Bukeleland

We have a 2 night stay in El Salvador because it was the best place to get a cheap flight to the west coast of Canada.

We were all very tired, and we saw a lot of similar landscapes in Honduras and Guatemala, so we limited ourselves to visiting the old centre of San Salvador, the capital city.

I had been here before for work at a time when it was the most dangerous place in the Americas. Then, 4 people per 10 thousand were murdered each year. I remember a bus driver being killed for the $10 he had collected in fares.

Now it's completely changed. That phrase is often overused, but here, it is entirely appropriate. The murder rate is down by 95% and other crimes by similar amounts. It's gone from worst to best in the Americas, and it's similar to Europe now.

Seeing happy people in the town centre yesterday, walking about without fear, is great. I am sure that President Bukele may have been harsh, arresting 85,000, and creating a large, brutal prison, but for me, in doing so, he freed the other 6 million citizens. His popularity is the highest in the world, and so although he was freely elected, he has immense power that he can wield almost without limit. For now, that still works. Let's hope that he uses his power wisely. It's unclear if he will do so since lately, he has been assisting the orange gringo monster .Read more