Veo que si lo pusieramos en un cuarto lleno de suciedad y desorden que su idea de arreglar las cosas es levantar una cucharita pequeña limpiarla y reponerla en su mismo lugar sin tocar lo demas es su idea de resolver el problema.

Estoy muy desilusionada con usted, su esposa y su govierno. Esto no es un gran paso en nuestra historia. Si su querida esposa estaba tan preocupada con el desorden de cachiporistas me imagino que en su pais de Brasil tambien eta trabajando para deshacer la fiestas de Rio de Janiero y toda la programacion de television de Brasil tambien? O es que solo Brasil puede tener desfiles que atraen turistas? A bit selfish no?

Esta no era la solucion. Estoy de acuerdo que las cachiporistas no usaran vestidos muy sexy, y que tambien no bailaran en forma erotica por ser menores de edad..pero no de prohibirlas del todo. Es parte de nuestra historia, algo que brinda un poco de felicidad a la gente que sufre tanto bajo todos esto gobiernos incluso al suyo.

Entiendo que aveces en un cuarto de desorden y suciedad se empieza a ordenar por lo mas pequeño. Pero en nuestro pais usted tiene la obligacion a todos los que lo apoyan y a los que no lo apoyan de arreglar las cosas mas presionantes a la poblacion diariamente. Y eso no lo esta haciendo.

Tenia muchas ilusiones de ested y sus ideas, pero esto me ha comprobado que usted no esta comprobando que tiene lo que se necesita para adelantar nuestro pais.

Todos los que vivimos afuera del Salvador aun afuera de Estados Unidos somos los ultimos en saber quien es quien en nuestro pais.

King Flyp es el nuevo fenomeno Salvadoreño. Despues de subir unos videos en Youtube logro a sostener una audiencia de mas de 75 000 visitas!

Quien es King Flyp? Nacio Marvin Ulises Martinez de 18 años y nos viene de San Francisco Goteras en Morazan.

Yo lo admiro a este vicho que casi no puede cantar, pero te apoyamos y tenemos aprecio King Flyp!!! que sigas siendo un buen ejemplo para nuestra generacion joven que en el mundo hay mas oportunidades y mejores caminos que andar en maras y dedicarse a la delincuencia. Viva King Flyp!!!!! El Terremoto King Flyp!!!!

Si quieres tener la experiencia que me hace reir y bailar al mismo tiempo lo puedes hayar en youtube aqui esta un ejemplo:

Y ahora la nueva noticia reciente es que Canal 21 Megavision El Salvador le va a dar su propio show de realidad! jaja la vida de King Flyp… a ver como les sale. Se enfocara en su preparacion, su lucha diara y sus sueños. Si quieres ver saldra los Domingos a las 7.30pm en el canal 21 Megavision.

Para leer mas sobre King Flyp haga clic aqui

Hay reportes que extorsionistas y otros criminals estan trabajando en grupo en el aeropuerto Internacional Comalapa en El Salvador. Un grupo pretende de estar esperando un familiar, aveces comienzan una conversacion con gente que genuinamente esta en espera de familia o amigos que han aterrizado en El Salvador. Le buscan informacion por ejemplo de adonde han llegado, porque han llegado (es ilegal o deportado o gente de dinero), observan como se viste el tipo de transporte que usan (buenos carros, carros nuevos de alto precio). Luego se communican con la otra mitad de su partido y ellos siguen a los que acaban de llegar al salvador. Si la gente para en algun lugar alli los asaltan y les roban, exigiendo dinero etc o si no los siguien hasta llegar a su casa, la casa del familiar o amigo alli les asaltan, les roban y luego empiezan a extorsionar las familias que quedan en El Salvador. Tener cuidado por su ambiente cuando llegue a El Salvador aeropuerto.  

hi all,

FOr anyone travelling to El Salvador. Please be take heed. I am hoping that anyone who will be going to El Salvador to visit friends, family or for holidays you need to be EXTRA careful at the airport. There is a new scam happening there. There are reports from travellers to El Salvador that groups of criminals, extorsionists and muggers are working together at the Comalapa International Airport in El Salvador. There are groups of women, children and men who are standing around at the arrivals pretending to be waiting for family members. They are listening out for information from real family members waiting for their loved one. Sometimes they may even strike up a friendly conversation to find out where the member is arriving from and where they are going. Or watch out for people who are demonstrating “money” by the way they dress and the type of car that awaits for them. Once information is obtained they communicate this to another set of people who will follow the new arrival and their accompanying family and friends. If the car comes to a stop somewhere they may hold up all the passengers there and then or even follow the arriving people to their family or friends homes where they arrive, hold them up and then they start to extort the family once they know where they live and who they are.

