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I Survived a Near-Death Encounter in El Salvador

sean keenan

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Fruit-based incidents are not the kind of near-death escapes people hope for when you tell them you just spent time in El Salvador.

“Yeah, I was taking a dip in the hotel pool when a coconut fell off a tree and missed my head by, oh, a few feet. It scared the willies out of me.” You can sense the disappointment immediately.

“No kidnapping story? No gunpoint muggings? Not even a little casual pickpocketing?”

Well…no, actually. El Salvador is—in my experience at least—just not that sort of place.

People who turn away from their own journey to walk you to the bus stop, and then wait with you to be sure you get the right one; people who invite you to their table at a palapa bar because they can’t stand to see you sitting alone; people who cross the street to mention that a 50-dollar bill just fell out of your pocket when you were rummaging for change…they’re not prime candidates for a life of violent crime. But these are the people I met in El Salvador.

The jungle-clad hillsides, the butterflies, the perfect waves, the ochre sunsets, the home-grown coffee, the laser-tight live salsa, the black-rock coastline that could be a tropical Scotland…I may find those somewhere else, one day.

But the exuberant (and hard-won) joy, genuine curiosity, and wry humor of El Salvador’s people will be harder to encounter elsewhere.

I’ve put some video together from the trip, so you can get a better feel of the place. You can view that—and more exclusive online content—at IntLiving.com/Magazine.

It might help explain my answer to the question that always comes up when I come home from a trip: Would I go back there?

Reader, I’m counting the days.

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A Day Hike Into El Salvador’s Cascading Heartland

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Christmas in the Lesser-Known Caribbean

Christmas in the Lesser-Known Caribbean

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By Ronan McMahon December 2021

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Now You Can Stay in Thailand for 10 Years or More

Now You Can Stay in Thailand for 10 Years or More

Field Notes
By Jeff D. Opdyke December 2021

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Forgotten Thailand, Deep in the Mekong Valley

Forgotten Thailand, Deep in the Mekong Valley

Lifestyle
By Michael Cullen December 2021

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Your Townhouse in the Medieval <em>Borgos</em> of Italy

Your Townhouse in the Medieval Borgos of Italy

Real Estate
By Paul O'Sullivan December 2021

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My Experience Getting Private Healthcare in Ecuador

My Experience Getting Private Healthcare in Ecuador

Healthcare
By Fiona Mitchell December 2021

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The Middle Ages Meet the 21st Century in Malta

The Middle Ages Meet the 21st Century in Malta

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By Jeff D. Opdyke December 2021

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Solid Profits From a New Age of Discovery in Lagos

Solid Profits From a New Age of Discovery in Lagos

Real Estate
By Ronan McMahon December 2021

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Puerto Escondido—Mexico’s Surf-Hippie Paradise

Puerto Escondido—Mexico’s Surf-Hippie Paradise

Lifestyle
By Bonnie W. Hayman December 2021

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Editor’s Choice From This Month’s Issue

  • The Middle Ages Meet the 21st Century in Malta
  • Puerto Escondido—Mexico’s Surf-Hippie Paradise
  • Forgotten Thailand, Deep in the Mekong Valley
  • Your Townhouse in the Medieval Borgos of Italy

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Table of Contents

  • It’s a New Era of Opportunity Overseas—Join Us for Our First in-Person Event in 3 Years
  • A Day Hike Into El Salvador’s Cascading Heartland
  • Christmas in the Lesser-Known Caribbean
  • Now You Can Stay in Thailand for 10 Years or More
  • Forgotten Thailand, Deep in the Mekong Valley
  • Your Townhouse in the Medieval Borgos of Italy
  • My Experience Getting Private Healthcare in Ecuador
  • The Middle Ages Meet the 21st Century in Malta
  • Solid Profits From a New Age of Discovery in Lagos
  • Puerto Escondido—Mexico’s Surf-Hippie Paradise
  • How to Find Your Paris, and Live There Like a Local
  • Ten Years On, We’re Still Decompressing in Costa Rica
  • A Canadian Tests His Limits on the Upper Edge of the Earth
  • Digital Edition and Bonus Content – December 2021
  • Ocean Sunsets and $1 Tequila Shots in El Salvador’s Favorite Fiesta Town
  • NOW WHAT? How Do You Actually Move Abroad?
  • Exploring the “Anchor Cemetery” in Praia do Barril, Portugal

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