El Salvador: a Diving Destination

by Jamie Rhein on

If you think about El Salvador perhaps images of civil war come to mind. The civil war ended in 1992. Now there are other things for El Salvador to become well known for–scuba diving, for example.

You can open water dive to explore a wrecked boat and volcanic rock reefs and swim in the midst of schools of fish. Or, you can dive in Coatepeque Lake or Lake Ilopango, two craters surrounded by volcanoes. Night diving is also possible. Both lakes are El Salvadoran vacation get-away spots that have beachfront hotels and other water sport options.

Along with excellent diving locations, El Salvador is equipped with dive shops and places to take lessons for PADI certification. At Punta Mango Surf Trips’s website you can find information about scuba diving opportunities and how to combine diving with cultural tours. Also, check out Yamelith Coreas’s website . A native of El Salvaldo, Coreas has rounded up his favorite spots to promote tourism and Salvadoran culture. He lists Coatepeque Lake as one of his favorite destinations. The photo is of Coatepeque Lake posted on Flickr by traveling addict. In case the idea of traveling in El Salvador still makes you a little nervous, here is information from the U.S. Department of State.

The Doctor is Out

by Iva Skoch on

Thailand used to be a destination for exotic travel, perhaps even for sex travel. Now, it is a well-established member of the ever-increasing ranks of surgery destinations. Yes, travel is not just for the well or even the well-heeled, now it’s for the wellness-seeking. too. It’s not just cosmetic surgery, either. While cosmetic surgery comprises about 80% of the travel, laser eye surgery and fertility treatments make up reasons to travel, too.

A while back, our own Erik Olsen blogged about a crazy offer to get extra frequent flyer miles to get your eyes done, and also posted an article by Casey Kittrell about medical tourism. Then, earlier this year, I wrote an article about growing cosmetic surgery tourism to the Czech Republic. Since then, the pace of this traffic has exploded, and the places have gotten even more exotic. So much so, it’s worth revisiting this issue: according to the National Coalition on Health Care, over half a million Americans left the country last year for medical or dental work. A recent article even noted a man sent by his North Carolina company to New Delhi, for gall bladder and rotator cuff surgery, to save $50,000!

Tired of travelocity? A host of surgery-tourism companies have set up shop all over the internet. Costmeticsurgerytravel.com squatted on a good web address, offering “medical travel concierge” service, as well as assurance that the doctors in foreign lands are “appropriate for your procedure or treatment.” Prague a little to run-of-the-mill for you? Try Tunisia, for example, through Cosmeticatravel.com. Or Turkey or El Salvador, through Medretreat.com. Or Brazil, through Medicaltourism.com. A quick google search turns up a page-topping, paid ad for medical tourism to “Bumrungrad” hospital. Is that where you get that hemorrhoid treatment done?

Follow up: The NY Times just posted an article on the same topic.