Cuscatlan is one of the smallest departments of El Salvador and our next stop in the series Chivo El Salvador. Its capital city is Cojutepeque. A place where many classic Cumbia songs have focused on and folkloric dances were dedicated towards. Cuscatlan lies in the centre of El Salvador and its name means “place of precious jewels”.

One the recommended places to visit is the city of Suchitoto. This bright, clean colonial town still maintains many cobble stone streets and retains much of the original spanish architecture of many

Church of Suchitoto

buildings. This is a very popular weekend family getaway place for its offerings of activities at the cultural centre, art centre and handcrafts. Families enjoy a swim at the Suchitlan Lake and bring a picnic or enjoy a lunch from street vendors or “comedores”, cafes and other local restaurants. Suchitoto is a quaint little town/city its a nice little family getaway.

Cojutepeque is the capital city of Cuscatlan. One word of warning this place is extremely hilly, steep hills everywhere it does wonders for your cardio fitness! Do not wear heels if you plan on travelling on public transport and getting around on foot. Cojutepeque is famously known for its chorizos. There are plenty of stalls that sell chorizos and advertise them as Cojutepeque chorizo but you should be careful and selective of whom to buy them off for hygiene and taste purposes. One of my favourite and trusted locations to buy these chorizos is a small family run business located across from the 2nd central park. My favourite type of chorizo to snack on are the butifarras I could eat them all day!

In Cojutepeque there is a famous hill top family outing destination called Cerro de Las Pavas. Here you will find a giant statue and pilgramage dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. During the weekends it is normal for you to find large groups of people holding public vigils and prayer services to their patron saint. You will find the footpaths lined with street vendors selling everything from crosses to framed pictures of your favourite saint, souveniers and food. Upon reaching the top of the hill you will also find a small zoo, a restaurant and the best views of the the surrounding country side you can find this side of San Salvador. Views of Lake Ilopango and on clear days you can even see the valley of Jiboa.

The people of Cuscatlan like most people of El Salvador are humble, hard working people just tryign to make a living. Often, when travelling on public transport, you can count on snack vendors boarding your bus to sell you water, cut up fresh fruit and other foods you can snack on while on your (guaranteed) long trip. I often looked forward to this stop off while travelling in El Salvador as I could buy a drink and something to eat to hold me till I got home.

view from the top of Cerro de Las Pavas

this is short Youtube clip by Mauricio Callejas who wrote and dedicated the following song to his town Cojutepeque. it is from 2001 but trust me the places has not changed so significantly that you cant recognise it. Its pretty much the same.

 The next in our series of Chivo El Salvador- Chalatenango is situated approximately 1-2 hours from the capital San Salvador.  Located here are some of El Salvador’s best eco-tourist spots that are ideal for campers, relaxation spa addicts and mountain walkers and climbers.

Chalatenango was heavily impacted by the civil war and many people from the area fled to other departamentos or over the border into Honduras. After the peace accords were signed in 1991-92 people began to migrate back to their homelands.

One of the most popular places to visit Chalatenango is La Palma. La Palma has historical importance in El Salvador’s bloody civil war story. This was the place where many battles took place between the military and the guerillas. This was also the place where many negotiations took place that eventually led to the Peace Accords of ’92.

Chalatenango is known for its mountainess beautiful, cool climate and friendly people. Located in the hill forests at an altitude of 2400 meters, is the Miramundo Forest. Here you will encourage the average temperature to be approximately 12 degrees celcius. Another notable place is Las Pilas where the average temperature is even colder than Miramundo. In Las Pilas the main agricultural products are blackberries, strawberries, peaches, lettuce and cabbage which are mainly destined for the kitchens of well established restaurants and for the export market.

