I'm in El Salvador!

This is Central America's smallest and most densely populated nation, and also one of the world's most violent.

El Salvador is world famous for the wrong reasons. A US backed borderline dictatorship recruited paramilitary death squads to massacre the masses back in the 80s to try and stop a socialist sympathising guerilla group from seizing power. America lost and the FMLN control El Salvador to this day, overseeing mass industrialisation and rapid economic growth. Yet today El Salvador has another grizzly problem - gang crime. MS13 and Barrio 18, two Salvadorian gangs formed by refugees in Los Angeles are infamous for terrorising the poorer neigbbourhoods of the cities and the areas most effected by the civil war.

But. Just like in Colombia, Ethiopia and Thailand where I've been before just because parts of the country suffer violence don't mean its no go zone. This is a stunningly beautiful country, and thanks largely to Donald Trump and the hyper-sensationalist US media it has far fewer tourists than countries to the south and north. Only got a couple days here, but am here to make the most of it.

Even San Salvador airport appears designed to cater mainly to passengers transiting through, the immigration far down a long corridor of gates, all packed with passengers bound for the US and Mexico. Am currently in San Salvador, in a colonial hostel ran by a tad patronising but helpful old American, having just had my fill of Pupusas, the local brand of tortillas. San Salvador is the big bad city, but hopefully it will roll over on its belly and show its soft side. It also serves a base to visit some truly awesome nearby locales.

Vamos!