Santa Ana, El Salvador: An Abandoned Art School, Failed Volcano Hikes and Sensational Coffee Views

Do you love spontaneous adventures, travel tips and stories that will inspire you to pack up and go? Well, welcome to the Wigging It Travel Podcast. I'm James, your host, and each week I bring you travel tales, practical advice and interviews with travelers from around the globe. Whether you're planning a big trip or just dreaming about one, you'll find everything from hidden gems to epic fails because travel is not perfect and that is what makes it beautiful. So grab your backpack and let's wing it.

New episodes every Monday, wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube too. You can find Winging It, a more fantastic travel podcast from around the world at voyerscape.com. The link is in the show notes. Let's go and explore the world. Hello and welcome to this week's episode. This is the last solo episode of my El Salvador trip actually. And I was going to do some immersive episodes for part one and part two of Santa Ana.

but I decided to do a normal Saturday episode because a lot of stuff happened and I didn't really go according to plan. So I thought I'd just describe what happened in Santa Ana and then what I got up to and any advice for you if you're going to Santa Ana to visit. First off, I El Zonte and it's two buses from there. So that's one bus up to San Salvador to the terminal de buses de Occidente and you catch the Tupé bus there to Santa Ana for $1. I actually got off at McDonald's on the edge of town in Santa Ana, it took about an hour.

and walked to my hostel called Altia through the central part of Santa Ana to the northern part of the city. I actually arrived on a Sunday, so very quiet. And the first impressions were lots of colourful buildings and it's very quaint. A little bit run down, I thought. The rain kind of gave it a of a gloomy feel as well. Storm Sara was well away, so that did follow me. And I thought, well, do you know what? I'll walk through the town, go to the north part of the city and go to my hostel. And so I passed colourful buildings, very tight streets.

Basically a chilled atmosphere I thought, but not very busy, but I appreciate Sunday is normally a quiet day. So I arrived into Altaia hostel, which is north of the center and my private room with a shared bathroom costs 13 US dollars a night. Great value. And what I mean by shared bathroom is you're one side of the door and you share with another couple the other side of the door and you have to kind of negotiate that toilet. I didn't like it very much. And I managed to get a single room with my private bathroom for the same price.

later on in the stay but I'll come back to that in a second. So I arrived late and I found some street food nearby, not very many options but I got some hot dogs on the street for a couple of dollars and a Coke but I was pretty tired so I headed back to the hostel for an early night but the rain was absolutely incessant that night, I'd never heard anything like it. But I did book a free walking tour the next day with Fatima on Guru Walk so I up, had breakfast at the hostel which was eggs, bread, beans, fruit and coffee.

I went to meet her and the group which was only Phil and Catherine outside of the theatre in the main square. It was raining and I did not have an umbrella which was an absolute error. It was absolutely pissing it down. We walked around the main sites in town such as the Cathedral de Nuestra which has a rooftop view. If you go with Fatima it's $2. If you go any other day of week on your own it's $3. That is situated in Parc Libertad which is the main central square and it's raining so hard that we dipped into Caddack.

cafe which is like a speakeasy style cafe with great coffee and trendy interior. You actually have to knock on the door to be let into the cafe so it's pretty cool experience and my word the coffee was great. I would get here early because all the walking tours go there probably around 11am so get there from 9 or 10 and you'll get a seat and in this time of year it was Christmas so Christmas tree was in there, some Christmas songs and it's just a great place to chill out. We were absolutely soaked at this point so even though had aircon

I wasn't actually needed at that point. I needed to dry off. So soaked through with cold air con wasn't the best combination, but we had to dip into the calf because the rain was incessant. After a few hours, we kind of thought, you know what, let's just go for it. So we wanted back outside over to the library and the theater in the central square and took a look inside. In the library, we're given access to really old artifacts, which over a hundred years old, I think anyone can look at them. So that's pretty cool. Quote Ray gets a look at them and even touch them. I felt a bit bad touching them because they're pretty old.