One of my favourite destinations is El Pital, at 2730 meters in altitude it is by far the highest point of the Salvadoran landscape. People often travel here for camping, spa retreats and mountain walks/climbing.

Chalatenango, like all other departments of El Salvador, has a lively atmosphere especially around special occassions like Independence Day on the 15th of September as well as a miriad of patron saint festivals and celebrations.

Chalatenango is not only a place of beauty but also it has its dark side. Chalatenango is home to one of the most notorious prisons of El Salvador where many 18th Street gang members are incarcerated. It would not be recommended that a lone traveller or those without a local guide travel to the areas of Chalatenango surrounding the prison or its neighbourhoods where it is known that both 18th street and MS 13 gang members reside as this could be extremely dangerous. Always check with your local authorities.

For those of you who are fluent in spanish you may be interested in the war history of Chalatenango which ive linked below. My apologies for those who do not speak Spanish, the entire documentary/video is in spanish.

Para todos los Chalatecos y habla hispanos que este interesados en conocer mas sobre el efecto de la guerra en Chalatenango abajo encuentren enlazados los videos de su historia.

La semana santa es un tiempo muy especial para los latinos, y claro para los Salvadoreños. Para mis compatriotas que viven en el exterior del pais, aqui les presento unos videos de varios sitios del Salvador. Busquen aqui para ver como su pueblo o ciudad lo celebro este año!

Easter and Easter week is a holy and very special time for latinos, and of course for Salvadorans. For all those interested and especially for my fellow countrymen who live outside of El Salvador, I bring to you a few videos from different places in El Salvador. Check it out below to see how your town/city celebrated this year!

SONSONATE

SAN SALVADOR

SENSUNTEPEQUE

CHALATENANGO

CHALCHUAPA

COATEPEQUE

SAN LORENZO – SAN VICENTE

ZACATECOLUCA

IZALCO

SAN MARCOS – Sur de SAN SALVADOR

COJUTEPEQUE

TEXISTEPEQUE

Well I am happy to announce that the Australians Developing Futures Program  El Salvador has begun!!!!

you can read more about the ADFES program at http://adfes.wordpress.com

ESPAñOL

Estoy super orgullosa de anunciar que el programa de ADFES empieza!

Puede aprender mas de ADFES y su programa en la pagina de ADFES http://adfes.wordpress.com

Las tasas de desempleo se jactan de tener al máximo 7.2% de desempleo en El Salvador (2009). Quien de ustedes cree que eso es verdad?? Ciertamente yo no.

El país, para empezar, se sostiene con remezas. Cuantas personas conoce usted que recibe remezas de sus parientes en Canada, Estados Unidos y otros países extranjeros? Cuantos de los que reciben remezas trabajan? Cuanta gente conoce usted, mayor de 30 años de edad, que sostiene empleo permanente con sueldo suficiente para sostener una familia o a ellos mismos? Cuanta gente conoce usted mayor de 30 años de edad que está sin trabajo formal, que no haya trabajo formal, y ha perdido la esperanza de hallar trabajo formal, y menos en su oficio?

No entiendo la capacidad, ni el pensamiento de los empresarios de El Salvador. Por curiosidad he estado observando y notando los trabajos que se anuncian en los diarios de El Salvador;

Gerente General – “no mas de 35 años de edad”

Para agencia de publicación – “menos de 28 años de edad”

Asistente Administravito – “menos de 30 años de edad”

DirectorA Comercial  – “de 30 – 40 años de edad”

Ejecutivos – “25 – 32 años de edad”

Y en otro anuncio hasta querían ‘ejecutivos’ menos de 25 años de edad.

Mi opinión sobre esto lo hare en dos lenguas para que se me entienda bien:

Who the bloody hell, in their right mind, thinks it’s a good idea to hire inexperienced, fresh out of uni, snot nosed know it all graduate, who knows BOOK theory but has no real idea on how to handle international and domestic negotiations and business development into friggin executive and director roles!??? Trust me I could use and would love to use more explicit words but I shan’t.

Quien diablos piensa que es una Buena idea contratar personas que acaban de terminar sus estudios, que piensa que lo sabe todo pero en realidad solo conoce teoría, y de verdad no tiene la experiencia, ni el entendimiento necesario  de cómo relacionarse en negocios grandes internacionales y domesticos para poder desempeñar las funciones de ejecutivos y directores de empresas???

