It's Tuesday 4/3/14 and I have been home 2 days now, My rose coloured specs are off and it's time to report...............

The first thing that struck me on this morning's early walk was the stark contrast between the haves and the have-nots. Just a few hundred yards from the affluent beach front properties and businesses, are the run down ramshackle homes of the locals - some of whom are living in real squalor. The second thing to hit home was the rubbish that is strewn all along the roadside and on the outskirts of the forest - some areas that I walked past stank so much, I had to bury my nose under my shirt collar. I would have taken photo's but I did not want to run the risk of offending anybody plus, with my milky white skin, I stood out like a sore thumb and was already feeling a bit self-conscious by the number of locals who passed by wielding machetes. I needn't have worried though as it soon transpired that they were just out collecting firewood! The beach, however, is very clean and pretty spectacular and it is obvious why it has become such a surfers haven. The water is beautifully clean and clear but the off-black sand takes a bit of getting used to. Now that I have got my bearings and feel completely at ease with the area, I shall take my camera out with me and start posting pictures. It is only 7.15 pm in the evening but the jet-lag is fast catching up with me and, in the circumstances, I am going to sup a few more beers and hit the sack early.

I arrived late last night, after a 23 hour door to door journey, and I was met at the airport by one of the lads who works at the Guesthouse El Balsamo - where I am staying. San Salvador airport is really manic and I wouldn't have fancied trying to wade through the awaiting crowds with my luggage and belongings, trying to organise transport myself. The 30 minute high speed drive in the pitch-black darkness was a little un-nerving but cost only $40 (£25). The owners, Gijs and Veronica were very warm and welcoming and had everything ready for me, including a couple of ice cold beers. I slept soundly and was up at the crack of dawn this morning and went straight out for a 3 hour walk in the surrounding area, as I couldn't really see anything when I arrived last night. On my return, I had breakfast at a nearby eaterie - Sparky's - recommended by Gijs. To give you some idea of costs, a 1000ml (nearly 2 pints) bottle of Pilsner cost $2 (£1.25 which works out at less than 80p a pint!) at the guesthouse bar and breakfast at Sparky's, consisting of a big mushroom, cheese and spinach omelette, sauted potatoes, tomato, peppers and onion side salad, four rounds of toast, jams and honey, a pint of freshly squeezed mandarin juice and three large fresh ground coffees came to $5.75 (£3.45) and left me feeling completely stuffed for the day. I shall post about my 3 hour walk later today but I am now off to the beach to try and get some colour on my milky white body in order that I won't stand out so much from the Salvadorians, who are all really dark-skinned.  

Balthazar King trained by Peter Hobbs/Richard Johnson booked to ride.

The current ruling party (centre left?) appear to have won the weekend's Presidential election but without a sufficiently high enough majority to prevent a re-run in March. The right wing candidate has accused his opponent of using the main gangs in the country to secure victory, having brokered a truce back in 2012 with the two largest - the Mara Salvatrucha and the Barrio 18.
I will be able to secure aisle seats at no extra cost for both connecting flights in the main cabin as long as I get to Heathrow early enough before my outward flight...touch!

I have been a bit slow off the mark and did not realise that I could select and reserve my flight seats on American Airlines website. The best ones have gone but I have managed to get aisle seats on both inward and outward London-Dallas flights. I am not bothered about the connecting flight as it is only a few hours long and, by not booking seats now, stand a good chance of getting one of the better seats currently requiring a £69 premium. To get this service you need to sign up with both Checkmytrip.com and AAAdvantage.com. I wish I'd known sooner but at least I can now check in online - another good reason to sign up to these two sites.

Two weeks to go!

I managed to find brand new copies of my two chosen books on e-bay for £7.00 postage free and so I have bought them, along with a mains adapter for use in ES.

Well, I am more or less ready for the off. My prepaid Mastercard is, I hope, sufficiently loaded for my car hire which is only costing $165.00 for one week. As a general rule, you CANNOT hire a car anywhere on the planet unless you book and pay for it with a credit card in the drivers name (i.e. you cant use a friend's card). If you can't get a regular credit card, most hire companies will accept a prepaid one but, as well as the hire charges, will take an authorisation/security deposit of around $500.00, which they re-credit to the card up to 30 days later. So, if you are using, a prepaid card, make sure you have enough money loaded when collecting the car. Apparently, some hire companies in the US - or which are US based - do accept debit cards but, if you book in advance online, you have to register and use a credit card.

Well done Marte (my adopted ES football team) on your emphatic 6-1 win over Firpo. Millwall, Torre and Lyon all won this weekend as well.

ES seems to have returned to normal now since the eruption of the volcano, Chaparrastique, on 29 December. Those forced to evacuate their homes have all returned and the sheet of ash and dust that covered most of the country has largely dissipated. Flights in and out of ES are now back on schedule.

