What's Up El Salvador

If there were not problems in the justice system here, I would not hear so many bad things about it from people both inside and outside the problem. There are radically different views about the true nature of violent crime in El Salvador. Some seem confused, Some seem imbalanced and others seem way too simple [...]

From what we have observed: Warning:  Not a study. All numbers are based on asking people what they make, what their families make, and reading newspapers/reports in a language I barely understand. Kindness appreciated. Tweet    I cannot say what all employment in El Salvador is like, but from what I’ve seen, money is out there, [...]

Because I am in love with good coffee and watching it take over in El Salvador, I asked a couple of people who work hard to promote it to answer a few questions. El Salvador won the World Barista Championship, but on the other hand, some people say the coffee culture here is just getting [...]

Getting legal residency in El Salvador is no easy task. We have been working with a lawyer to gather all of the paperwork for legal residency in El Salvador. Over the last few weeks we got the final translations, applications, notes, letters and everything else we need. (note: certified translations must be done in El [...]

This weekend I had the opportunity to visit Tacuba, a pretty town in the Department of Ahuachapan. The weather was rainy, and for me that was fine. I find rain relaxing. In El Salvador, rain breaks up the humid warmth pleasantly. Tacuba is in the mountains and it is not very hot, but I´m convinced [...]

A leading expat resource site, Expat Daily News Latin America recently published a series of articles that Nanelle wrote on overcoming expat isolation. You did not see them on whatsupelsalvador.com as they were written and published just for them. Nevertheless the advice from a expat woman living in Central America still holds true so heed [...]

Many people have been asking me about the cost of living in Central America. The Short answer, is “What do you want to pay?” Tweet Many move to Central America (for us El Salvador) to live a happy, safe and comfortable life for a fraction of the cost of an equally comfortable life in the [...]

Today we visited the Plaza Merliot and a small espresso bar called Cafe Au Lait. The staff represents the shop annually at the Barista Competitions, and they serve coffees from quality and Cup of Excellence farms. The owners work together with their roaster, Rodrigo Giametti, to control the roast profiles, and blends of their coffee. [...]

Well really all I wanted was to get Internet and cable TV hooked up at our new house. I don’t even drink soda but it sure occasioned the same paranoid reaction. Silly gringo. It seemed pretty straightforward and benign to my foolish mind. Me the willing consumer with cash money. Them the big company who [...]

Today was the first frightened and tearful night with my tiny expat. At five years old she has been here for longer trips with us before, but she knows this is different. Her first efforts to play with other kids were not perfect, but from the outside looked pretty good. One child spoke some English, [...]