Porque hay tanta discriminación de edad en El Salvador? Porque tienen tanto miedo a la experiencia? Porque hay tanta discriminación de los sexos?

Yo tengo menos de 30 años de edad y sé muy bien muchos no estarán de acuerdo con mis pensamientos. Muchos van a argumentar que los jóvenes tienen los pensamientos más frescos, nuevos, que tienen el entusiasmo de progresar las compañías etc. Y no voy a contradecirles esos puntos. A lo que yo me refiero es que llenar puestos de ejecutivos y directores con personas que tienen solo unos 2 años de experiencia es algo estúpido. La gente joven si es bueno tener por esos mismos razones pero si en realidad ellos no han desarrollado porque contratarlos?? Alguien que ha estado trabajando por almenos unos 10 15 or 20 años ha pasado crisis económicas, ha enfrentado crisis de negocios, saben cómo superar situaciones difíciles que se enfrentan en los negocios. Algunos argumentaran que la gente de esa edad solo vive en el pasado, que no entienden las tecnologías nuevas etc etc… que basura. Si la persona se mantenido al dia con la tecnología porque no darles la oportunidad de progresar también?

Lo que me da risa es que muchas de las personas que apoyan el pensamiento de solo contratar jóvenes se están cortando su propia nariz porque cuando ellos lleguen a ser mayor de 30 años ellos perderán sus trabajos para que alguien menor, con menos experiencia, menos sabiduría de ese trabajo les reponga.

Y eso pasa en el salvador. La vida de un profesional es limitada.

Hay mucha gente que trabaja si, pero, hay mucha mas gente que esta empleada en contratos de 2 horas al dia, o 1 hora al dia, o 1 dia por semana, o 3 veces a la semana por unas horas. Eso no es tener empleo formal. Hay milliones de personas que están en el mercado negro de empleo. Ellos que trabajan en comercio ambulante, en mercados de las calles, en trabajo ilegal etc. A ellos tampoco los han tomado en cuenta cuando calculan el nivel de desempleo.

El gobierno de El Salvador necesita cambiar he erradicar con  la discriminación por sexo y de edad con penalizaciones aplicables a los que violan la ley anti discriminatoria.

In order to answer this we need to look at the source(s) of the problem. In El Salvador, when one asks this question, the answer to always depends on whose view you seek and what side of society they come from, how the current political climate is affecting that individual and how they see their own future. There are numerous problems in El Salvador and when I have held this exact same discussion with family and friends, often, the political and economic debate that transpires is very passionate. It is fair to say that the root of the problems extend both in the political history of El Salvador and also by the social and political impact of international policies that have affected El Salvador to date.

In previous posts I have addressed the enormous problem of ‘maras’ or the notorious gangs of LA which have laid roots in El Salvador. This is not the only problem, but it is a problem that is preventing other problems from been resolved and prevents the country to move forward and develop.

I have been thinking about this a lot, the mentality of the young men and women who choose this life, do they fully comprehend the impact? Are they truly committed to the wrong doings of these organisations or are they just misguided? Who’s fault is it? Why do the gang leaders insist on continuing with their misaligned beliefs and structures?

I watched an interesting documentary the other day; Duke: A Prisoner’s Tale, which I would recommend you watch in conjunction with reading my post so that you can understand the context of a lot of the ideas Ive included. In this documentary they have followed one of the 18^th street gang leaders who at the time of the documentary were incarcerated in El Salvador. The first time I watched it, it disturbed me, it truly did. I physically felt ill, truly conflicted and found myself disorientated by the question; Why?

