THIS IS EL SALVADOR'S CAPITAL CITY: SAN SALVADOR! 24-Hour Guide to visiting San Salvador!

THIS IS EL SALVADOR'S CAPITAL CITY: SAN SALVADOR! 24-Hour Guide to visiting San Salvador!

Show Video

welcome to the city of San Salvador a city of just  less than 300 000 people but it is one of the most   developed and one of the most modern cities here  in Central America this is a city with so much   history that only recently recovered from the  scars of a civil war just a couple of decades ago   but today it remains one of the most interesting  cities in Central America and even though most   people don't actually come to the city and instead  go to the beaches of El Salvador San Salvador   actually still has a lot to offer so today we're  going to go ahead and explore the city and has   a reputation of being dangerous and has the  reputation of gang violence and guns and all of   that but I'm still confident that this is going to  be a beautiful city and I'm going to share it all   with you guys in today's video so let's go ahead  and get started with Visiting San Salvador [Music] thank you foreign first off something really important  to note about El Salvador is that the national   currency of this country is the US dollar so  they don't have a local currency wherever you go   whether it's street food or Supermarket you're  paying in US dollar now you might think that   that's really expensive then because if they're  charging in US dollar they're probably going to   be prices similar to the United States but that's  not true you can get drinks on the street for 25   cents you can get a completely full meal for like  two dollars a dollar and a half yesterday I did a   full video on how much five dollars can get you  here in El Salvador and let me tell you it's a   lot so even though everything is charged in US  Dollars it's really really affordable and it   also makes conversions really easy so if you're  coming from the United States don't worry about   changing money because the money here is exactly  the same as it is back home all right first stop   of the day it's packed it's busy I almost got  run over by a car but this is what life is like   here in San Salvador this right here is the  main Municipal market of San Salvador foreign [Applause] okay this is probably one of the best things to  see here in San Salvador this Market is massive   you actually look at it on the map it takes  up like this entire huge block that's really   the size of like two blocks combined together  and there's like 10 11 15 different buildings   each selling them that you've got a building for  meat got a building for vegetables you've got a   building for fruits you've got a building for  seafood you've got a building for makeup it's   ridiculous how big this Market is and how divided  it is it's actually pretty organized but there's   just so much going on it's so hectic it's insane  to imagine it's so big in fact they have a church   inside the market I've never seen a church inside  a market but this Market is just massive it is   humongous it's pretty old it's been around for a  long time it's just incredible to me how big and   how hectic this Market is and it's like a Tuesday  Morning everybody's just running around ladies   coming bring chickens bumping into you they do  not care they are like they really do not care   what they do to you but it's just amazing how  this Market functions well we are finally out   of the market I've got to say that is a very  big Market I think that's actually one of the   biggest markets I've seen in all of you know  Latin America it's massive and it's got like   multiple I think it's not like three floors  two three floors there's like 10 20 different   buildings you're gonna get lost in there like that  that's just a fact you will get lost in the market   it's still a fairly organized Market they've got  different regions where like fruits and vegetables   and meat and Seafoods eateries and all that  they've got them all in the different areas but   still really really incredible great way to see  what the local wife is like here in El Salvador okay [Music] just a couple of walks down from  the main Market here in San Salvador is the   Civic square of San Salvador now the Civic  square is says the name suggests it's a Civic   Square it's where a lot of civic participation  takes place right behind me is the National   Palace of San Salvador it's usually open to the  public but for some reason today it's closed I   think they're undergoing some Renovations and  stuff over there is the Metropolitan Cathedral   of sand salad over as you can see right there  it's absolutely stunning I'll tell you guys   more about the history of that later look at this  place it's really really beautiful the cops are   really nice they're handing these out oh man I  am loving San Salvador but let's go ahead and   go and check out the main Metropolitan  Cathedral of San Salvador first [Music] oh [Music] that has got to be actually one of the most  beautiful churches I've seen here in Central   America it's starting on the inside the  stained glass is incredible you've got   these huge pillars at the very end it's so tall  it's so Grand it's really