CRUISE VIGNETTES 09 Golden Odyssey

EL SALVADOR
A day or two later we docked at a port in the country of El Salvador, a few miles from the capital city of San Salvador. We made arrangements to rent two taxis with several other people, then we explored the countryside, and the city of San Salvador. This was before their 1980’s war had started, but it was easy to see that whoever was running the place, needed to be overthrown! Police and Army with guns were everywhere, poor people filled the streets, and the housing looked most undesirable. There was a McDonald’s, but we didn’t stop there.

As we were holding hands and walking through the city marketplace, someone reached between us and tore my watch from my arm, then ran down the street. I started to run after him, until it dawned on me that if I caught the man and got the watch back, I would have to spend time in the police station (if not the hospital), and all I really wanted, was to be on that ship when it sailed. The watch was of small value.

We remember well the elderly ladies nearby who expressed their sorrow that we had been attacked in their country. We let them know that we appreciated their concern.

TAXI RIDE TO THE VOLCANO
Our convoy of two taxies now toured the countryside. What a shame, such poor people, living in such horrible conditions. At several places road-side stands were selling a colored drink in a plastic bag, that people were drinking with a straw. The main road seemed in good condition, but hundreds of people walked along the road, carrying bundles of various kinds and sizes.

We stopped in what appeared to be a park that was filled with food stands. They were serving a lot of different kinds of foods that looked interesting to Emmy, but she resisted, almost! When a woman saw Emmy staring intently at a fuzzy piece of fruit, she offered Emmy her first taste of a Kiwi. It was years before we saw them in the stores in the US. In 1988, in the campsites in Florence, and a few days later in Venice, Italy, our next door neighbors in the campsite were Kiwi farmers from New Zealand. (Never miss a chance to name-drop!)

About now our taxi had a flat tire, so we all got out and stood along the side of the road until they found a replacement in a nearby town. We had visions of still being there when our ship sailed on its way!