These gang members are not necessarily stupid entirely. Many are, but the leaders I would rather describe as influential misguided strategists, not stupid. Their reasoning behind the things they do, their gang structure etc I will even go so far as to say is commendable on its own. Duke is one of the ‘respected’ gang leaders, he was deported from the USA where he spent time in prison for criminal acts he was convicted of doing. Duke has a loving wife and children who stand by him, love him and dream of what any other family does – a close happy loving family. Duke describes how he was given the nickname Duke – he describes how historically the title of Duke was given to a man who proved himself to the King with acts of loyalty, in his world the ‘king’ is the gang, 18^th street. Immediately this impressed on me as to how these men and women develop such loyalty to an entity that for, the society in which it exists, provides nothing of value and only brings to them violent early death, pain, suffering, incarceration and separation from their loved ones. Duke’s journey in the gang commenced in his infancy. He admits that he has been absorbed into the gang life since he was 5 years old and he does bring a valid point how can you change a lifestyle to which you have been accustomed to? By this reasoning, Duke was stating that his life is the gang, has known no other and considers himself unable to change if forced to. This does not mean that gang members cannot change, but that their mentality must change first. It is equivalent to describing how someone quits smoking. You cannot force someone to quit, they need to want to do it on their own in order to succeed. To me this was an enormous representation of the challenge that governments face both in the US and in all the Latin American countries, particularly El Salvador.

The gang leaders in the documentary talk about having honourable traits such as sense of honour and pride. This is great stuff, you don’t believe me? It is true. The traits of honour and pride are extremely important to success of the individual, to a family and country. It is unfortunate that the gang members are applying these magnificent traits to a cause that only brings destruction, violence and early death to themselves, their families and innocent people in the neighbourhoods and countries in which they live. Duke’s wife describes him as a good husband, a good father and a man who helps her around the house Once again, these are traits that any human being would be proud of. I will not take these traits away from Duke it is good that he is like this to his family, but the questions that arose in my head were:

1. Being a good man – why would he participate in the killing of other human beings? Why participate and mentor others into a life of crime and violence and destruction? Why is he allowing his children to be absorbed and be put at risk by belonging to an entity that is so violent and destructive? Does he not want his children to have the ability to succeed in life without having to fear for their lives? Without having the gift of being able to hope that they will live to see their children and grandchildren? That his family has no hope of truly living a life of peace and prosperity? Does he not want this for his own life?

His wife even describes the bad things about him: smoke crack, weed, and “likes to do a lot  of bad things too”.

1. I understand a lot of people smoke pot/weed whatever you wanna call it. It is a dangerous drug but in the grand scheme of things crack is worse, lets call a spade a spade. Crack is worse. Is this truly the behaviour of a good husband and father? Is this the example of a good man that he wants to be for his children and the youth that look up to him? Why? The answer is not why not. The answer is why is a life of violence, destruction, death appealing? Why is that a good alternative? Death is in all walks of life, but violent death is not. Not if you choose peace.

While the documentary interviews another gang leader, called Diablo (Devil) proudly attests that the neighbourhood inside the prison and outside is run by the gang and inside prison it is where they hone their skills in the gang and learn how to be a ‘better’ gang member to teach them ‘how he is supposed to walk and how he is not supposed to walk’ until they ‘graduate’.  This demonstrates their intelligence in gang structure, their commitment to developing the youth within the gang. They are rewarded and revered if they have committed homicide or “have been working hard for the gang”. The gang mentality describes that the gang will discipline those who do not follow the rules and that “you don’t resent that” because it is liken to a parent disciplining their child onto the ‘right’ path.

So they want discipline, the gang respects discipline, but yet they have no respect or discipline for the innocent who get caught in their intra-gang violence? Why cant they apply this fantastic mentality to their own individual lives and discipline themselves for a greater good of the entire community not for some entity that is born out of rebellion and hate which does nothing to progress their individual economic or social status.

What is the answer?

1. Annihilation of all gang members by some form?
2. Capital Punishment used as a deterrent?
3. Rehabilitation?
4. Negotiation?

Keeping gangs in prison without real punishment is only ensuring a breeding ground for more gang violence and insurgence.

Gang members in interviews often state that the reason the gang was born was in a response to the oppressive government of the US who discriminated against them and their families and caused much pain and hardship, that the gang was the only way to respond to the injustices they felt they suffered. El Salvador was governed by a right-wing democratically elected government for at least 20 years until 2009 when the leftist FMLN party won democratic elections. By their own reasoning it would be reasonable to conclude that the right wing government who worked with the US government all those years is no longer in power so any hate, rebellion, destruction and horrors they felt justified in doing all those years should have ended with the FMLN taking power. What these gang members fail to realise is that the FMLN was conceived by people fighting for their families rights and fighting against the injustices they claim to have suffered. El Salvador’s is not the US government it needs to be respected and the atrocities these gangs inflict on El Salvador must stop. There is no validity in their reasoning anymore. Their continued violence and hate on El Salvador’s people is no longer even remotely justified, not that it ever was, but any arguments cited are well and dead now.

