been there many times.

first time 2003 on a bus from costa rica in san salvador. i went there because costa rica became expensive and san salvador was dollarized which was a huge advantage. i went to el salvador to check it out. i went also to panama several times.

everyone warned me about crime. i walked around during the day without any valuables and i could not perceive anything dangerous. there was definitely something going but mainly at night. no one wanted to talk about it openly. i did not visit the beaches. my friends in costa rica told me about it. all black and not attractive except for hard core surfers which i am not.

i revisited several times over the next 15 years. i have friends in costa rica, nicaragua, panama and el salvador. for my friends in el salvador life was normal behind high walls, barb wire and alarm systems. the rich people all had guards.

it is not different in guatemala ciudad. my friends have to drive the girls to school, pick them up and they also live in guarded a cul de sac behind high walls...

when i visited this year i could see a change. for the first time i saw many other gringos. for almost 20 years i felt that i was the only one going to el salvador. you can also hear that from everyone that the security situation has massively approved. there is still crime going on but nothing compared to before.

with regards to btc i was disappointed that almost no small companies accept it. only large companies and the government does. it is different on bitcoin beach which i visited for one day. estimated 60-70% accept btc or lightning for payments.

being used to the beaches in mexico and even in costa rica i was disappointed about the beach. black stones, some black sand and high waves. nothing i would write home about.

in summary el salvador is a quite safe and stable country now. compared to mexico or even costa rica it is still third world with limited shopping and a humid and hot tropical climate in san salvador and also at the beaches. it is definitely worth visiting. all central american countries are worth visiting. nothing comes close to mexico