Postal System

The postal system in El Salvador... does not exist!  Alright, maybe that is a slight exaggeration.  But honestly, I was a little shocked when I first had to receive mail in El Salvador.

Basically there are no mail boxes.  Basically is not the correct term, it's actually exactly how it is.  A complete lack of mailboxes, and "snail mail
 basically does no exist.

From my experience, when a letter is sent to you in El Salvador, you either will get a knock on the door, or you will have to go to try and retrieve it yourself at a Postal Branch.  The latter is actually the most common.

I know if it sent via FEDEX or another shipping service, you will have it brought to you, but otherwise; it does not work like that.

Just figured I'd give this as a heads up for anyone planning to send holiday cards to El Salvador for the first time.

Halloween in El Savador?

That's a trick for sure, because there is no treat to be found in El Salvador.

I am personally a halloween fanatic;however, El Savador does not deliver on halloween. I would just like to actually note the culture seems to lack in all "Horror" aspects. Costumes aren't particularly common, horror scenes, etc. I don't see any horror/fun houses as common ground either.

So Oct. 31 is just another normal day in El Salvador.

Sorry halloween fans. :-(

Entertainment?

Come one, come all... to the wonderful land of El Salvador...

Alright, today we talk about entertainment.

This was one of the first things I wondered about when I realized it was my time to move to El Salvador.

...Arcades? Pool Halls? Pools? Movies? Malls? Min-golf?! Jet-ski Rentals?!

Well. I'd just like to assure you all, there is a decent share of it all, below is a list of what I personally experienced, it may not be complete... but it sure is a good starting point!

Arcades - There is one full arcade, called "El Mundo Feliz" it's located between Avenida Los Sisimiles and San Antonio Abad (San Salvador). I seen a mountain of Arcade machines in various placing including road-side restaurants, you will see many aswell, from soccer based games to pac-man, arcade machines lurk in many places. Also, several beach-front resorts have full arcades open to guests.

Pool Halls - Pool tables can be found scattered around, some (although not many) bars feature pool tables. There are 2 Billiards Halls in San Salvador (maybe more).

Pools - Swimming pools can be found available at several places, including entertainment style venues such as "Rancho Willy"... also, many hotels in San Salvador have decent pools. Private colonias aka housing developments have public pools. The Tourist centers also have pools. They charge a fee, I believe around 0.80 cents to enter, atleast the one located at La Puntilla on La Costa Del Sol charged about that, Pools resemble the ones you've probably seen in North American, no difference. In the tourist centers they are often very over-crowded.

Movies - In the MetroCentro in San Salvador there is a gorgeous Cinemark theater. The price for a ticket was right at $1.00 USD. The theater is good quality, very up to date, reminded me again of a North American Theater. Movies are mostly all the same new releases found in the USA on the same dates, the only difference is many will be in English with Spanish subtitles at the bottom, although some of the more popular ones will be in Spanish (Dubbed in Spain). There are 8 or 9 other movie theaters scattered throughout El Salvador, I have visited 4. Pleasant experiences at all of them. They offer special prices on Tuesdays.

Mall - There are several "Metro-Centro" style malls, they are USA style malls, very large, very nice. The best of the best would be La Gran Bia in San Salvador, it looked like a very upper class american mall. It's truly beautiful. You will be amazed with every detail. North of San Salvador I visited another mall which was a very good size and had a huge array of both American and non-american stores. I have seen several others. They are fairly common!

Mini-Golf - I know there are probably several however I only ran into 1 mini golf, it was located in San Salvador, not far from the Metro-Centro. Games were 1.00 each and it was a very nice course.

Jet-Ski/Boat Rentals - Both available. At all the beach areas in general. I personally experienced them at La Puntilla on the Costa Del Sol. The pontoon boat was 20 dollars for an hour, the jet-skis were 40. I am sure you could find much better prices slightly outside the tourist area.

Cybercafe - A good place to go if you like Videogames. Many have decent computer systems with pre-installed popular games such as Halo & Call of Duty. You can hop on and play, they range from 60 to 80 cents an hour. A good source of a quick, relaxing game play. Cybercafe's ("Cibers") can be found throughout the country in every area, city or non-city area. You will not be without access, trust me.

In conclusion, there are many opportunities for entertainment in El Salvador. While the vast majority are centered around San Salvador and the Beach areas, you can find a little something just about everywhere. Take into account that El Salvador is not so large in size (although it is in heart)... so a quick drive may get you to a source of entertainment if it is not immediately available! The society & culture in El Salvador is right on cue with entertainment and enjoyability and I can see a very bright and fun future if they continue in this direction.

P.S. The burger king's in El Salvador DO have giant indoor play-places, so yes, take the kids there.

Edit: Thanks to "Edd" for the info on "El Mundo Feliz"! I will make an effort to seek out and review it in the future!