Off the Beaten Path: ¿Donde está el Baño?

It's your first time in El Salvador.  You are excited and a little nervous.  You have done your best to memorize a little bit of Spanish, and you have mastered three very helpful phrases:

  • Mucho gusto - pleased to meet you
  • Con permiso - may I come in, or excuse me
  • ¿Donde está el baño? - where is the bathroom.
You have been well prepared by your trip leader, and you are confident that you can keep these three important rules:
  • Do not use the water to brush your teeth.
  • Never eat lettuce.
  • Never pass up a flush toilet.
Well, first time visitor, have I got great news for you!  Parque Cuscatlán now features brand new bathrooms!  I won't tell you exactly where they are, because, of course, you will want to test out the appropriate Spanish phrase which you worked so hard to memorize.  There are plenty of signs in the park pointing you in the right direction if you can't find anyone on whom to test out your "¿Donde está el baño?"

And you guessed it, there are FLUSH toilets!


Seriously, this is a wonderful development for the park.  The bathrooms are wheelchair accessible with a central entry where both men and women pay 15 cents.  The women's side has a hallway with stalls on both sides.  They are very clean.  The sink area has a couple of faucets and soap.  There was no dryer, but I did not think that was a huge deal since they break all the time.


 Near the sink area, there is a large, private stall big enough for a wheelchair and an attendant.  There is also a nice private shower.  For a small charge, you can get a clean towel, soap, shampoo and even a razor.  The gentleman at the entry desk was very kind, and laughed when I told him I would be writing a blog story about these awesome bathrooms.


There was a special event in the park on the day when I discovered these bathrooms.  Over the course of the event, it appeared that the bathrooms were well-used.  I think it is great that there is a decent place to shower for someone who needs a place to do that, either after a workout in the park or if a person does not have a home.  I think most people would gladly give a few coins to a person in need who could use this bathroom.

I did not take note of who funded these bathrooms, but to whomever did:  THANK YOU!

For anyone who is interested, here is a video with park improvement plans from the Parque Cuscatlán Alliance.  Not sure if these dreams will ever become reality.  For now, I am grateful for the new bathrooms, and if you come and visit, you will be too!

Comments

  1. Malcolm CollinsNovember 11, 2016 at 5:50 PM

    My little hotel Hostal Cumbres del Volcan is across the street on 6-10 Calle Poniente, corner of 37 Avenida Sur. The park is slowly getting better (as is the neighborhood), and they often have interesting events in the park. We opened our place in May 2016. We also have a location in Escalon 1 block below the Torre Futura which has been open now for 6 years. You are welcome to come visit either location anytime. I am in California right now where my wife is receiving cancer treatment. But we hope to be back before the end of the year. Whether I am there or not, our manager Walter can show you around.

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