 5am.
What time does the bus go?
Five o'clock in the morning
Well it's now just after six o'clock in the morning
So Marianne's just asked another couple of guys they said there's anoher bus
at 7:00 . We say it's not another bus because the bus hasn't
passed us yet and then she asked a bus driver on one of the local buses who
said that "Oh yes it comes every morning between 6:20am and 6:30am.
So go figure.
Nobody knows what time this bus arrives and it's super super confusing but we've
been here now for nearly .. I don't know an hour and a half and no sign of it yet.
So Marianne's just asking the lady that's opening up the kiosk behind us because
she obviously works here and sees the buses every day and she said that it
arrives between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. in the morning
Very confusing.
I just said to the lady, but everybody keeps giving me a different time
she said I work here I see the buses. I'm telling you it will come between 6:30am and 7:00am
There you go. So there's hope yet. Please !
Hopefully she's right.
(Fun happy music)
shhhh
We're on the bus.
After a 15-minute drive we have arrived at the border with Honduras.
And the answer to the question Chris posed earlier is
How long do you wait. It was an hour and a half.
Actually it was 2 hours.
Because we're English. Because we got there early.
So we've just gone through the bag check at the Nicaraguan border and they get
you all off the bus they check your bags they take the passports for you so you
don't have to queue up and then you just wait so we're here just waiting at the
moment but smooth - all good.
And what did he pull out of my bag?
Hair dye.
I had to expose my grey roots, to explain myself.
So we've now just officially entered Honduras and
we're not going to count it as a Tread country because we're not sleeping here, we're not actually visiting.
We're passing through at the moment we are coming back to
Honduras so it's not a new country even though it is if that makes sense?
But when you go to the immigration we had to pay
$3.00 entrance fee and it confused them slightly because we've got the same
family name and i've got a middle name. So they were a little bit confused with
our names for a few minutes there. Yes because normally it's quite common in Spanish
culture for you to take the name of your father
and the name of your mother's side of the family too and of course in
the UK just we intend to take the name of our husband's family. So he asked me why did I only have one name?
and not two?
That created a bit of entertainment trying to explain it in Spanish.
But Marianne did very well. She's getting it down.
Yes I'm loving it. It's grammatically completely incorrect
but I'm making myself understood with a sense of humour and a smile.
We've left Honduras and we're just heading up over no-man's land to El Salvador.
How exciting and that will be country number 15
We have just arrived in El Salvador. It's now quarter past eleven so we left at
half past six so we're making really really good time. We're going to be going
through the city of San Miguel and then on to San Salvador.
Where we have booked five nights.
How exciting.
And get food because I'm starving.
Yeah Chris is going to pass out in a minute.
Well this is what we're talking about
we've just had a lunch break. They delivered us some food.
I wasn't expecting food.
Chicken, pasta, torilla, rice.
All good. That actually looks really nice shame about the polystyrene.But honestly i'm not going to complain.
It's good to have a nice food break.
(Latino Music)
Well we got off the bus because my maps me told me that we're in San Salvador but actually all the people
getting off the bus are actually the people going to Guatemala to get on
the next bus next door. So yeah we're getting back on the bus.
We're going back on the bus
Everybody just said Guatemala? and I said no San Salvador and they went - get back on the bus.
We're not far. I think we've only got about another 10 miles.
But this is obviously the most convenient place to park buses and coaches.
I'm a bit tired now. I'm exhausted.
What time is it now. It's 3.30pm.
We left at 4.30am. We've been going for 11 hours.
So we're finally finally here. We've just been dropped off.
Marianne's just getting an uber and it's only one minute away so shouldn't be long.
Adios
Welcome to El Salvador.
So we think we're in the right place but it's not very clear because there's no signs anywhere,
I've found a face.
Olla.
Olla
We've arrived in our room and it's huge. We have been spoilt.
It's the biggest room we've had so fa. En Suite.
Oh memory foam. Fan
and aircon. Yeah really nice ensuite bathroom and $25 a night for a city
accommodation and it's got a wardrobe we can unpack OMG
So you might be wondering why we don't take an earlier bus well the advantage
of getting a earlier bus er a later bus - CUT.
and they run regularly. No they don't.once a day. I know but I just thought i'd say tha because it's funny.
They tell you it runs regularly
And i'm hoping we can find this bus stop. Well be fine. We'll be alright love ( North England accent)