Trip from Antigua to El Salvador

So today I woke up early to make my way to El Salvador by route through Ahuachapan. Mind you I kind of knew how to get there but mostly I didn't. The problem that I have been encountering is that all the international buses go to San Salvador and I want to go to Ahuachapan (which is before San Salvador). I have asked many people on the internet, people from El Salvador, and have gotten mixed answers. Many people have told me how to get there in a general sense but they can't remember the name of the bus or which zone to go to. This is a problem because Guatemala is a huge city and not that safe. So today I woke up and packed and got myself ready for whatever adventure lay ahead. While I was eating breakfast the guy from Germany came and gave me some pamphlets of tourist attractions and international buses. So at 10 minutes to 9 am (9 am is when the bus leaves) I left the hotel to find a travel agency that was around the corner and to see if I could get the 9 am bus. On my way to the travel agency I was encountered by a man who was selling tours. He showed me to his agency and I was told I could get a bus from Antigua to Guatemala City and then an international bus that stops in Ahuachapan. So I booked it even thought it was more expensive than I wanted to pay but at this point I was tired. So I took the minubus from Antigua to Guatemala City. I was taken to the international bus terminal and it was then that I found out that the bus doesn't pass by Ahuachapan and instead goes to Santa Ana. Santa Ana is past Ahuchapan so that means I have to waste time and go back towad Ahuchapan and then catch another bus to Ataco. I didn't even argue as I was to tired and at this point just wanted to make my way to El Salvador.

The only stops we made was to let street   venders on the bus to sell you food. We stopped at the border and everyone got off to walk from the Guatemala border customs and get a stamp out of Guatemala and then to be checked by El Salvador customs. This was painless and went very fast. We then got back on the bus and I was dropped off in Sanata Anna a little but later. I then had to take a chicken bus (see picture below) into Ahuachapan. 

Now if you have never taken a chicken bus and are not from a city then you can't imagine what this bus is like. First off they don't always stop all the way. Second it's crowded. By crowded I mean people are hanging out the door and standing on the steps when the bus goes. I jumped on the second bus, the first one was too crowded, and stood at the area right above the steps. This was made all more difficult as I had my big backpack on. People kept squeezing by to get on and off the bus. After maybe 15 minutes I was able to sit down and I got to ride an hour or so sitting on the engine (big bump in front of the bus). Boy was it hot! Thank goodness I had my hoodie tied around my waist to sit on because otherwise I wouldn't have made it. I also thought to myself that if the bus crashes I am surely dead. And to make matters worse for many portions of the ride the door was open and I had to hold on for dear life as we flew around corners. I kid you not at one point I though I might fall out the bus. When I got to Ahuachapan I got off the bus and caught a minibus. This one wasn't bad at all. I sat next to a woman and she was able to help me get directions to my hotel. When we got off the bus she walked me part of the way to the hotel. I of course couldn't find the hotel and had to ask. Of course I had passed it and it was across the street. When I got there the door was locked so I had to call inside the gate. The owners opened the gate and I dropped my stuff off and contacted a friend (okay I already know some of you are going to comment but hold your tongues e.g. Yasmin) from couchsurfing via skype. I called him and found out he actually lived in town (I thought he lived in Ahuchapan) and said he could meet up wih me. He met up with me outside of he hotel and showed me the town and a place to eat.

At the end of the day I was tired. I was able to take a hot shower and go to bed. The plan was to get up super early and go to National Impossible park which has a tour at 8am. The plan was to get up at 6am to be able to catch all the buses but we will see...