Biking the World’s "MOST DANGEROUS" Country (El Salvador) - Day 1

My goal is to change the perception of El Salvador. Welcome to my journey as I attempt to ride my bike across the entire country of El Salvador. El Salvador has been consistently ranked as having the most murders per capita in the entire world, leading El Salvador to acquire the perception of being the most dangerous country in the world. When most people hear “El Salvador”, their mind likely jumps to negative thoughts like murder and gang activity, but I KNOW there are beautiful places to see and kind people to meet in El Salvador.

Despite what I have heard in the news about El Salvador, I decided to purchase a bike in San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador, and attempt to bike across the entire country. My goal is to meet and understand the local people and form my own opinions of “the world’s most dangerous country”. During my bike trip across El Salvador, I’m hoping to discover what the media doesn't show us, a beautiful country filled with a beautiful culture and people. I'm hoping to create El Salvador news that is positive.

When I told others I was going to travel El Salvador, most people told me I needed to be careful. Most people said they wouldn’t visit El Salvador, let alone ride their bike alone across the world’s most dangerous country. Most people only know El Salvador through the lens of the media, and view El Salvador as a dangerous country to travel to and visit, especially as a tourist. However, I hope that my journey traveling El Salvador in 2022 can change perceptions of the country and even more, encourage you to challenge your preconceived ideas of El Salvador and form your own opinions of “the world’s most dangerous country”.

Of course, before traveling El Salvador, like any other country in the world, I would encourage everyone to research the country’s current situation beforehand to remain safe and optimize your time in the country.

To start off my journey biking across El Salvador, I first take the public bus from San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador, all the way to La Union, which is the Easternmost point of the country, and where I am starting my journey. After settling in to La Union, I wake up early the next morning to start my bike trip across El Salvador. Day 1 starts off with an unexpectedly difficult morning ride with tons of steep hills. After a few hours, I eventually make it to the town of El Carmen for breakfast, where I had the pleasure of meeting Douglas and tons of other incredibly friendly locals. After chatting with El Salvadoran locals about their country and learning first hand about El Salvador, I continued biking to San Miguel, which is where I stay the night to end Day 1.

0:00 Intro
0:35 Riding the Bus Across El Salvador
3:09 Getting to La Union
5:07 Why I'm Doing It
7:16 Day 1
9:25 My First Big Challenge
11:59 The First Town
13:26 A Local's Thoughts on El Salvador
15:45 Waterpark in El Salvador
17:04 Day 1 Final Thoughts

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If you are new to my channel, Welcome! My name is Matt and at the beginning of 2021 I decided to QUIT my job to pursue my dream and travel the world. In this series, I take you with me as I bike across the entire country of El Salvador, to meet the people and immerse myself in a commonly misunderstood place.
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