and the library offers free music and painting classes for locals and visitors during the week. You just need to check the schedule and book in. Pretty cool. And the rain was so bad that we actually finished early via a local market and headed straight back to the hostel. It was pretty, pretty bad. And I ordered a McDonald's for dinner takeout because I just couldn't bother to go out. Too tired, too wet, and just needed a delivery. I met some cool people at the hostel actually that night. I met some people who were riding down.

the Pan-American Highway on the bike, Portuguese couple. I also met some other couples in there who kind of in the same situation where we've come to do the Santa Ana volcano. We're not sure if it's going to go ahead because of the rain and we were kind of stuck in the city for a bit, which is cool by me because I wanted to see it. So next morning after breakfast, we did get confirmation that the Santa Ana volcano was closed. So I went to meet Phil and Catherine at Cadac Cafe for another coffee and to plan what to see during the day. One thing we did find,

for Santa Ana, is a cool attraction, is the Mariano Mendez Art School, also known as the Old Art School. And that was our main attraction of choice for today. And there is a guard there, which in theory don't let you in, but if you ask nicely, they do normally say yes, and you get about 15 to 20 minutes to go in. And the reason they say no is because it's quite dangerous. So things are falling off, there's half a building there. Please be careful.

and he gave us 15-20 minutes and there was literally no one else in there for the whole visit and we got some cool photos and videos of that. It was actually abandoned many years ago and scheduled for demolition but it has been saved recently which is quite cool. I don't know what's going to happen to it if they're going to renovate it or keep it as it is or turn it into a tourist attraction but it's quite popular with backpackers who backpack in Santa Ana so add that to your list. A pretty eerie place with crumbling concrete, overgrown vegetation and half the buildings still standing. Super unique and well worth it.

So after a strange and one of experience, had lunch at a local favorite in El Salvador called Polo Campero. It's fried chicken, it's chips, what else do you want? And post lunch, we headed down for a drink and a view at Simmerdown, mainly for tourists. It's quite expensive, but you do get a rooftop view of the local area. So it's very much like a Western cafe. We kept bumping into the same people in there and fairly high prices. We did start to notice outside that the clouds were clearing up. So we went back to the cathedral.

Paid you $3 to go up to the rooftop and got some great views with no cloud. So that's pretty awesome as well. And to finish this day, Fatima, our walk and tour guide from the day before, recommended Elsin Rival as the best place to get ice cream in Santa Ana. So we took her up on that and it was bloody good. I had dinner with Phil and Catherine at Cafe Tejas and for some reason I went again with a hot dog and chili con carne and both times I reacted pretty badly to my stomach and I'll come to that in a second. But just before this meal, I booked in for a tour.

the day after with those guys to hike the Santa Ana volcano. It costs $20 through the hostel and that includes transport. So I'm pretty excited to go and see one of my main aims for the trip in El Salvador at this point. If you do plan to do it yourself, it will cost roughly the same in Ubers or even your own vehicle anyway. So I thought, why not? Let's jump on with a group and see how it goes. Next morning, I was pretty rough. I reacted pretty badly to the hot dogs and chili con carne, took some Imodium, didn't sleep very well. Managed to make it out.

So I went to Casa Verde hostel to join the tour with Phil and Catherine, met the group, fantastic people, $20 given to the hostel owner and we're away. Got to the Santa Ana Volcano gates where there's like a national park and it was closed. Now the aim for the day was Santa Ana Volcano and the Coatepeque Lake. That was the plan for the day. Our driver Tony was really confused as the widest gate was closed. So he made a few calls and the ministry confirmed on the call that it's closed, but they did not send their communication out.

and it's closed due to the weather and the clearing up stuff from the winds and the rain, so wasn't safe to hike up. So we had to think of a plan B. So as a group, we all agreed to visit Tasumel, which is an architectural complex of mine ruins in Chowchowapa, which is about a 45 minute drive away and the entry is $5 for each foreigner. Now seeing mine ruins is massively on my list, so I was pretty happy to go there, as were all of us actually, even though the main one I wanted to see was Tikal in Guatemala. I was happy to check out this place too.