really stunning and   the interesting thing is that there is a big  portrait at the front of the church of a guy   named Oscar Romero his Crypt where he's buried  is right here around the corner so I'll show   you guys that first and then I'll explain  why he's so important here in San Salvador oh foreign to understand why Oscar Romero is so  important to San Salvador and El Salvador in   general you have to understand the politics  of this country back in the 80s and the 90s   when there was a civil war going on between the  gorillas on the left side and the military on   the right side now these two forces were fighting  all the time and it was really really bad in fact   the gorillas would use the tower at the very  front of the church that one right behind me   all the way up there they would use that to  broadcast a lot of their messages all across   the city so the churches even became very much  politicized and turned basically into a war zone   as the gorillas and the military were fighting  together now what this guy did Oscar Romero is   that he sent a letter to both parties and asking  them in the name of God to come together and stop   fighting and work something out and just be  peaceful for once to give the country finally   some peace and well he got murdered for it they  literally came in came into the church shot him   and that's how he passed away but he's very much  very important here in El Salvador and because of   his contributions because of his sacrifice the  people from the Vatican actually came over and   canonized him so he's actually a saint now  it's Saint Oscar Romero and what he's done   for this country is amazing even though he  sacrificed his life for it today you see El   Salvador is a much more peaceful country the  people here are optimistic they have a young   new president that's doing great things for  the country it's really really heartwarming   to see how far this country has come and despite  the problems with gang violence and everything   it's still a really really beautiful country  that has so much potential thanks to people   like Oscar Romero who have laid down their  lives to help move the country forward but   the church is amazing it's beautiful on the  inside and there's just so much history I   mean this church is the site of the Civil War as  we knew it back in the 80s in El Salvador those   Towers were used by the gorillas it's incredible  how far this country has progressed in just a   couple of decades and I'm excited to see how  much farther this country can move forward foreign right behind this church is this sort of main  square there's a statue inside but the main   thing to see here is this building right here  which is the National Theater of El Salvador   unfortunately they're not allowing anyone to go  in which kind of makes sense most of the theaters   that I've been to don't really allow anyone it  looks pretty cool it looks like there's some   chandeliers inside but I'm not allowed to enter  but usually I think if you look like a ticket   and you're here to watch a show like there's one  on the 12th of September you'll be able to go in   and see what's inside but if you're not going for  an actual show I highly doubt they're gonna let   you win but it's a really really nice place you  can see down there on the street you've got some   really nice like grass sort of things growing on  the metal beams or something I don't really know   how to describe it but it's really really nice  really really clean the main sort of Plaza you   can see right behind me is really really nice as  well and the thing is there's so much security   presence there's two soldiers back there there's  two cops over there it's just really really safe   in general just walk around the center of San  Salvador I feel safe I know that if I ever have   trouble there are cops everywhere there are  soldiers everywhere that I can count on so   it's a really really nice city so far but the  National Theater I'm sure it's been around for   a very long time it's got that old architecture  and it's all yellow in color it's really really   beautiful unfortunately we can't go inside so  we're gonna head on to the next stop I think   this spot right here is an incredible contrast  of what else Gore is on this side you've got the   National Theater there it's really really nice  and clean you've got a Subway coffee shops ice   cream parlor super developed super nice there's a  bakery over there there's a pharmacy really really   nice and clean and then on the opposite side right  behind me you've got just a bunch of Street cards   umbrellas shoes whatever you want it's sold down  there so that contrast is kind of incredible but   that's what El Salvador is all about that mix  of the modern and the old the traditional and   the development it's all mixed together in this  city and I love how it's just sort of merged and   this point right here this point is like the  merging point between these two areas [Music] just one block down from the National Theater  is this park right here this is Liberty Park   here in San Salvador why is it called Liberty  Park there is a structure erected right at the   center of the park that's