On Your Own in El Salvador [Paperback]

Jeff Brauer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 1995

A comprehensive guidebook offering everyone from backpackers to diplomats what they need to experience the country to the fullest.

Editorial Reviews

Review

On Your Own In El Salvador is the first traveler's guidebook to cover the country inside and out. It's the book of choice for exploring El Salvador, whether you're going on your own, passing through, or just thinking about visiting. On Your Own In El Salvador includes an in-depth, clearly-written historical and cultural sections. Comprehensive travel information for cities and towns across El Salvador are included along with 47 clear and detailed street and regional maps. Dozens of culture boxers that examine every aspect of Salvadoran life, from politics to mythology. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: On Your Own Publications; 2 edition (January 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964378906
• ISBN-13: 978-0964378902
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,140,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Travel > Latin America > Central America > El Salvador

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars as good as you'll find -- but they need to update it, January 31, 2004

By 

Maxim St. Pierre "ninjas, ninjas, ninjas" (Pretoria, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: On Your Own in El Salvador, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

This is really the only comprehensive guidebook to El Salvador that is widely available. The Lonely Planet and Let's Go and other books have chapters on El Sal in their books on Central America, but none of them go into real detail. In fact, I've noticed that most of the guidebooks don't recommend going to El Salvador, or skipping it if you're short on time.

Well, you should go. There is a lot to see and do but it's important to realize that it's different from the other Latin American countries. It's maybe a little less pretty and the people are a bit more hardened from the long guerra civil. This book does a good job providing sociopolitical background and anecdotes from important periods in history. Other than that, it's your basic guidebook, going region by region in the country, detailing sights, hotels, transportation, all that stuff. There are also several pages of decent color photos.

The one problem is that the book is now nearly ten years old. While most of the things are still accurate, a lot has changed. Things like prices and bus routes especially. There are also many different sights, museums, roads and enormous Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises that did not exist when the book was published. Likewise, some things no longer exist. The only way to find out, unfortunately, is to go and discover these things for yourself.

El Sal is not the most tourist-friendly nation in the sense that the infrastructure is not really there to support a heavy flow of tourists. The people are _wonderful_, don't get me wrong (don't think for a second that it's the people's fault), but to give one example, some of the bus routes to tourist sites make absolutely no sense and can be very frustrating to navigate. This is the fault of the government. Likewise, the El Sal government tourism agency could do themselves a big favor by publishing or funding an up-to-date guide.

But this book is as good as it gets.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Help for a Native Absent for 20 Years, June 9, 2002

By 

Torogoz (USA, Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Your Own in El Salvador, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

I found this book quite helpful. I'm a native from El Salvador who had been out of the country for 20 years. I found it a good supplement to other sources of information (e.g., local phone books in El Salvador, people and friends). Although some of the directory information may be dated, most of the facts and directions still hold. It's best to cross-reference the book with a local phone book for more accuracy. Yet, the book is a great trip planning tool. It allows you to pick and chose places and things to do at a pace that not even locals can keep up. It's clear that a lot of good work went into making the book. The level of detail is beyond what any local can know all by himself (e.g., bus routes, mores, festivals, local rituals, etc.). I found the hand-drawn maps most helpful and the history/background informaiton information least helpful. Advisories should apply to all locations outside the central city or popular foreign tourist attractions. Also, the book does not address which locations are most ideal to visit depending on the small universe weather conditions, e.g., heavy rains or dry, hot to extremely hot temperatures. I recommend this book. I've found no other books as helpful as this one but feel that the book and its contents could be much improved, e.g., day-trips, sports events, local festivity schedules, shopping information, entertainment options, ground and non-ground recreational activities, specific coverage and related-activities regarding aviation, boatin, sailing, surfing, fishing, golf, lakes, rivers and bodies of water, etc. (perhaps on future editions, beyond the 2nd). I currently own both of the first two editions. They're both pretty much worn out and it's because they go with me and take me places each time I visit there. I just wish the book were more expansive and provide material for all the other sites that one encounters while going from place to place, yet this would make it too thick and heavy. Also, if you ever go to El Teleferico, please say Hi to Mr. Moon (a local cartoonist) there for me!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book On El Salvador Travel Ever!, March 21, 2000

By 

Kent Williams (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Your Own in El Salvador (Paperback)

For years I looked for a book that would cover travel to El Salvador. I have been married to a Salvadorena for 16 years and have made five trips to the country since 1991. I love El Salvador, its beauty and its wonderful people. You can't travel there without this book! Buy it today!