As I said before, I was suffering this day because my stomach was pretty bad and it so hot, 30 degrees and I was nearly sick on the ride up to the volcano anyway. So I was kind of surviving this day just to get through the day. But Tazumal was inhabited from the classic period, so AD 250 to AD 900 through to the post-classic. The site has links to central Mexico, the northern Yacatan peninsula and lower Central America. We explored for two hours, pretty cool.

Then we jumped back into the Minibus and headed to Ataco on the Ruta de las Flores route, which for me was a plan, but because I'm overstaying my stay in El Salvador, so Ruta de las Flores was cancelled for my plans, but I was pretty happy to go for the afternoon in Ataco. I was told this is one of the nicest towns on the route and it's quite cute, quaint, and it's a little town. We arrived and we were harassed by restaurant owners trying to get us to have lunch with them, but we walked around to check out the local architecture and park. Very quaint.

cobbled streets, colorful, lots of artwork. Then we headed to Hockey Calco restaurant, which had great options for lunch and drinks. And then after lunch, we took a stroll in the city some more, checked out some sites, loved the cobbled streets actually, lots of trendy cafes there as well. And we did dip into one called Dulce Sofia Pasararia, a great coffee for the way back. But after a long day, it was time to head back to the city and the hostel and I rebooked the same tour for the day after to give it another try. But a taco is very nice.

I would recommend for Ruta de las Flores that you spend three to four days in that route because there's so many different towns along there and things to see. We were kind of hindered by the rain and post rain things being closed. But the main thing for me was seeing the Santa Ana volcano. So that evening, walked back to the hostel, got an early night and recovered for the next day. Same again, walked to the Casa Verde hostel, went onto the minibus. A couple of more people joined us for this tour on this day.

and we arrived to the grounds and they were open which was a relief and a great start to the day. We paid $3 to our guide who collected like a bigger group of people and took us to the first port of call which is where you get your official ticket to go on the hike that cost another $3 and the fee is in form of a ticket you get your ticket physically and you hand it to an official before you continue up the trail. Our guide did tell us early doors that there was potential high winds at the top and a lot of clouds so we might not see anything but it could clear up so we carried on.

And on the way up we spoke to a guide and he said he's hiked this route over 300 times and he guaranteed us we're not seeing anything. And we're like, what do we do now? So we kind of thought, do know what? It might clear up a bit of hope is there. So we carried on towards the top and we didn't quite get to the top because there's a clearing near the top of the volcano and a policeman was standing there and he was not letting anyone through due to safety reasons, which I do agree with because if it's windy and not safe, why would you risk it? However,

I do think he's got a walkie talkie or a phone and he could have rang the guides probably when we first started and said, hey, look, there's no chance this is going to clear up. Don't bother. But no, they got us to pay the $3 entry for the guide and we paid $6 to go up and see nothing really. We're all kind of a bit disappointed with that. Two days of trying, no luck and Stormsara just got us unfortunately. So we waited for 30 minutes, but then people start to lose hope and start to head down the trail towards the start point. We did get some decent views on the way down.

but we're all pretty despondent. Now on the way back down the mountain, I did have a recommendation from TikTok for a cafe on the way down the volcano. So I asked Tony, could we stop there? And he said, yes. And I thought it would perk the group up. I know it might have views of the Coatepeque Lake and it's called the Crater Restaurant and Coffee Shop. So we took a five minute drive down, parked up and walked towards this cafe and it just clears out to the most insane views. My word.