This is post no. 21 and so this blog should now be active.

According to UN statistics, the murder rate of 39.9 per 100,000 head of the population of ES towers above the likes of Columbia, Mexico, USA, Jamaica etc being beaten into 1st place by only its neighbour and sworn enemy Honduras.

On a less lighter note and according to figures obtained online, on New Years Eve/Day 2013 there were 364 shootings, 38 of which were fatal, in the capital city of ES - San Salvador (pop. 568,000), compared to London's (pop. 7,500,000) 3 shootings, none of which were fatal.

www.expat-blog.com This should be a link to Expat-Blog.com where I am posting the blog in an effort to reach a wider and more interested audience - we shall see how that pans out!.

Blimey, I did not realise just how expensive books have become! Buying these two books would set me back over £30, which is the same price as 6 nights stay at my booked hotel (I told you I wasn't splashing out much on my accommodation). In the circumstances, I shall pop in to Dulwich Library tomorrow and purloin copies of these two publications.

I have chosen a classic from children's literature to gently ease myself into this reading lark in the form of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. On the heavier side and chosen from the list of 10 suggestions, I have opted for Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man.

I am not, and never have been, much of a reader and you can count the number of books I have read on the fingers of one hand. I have a very short attention span and quickly lose interest in a book, no matter how good it may be, which is both unfortunate and surprising as I do enjoy writing. I am, therefore, going to make a concerted effort to discipline myself and complete the reading of two books whilst in ES. I have chosen one title from a list of 10 suggested by a well read friend and resident sage at the Herne Tavern (you're full of surprises Glen) and one arrived at by my own deliberation.

Although, unlike Spain and France, I dont have a home in El Salvador (yet!) - I have adopted a Salvadorian team and (as with Torrevieja and Lyon) have joined their supporters club. The only team that I could find who play in blue and white and who are local to the area where I am staying and intend to move to are Marte. Like Millwall, Marte begins with an "M" and that's good enough for me. Also, from what I have been able to glean online, they have a rather "bushwackerish" type of following and so I am looking forward to the two games for which I have already booked tickets.

In the case of France, I chose Lyon simply because, like Millwall, they play in blue and white and they are the french equivalent of the Lions. I have never been to see them, although I follow their progress weekly online. Of course, unlike Millwall and the Torry Army, they are french and so I presume they are useless at fighting!

In the case of Spain, I chose Torrevieja who are one of the closest clubs to our house. They are a small 2nd Division side with an average gate of 2,000 - half of which are British ex-pats. I also chose them because, like Millwall, they play in blue and white. I have been to see them a few times and always catch a game when I am over there. I soon got noticed and made freinds with fellow fans and am now a fully paid-up member of the Torry Army who, unlike Millwall, have their best fighting days long behind them!

We have a family home in Spain and I have a derelict place in France and so I have adopted football teams from both of these two countries.

Although this trip is primarily a holiday/fact-finding mission, I have booked viewings of a number of beachfront properties currently on the market - there's no point in letting the grass grow under my feet.

I never usually bother with travel insurance but I have done so on this occasion, getting 12 months cover for anywhere on the planet for £25.

I had to renew my passport, which had expired a couple of years ago, and did so through the Post Office check and send service. The extra cost was money well spent as the new one arrived in 6 days.

There is one fly in the ointment in that I am not sure that the car hire firm will honour my reservation but I shall cross that bridge when I come to it.

The hotel was reserved and a deposit made with the balance being due on arrival but, as I am on my own and dont have to pander to any companion's wishes, I have opted for budget accommodation.

I have looked it up on the internet today and to book the same flight would now cost me £1,245 - it pays to book months in advance rather than hope to get a bargain on lastminute.com and the like.

The flights are, of course, paid for. I had quite a good result in this regard, getting a return via Dallas for £475 with American Airlines.

The flights and hotel were booked months ago. I booked them at about 3 o'clock in the morning when I was a little worse for wear

Today I picked up my travel money of 1,600 US dollars, which is the adopted currency of El Salvador, and which - by all accounts - should be more than enough for the length of my stay.

Ever thought to yourself "I have had enough of life in Britain, I fancy trying somewhere else to live"? Well, I have on numerous occasions throughout my life - and not just when on holiday sipping a beer by the pool at the Metro Capsis Hotel listening to MC Best practicing his rapping song or smoking a heady number in a Khao San Road guesthouse in the delightful company of a cheeseroll. I was, at one point, going to move to France and have even bought a property there but, as beautiful a country as it is, it has been totally ruined by the French. After some deliberation, I have decided to move to El Salvador - a country which I have never visited and which has one of the worst reputations on the planet for crime, murder and corruption. This, then, is my story and it begins in ernest on 13 February 2014 when I fly out there for the first time ever.