dedicated to what  happened on the 5th of November 1811. that's   when the independence movement started here  in El Salvador that's the first shout for   Independence here in the city of San Salvador  and this building was a record at the Centennial   so 100 years later in 1911 to commemorate what  happened back in 1811. it's the park of Liberty   it's supposed to be the freedom of El Salvador  and today it's a really quiet area you can see   everybody around me is just sort of sitting  down chilling out some people are eating ice   cream some people are taking a snack others are  taking the stroll it's just another nice park to   walk around I have to say San Salvador has a  lot of really really nice Parks so yeah it's   an absolutely amazing place to be but this  Tower I hear the structure a record for the   independence the liberty of San Salvador it's  a great place to be could not ask for anything   better now we're obviously going to be seeing a  lot of churches today because El Salvador is a   Catholic country and it's also like San Salvador  is the capital of El Salvador but this church   right here this is a really interesting  church it's supposed to be an absolutely   stunning Church let's go inside and check it  out this is the Church of el Rosario gracias [Music] [Music] this right here is probably one of the  most unique and one of the most beautiful churches   I've ever seen you can see that it's in this  like sort of arch sync that goes up all the way   until it gets to the other side which is  absolutely amazing now when the architect actually   suggested and brought up this architecture plan to  the people in charge of the Catholic Church here   in El Salvador they got rejected but at the end  of the day it was finally built and it's amazing   the original church was built in the 1500s but  as you know El Salvador suffers from many many   earthquakes so it had to be rebuilt over and over  again I think it was rebuilt once in the 1800s   another time in the 1900s and then another time in  like the 1960s 1970s which is the current church   that stands but it is incredible how beautiful  this place is it's on an East and West axis which   means that when the Sun rises it'll rise from that  side all the way and then it'll set on this side   right behind us and in the middle of all this is  that thing right there which is the eye of God   overlooking the church symbolizing you know  the holy nature of this place and how God is   watching whatever happens in his house which is  just absolutely incredible with the symbolism   now it's time to mix in a little bit of modern  political history into this church now in the   70s there was a big civil war going on and was  fought between the gorillas which were on the   left and the military which was on the right now  there was an election that occurred during this   time and basically the gorillas were winning by  far and then there was an electrical power outage   suddenly the military when the electricity came  back the military was leading in the votes so   there was this massive protest at Liberty Square  which is the one that's right next to this church   the one we were at earlier that commemorates  the independence or the start of Independence   for San Salvador and the country as well now  the military started firing guns on people   and because of that the crowds that were in the  Square on the opposite side of the church came   into the church to seek Refuge but while they  were doing that a couple of people who died   but there was one stray bullet and that bullet  was launched from the square on that side of the   church and hit specifically this little square  right here you can see to this very day the   cracks in the glass they haven't done anything to  repair it they've left it the way it is and it's   so specific it's a really really small square  actually if you're shooting it from the other   side of the park all the way here that's a really  far distance and to be that accurate to hit that   I mean I don't think he was aiming for that I  think he was aiming for one of the people but   it's incredible how they've managed to preserve  that here at the church a Memento a sad Memento   from the Civil War period of El Salvador it's in  incredible that they've managed to preserve that   and kept that as a memory of a very dark time in  this country's history that has got to be one of   the most beautiful churches ever the stained  glass that rainbow the symbolism is incredible   and there's no other Church like it it's so  so unique that sort of art shape it's not your   typical Church to be honest but it's beautiful  in its own way like I said the architect got   rejected by the Salvadorian Catholics uh when  he first suggested it but it's so unique it's   so crazy and I'm so happy they actually allowed  him to build it because it is absolutely stunning now the next church is a little bit farther  away from the center but it's like maybe six   seven blocks away this church is a really unique  church because a big part of it isn't actually   even made here in El Salvador this right here  is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus   foreign [Music] what I'm loving