This was stunning. I think this perked the group up a little bit. We got fantastic views of our coffee. I bought Tony a coffee as a thanks and he sat with us and enjoyed having coffee with us. But the views were absolutely sensational. Views of the lake as far as the eye can see and my word, that was awesome. Probably one of the best views for a coffee I've ever had. So pretty stoked and the group was perked up. So Tony.

gathered us up into the van one more time and we took a drive down to the lake for a late lunch and had food at Octava Maravilla restaurant. It's a tourist restaurant. We couldn't sit outside. It's too windy, but did have great views of the lake. After another long day, we head back to our hostels and then agreed to meet at Papusia Claudia, which was a recommendation from Fatima a few days before. And the Papusas are out of this world. Some of the group joined us and had a few Papusas and a drink to reflect on our time in Santa Ana. And for me, our Salvador. And is there a better way to finish a trip?

in El Salvador than eat papoosas. And here we thought, do you know what? We got unlucky. What can you do? I couldn't stay any longer. I booked my shuttle bus to Antigua, Guatemala for the next day. And in this papoosaria, I actually met a guy called Nick for the first time and he booked, coincidentally, the same shuttle bus the next day and was staying at the same hostel as my group. So I met him for a brief moment. We exchanged details and I saw him at 4 a.m. the next morning for our...

four or five hour trip to Antigua. So as I said, this was the last activity for my El Salvador trip. So I do have some reflections on El Salvador. The country did amaze me actually. When booking my trip, I wasn't sure. I was pretty nervous, but quickly in San Salvador, Dave, who was one of the walking tour guides, quickly quashed those fears with a walking tour and some information about San Salvador and I quickly learned that this place is safe. It's happening. It's got a positive vibe and there's lots to see and do.

I reconfirmed those thoughts by having another walk and tour with Carlos and we learned more about the history, the importance of each of the buildings, some of the civil war and gang history too. So I love the people, very open, welcoming, lots of advice. I'll give you some contact details in case you need help. And it really was pretty awesome to start El Salvador in San Salvador. Then I went to Suchitoto, which was a highlight and one of my favorite places. I love the people, the lake, the coffee.

The Civil War tour was absolutely awesome. Despite being battered by storm Sarah, El Sante was a great relaxing break on the beach. As I chilled out with some point break coffee, some caves there as well. And then I went into Santa Ana to finish my trip. So I met amazing locals and fellow travelers. We got to explore the city of Santa Ana, drank fantastic coffee at Caddack, tried to hike the Santa Ana volcano. And maybe these things happen for a reason, but I'm not too concerned because I think I will make it back to El Salvador, hopefully.

in near future. But there's so much more to see and do. So I mentioned the Santa Ana volcano, Ruta de las Flores is something else I wanted to see. I want to see more of the beach areas. So I didn't go to Altoonco, probably would check that out. But I think there's smaller places on the coastal parts there. And dotting around the country on the buses was super safe and super cheap. As a country as a whole, the budget, your dollar will go very far in El Salvador because right now they're just trying to bring tourists in and keep them there. So it's a great time to visit. There's so much more.

to learn, see and do, and of course eat more pupusas. I must return also to Cadac Cafe, I love that place, and Point Break Cafe had the best coffee. And Exmarte Coffee in Suchitoto does rival Point Break too. But I just wanna say thank you to the people of El Salvador for your hospitality, and to my fellow travellers for making it an awesome experience. And a special mention goes to Dave, Carlos, Gustavo, Daniel, Juan, Catherine, Phil, Chris, Nicole, Tony, Fatima, and Nick for making this a wonderful experience for me.

And my last episode on El Salvador is a episode with Leah from Ticket to Anywhere. And we both went to El Salvador at different times, but within a month of each other and had some great experiences to share. So we're going to have some tips and tricks, things to see and do, what things not to do and any other information that might be useful. So I'll see you there for the last episode of El Salvador, but thanks for tuning in. Any questions, me a note on social media or email and I'll get back to you. And if you want to see what I've been up to, you can head to my YouTube channel.

roaming with Hammo that has visuals of all the stuff I've described. And finally, thanks for tuning in. Please leave a five star review on Apple or Spotify and I'll see you next time. Cheers. Thanks for tuning in to the podcast episode today. If you've been inspired by today's chat and want to book some travel,

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