Hot corn is the first smell to find you when the bus pulls into a small town. A woman pats dough, fills it with cheese and lays it on the griddle, and a pupusa lands in your hands before you finish asking what it is. A volcano stands above the rooftops, and the Pacific is a short ride away.

The weather is tropical, with afternoon storms in the rainy season and hot, hazy days in the dry one, while the highlands run cooler. When your own plans run out, a Local Friend picks the next stop, maybe a market or a roadside grill you would have driven past.