about the churches here in  San Salvador is that each church has its own   character like the Rosario that we saw earlier  so many colors this one is so unique it's so   different now if you're thinking this church  kind of looks like a northern European Church   you're not crazy because this church right  here I mentioned earlier was not made in San   Salvador actually it was made in Belgium the  whole facade all the towers which you can see   all the way up there that was all made in Belgium  and you can tell it kind of doesn't look like a   Catholic Salvadorian church it's pretty different  especially from the Metropolitan Cathedral that's   near to the center in San Salvador so it's  definitely different and you can tell from   the way it looks and everything that it was  produced somewhere else but Belgium is not   the only country where parts of this church  were produced the tiles in this church were   produced in Italy and the wood was brought  from Indonesia so this is kind of like an   International Church in a way and El Salvador  had such good relations with these countries   because of its coffee exportation that all these  countries helped to build this church here now   one of the most crazy Parts about this church is  that usually when you see a church it's you know   made of concrete or made of brick or something  like that but this church just listened to this it's made of metal sheets this church is literally  just made of like aluminum Metals I don't know   if it's aluminum but it's Metal Sheets I've  never seen a church made of metal like this   it's like you know a lot of those houses you  have those metal tops those aluminum metal   tops that just sort of cover it especially  in like Jungles and and the farmlands that   material is the same material that they're using  to build the church here which it's just incred   it's just incredible like why would you build  a church like that using this sort of material   but it's crazy to me how they've managed to  build it the inside is beautiful those huge   dark wooden beams and it's actually really dark  inside like I said very northern European style   because of that Belgian influence District  was produced there but really really beautiful all right continuing to move west from the center  of San Salvador we've come to a really really nice   neighborhood actually in the city this is so  you guys have probably heard me mention many   times about the Civil War here in El Salvador  and how that happened in the 70s and 80s but   this wall right here is dedicated to all  the people who were murdered in those Wars   innocently civilians who are killed and the  massacres that took place they put the year   the locations and some of the names of the people  that were massacred it's sort of a memorial for   those who suffered because of the Civil War and  it's incredible that they've actually managed   to document all those names there's like they  say over like 3 30 000 over 30 000 names that   are inscribed on the wall right here it goes on  pretty far down like you can see how far it goes   but it's sort of a protected cultural site and a  historical site here in El Salvador for the people   to always remember the suffering that they went  through from the Civil War and to never repeat   it again well guys we're on one of the walkway  paths that are elevated so you get a pretty good   view of the entire park oh something really cool  a rainbow actually just appeared in the sky here   at the park but I'm gonna be ending the video  here because we're gonna just be heading back   to the center the Sun is setting we've got some  dark clouds coming in that looks like it's about   to rain and yeah it's kind of the end of the day  already but San Salvador what an amazing City I   know that before I came here I was actually quite  skeptical I didn't really know what there was to   see I know people had told me there's you know a  danger element at least here in San sauro that is   one of the most dangerous cities in the world  with really bad homicide rates but after I've   come here and I think you guys you can see in  this video Sam and Salvador specifically is a   city that is really really nicely developed  there are areas of San Salvador especially   in the center that are just like first world  you could compare it to any other city in the   United States or Europe and what I like is that  they've also still managed to preserve some of   the older Salvadorian elements the street carts  on the street you know just selling clothes and   selling food I love that I think that's beautiful  and I think that that balance is they've got it   right here anyways I hope you guys have enjoyed  this video and I hope you found it helpful if   you're thinking of coming to San Salvador if you  did please give it a thumbs up and subscribe for   more food and travel videos we've got more videos  coming here from El Salvador but I'm so excited to   show you more of this country it's beautiful it's  developed it's nice and it's safe so make sure to   come here make sure to subscribe to this Channel  and I'll see you guys on the next one bye guys thank you [Music]

2023-06-03 04:25

Show Video

Other news