The US government has fault in all this too. Their immigration policies and ineffective gang controls policies have resulted in a problem that is getting out of hand and infecting the entire continent. The US governments and Salvadorian government’s imposition of economic garbage like the DR-CAFTA has only served as fuel to the fire of such problems. DR-CAFTA serves to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. The once innocent poor children of El Salvador grow discontent, resentful, angry, frustrated, revengeful and are soon found to turn to the gangs which offer a safe haven for them to commit revenge, malice and essentially engage in war with the government and the people they feel anger towards.

Of course I have played my opinion in its most simplistic form. I could go on and on about the wrongs of the past both in El Salvador and the US that have led to this phenomenon.

How can the DR-CAFTA effects be resolved? By abolishment. When you hear concepts like ‘those at the top got there by using those at the bottom’ that is exactly what DR-CAFTA ensures for the USA. It disguises assistance and bilateral trade as fair and equitable, when in reality it is not.

The government of El Salvador needs to establish, support and develop fair, just, ecologically sound and profitable industries that will enable the country to stand on its own two feet and compete well in the international markets, continuing its commitment to things such as universal access to health care, education and housing and equitable employment for all ages not just the youth.

El Salvador cannot solely rely on the government to do everything. I realise this. But it has the responsibility to put strategies into place so that it takes the responsibility to ensure El Salvador is renewed and is reborn into an exemplary peaceful state. There are many Salvadorans living abroad from Europe to Australia to North America, many whom have become successful in their own right. Many of whom would wish to return to El Salvador and help the country progress and develop, but this cannot happen if the problems above are not resolved. How can we return to El Salvador to invest in the economy by establishing businesses and other sources of employment when we will not feel safe and secure?

copyright missopinion 15 Feb 2010

La Libertad is located approximately 12 kilometres West of the capital San Salvador. La Libertad means ‘the liberty’ and it is beautifully situated along the pacific ocean coast. It is the place to be if you are a serious surfer or a very very brave soul to take a leisurely swim in the 6-10 foot waves.

In La Libertad you will find some of the most affluent urban areas such as; Antiguo Cuscatlan which is home to some of the biggest and best restaurants, bars and night spots in the country – and it is the only place in the entire country where I found a decent meal of Chinese food. People of El Salvador – adding soy sauce to everything you can throw in a pot does not make it a chinese meal! Santa Elena is another affluent spot and where you will find the biggest USA embassy in the world. Here you will find some of my personal favourite shopping spots and night life. Multiplaza, in Santa Elena, is one of the biggest malls in all Central America and ‘Terrazas de Multiplaza’ is literally the terraces of the shopping complex and features top restaurants, eateries and fantastic night clubs.

Multiplaza.... oh the shopping... *drool*

La Libertad is best known for its surfing beaches. There are too many to list them all but some of the best beaches are El Zunzal and Punta Roca. There you will encounter massiave 6- 10 feet high waves that can barrel at anywhere along the point. Other surfing beaches the locals love for surf and play include Conchalio, La Paz, San Diego, La Bocana and El Zonte.

Lobster Dish at Dolce Vita restaurant, Puerto La Libertad

La Libertad does not only have fabulous surf, here you will find some of the best seafood this side of the coast! There are restaurants all along the coast of La Libertad where you can enjoy an icy cold beer, cocktail of cockles or prawns, a beautifully grilled fish while enjoying the sounds of the local band playing in the restaurants!

As all the departments in El Salvador La Libertad celebrates many patron saint festivities. Each municipality has its own celebrations but if you are in the major spots of Santa Tecla also known as Nueva San Salvador you want to check it out from 16 to 25 December. Antiguo Cuscatlan during 26 to 28 December and Ciudad La Libertad from 7 to 8 December each year. Below I have featured some videos shot of La Libertad during celebration time, the video produced by ‘adproducciones’ was shot during the national Day of Independence celebrations 15 September 2009.

La Libertad was recently hit by Hurricane Ida and suffered great devastation. But as history continually proves us, this city and this country continues to survive despite the set backs!