Here are all the posts for CenAmer
Guatemala City
Time to finish the story. From Tikal, I flew to Guatemala City to catch my flight to the States. After nine weeks on the road, I am tired and ready to go home. I have mosquito, ant and spider bites all over my body. I have slipped and fallen several times in the jungle and have a variety of bumps, bruises, scrapes and sore fingers. I am thinking defensively. Guatemala City is known as a tough city. Just let me home without being mugged.
I visited the city center (Parque Central) and the main cathedral. The fence around the cathedral 
???????? has stone pillars inscribed with names. The names are listed by province. “Executed.” “Disappeared.” “Tortured.”
We buy a hammock and bedspread at the underground artisan market (it is literally underground) and take our last bus in Central America, the 101, back to the hotel. We
Tikal
Tikal is generally regarded as Guatemala’s number one tourist attraction. It is well worth visiting. After visiting several other Mayan sites, I was pleasantly surprised by the dense, rich jungle here. The ruins themselves are large and numerous. It’s fun to climb on the pyramids above the tree canopy and see the birds and distant mountains. I visited the site on two sequential days. The jungle is interesting to hike and full of wildlife, including anteaters (coati) and a unique species of turkey. Read more
Making Chocolate
I visited a local indigenous family and watched them make chocolate. The Q’eachi’ people harvest the cacao tree and make chocolate to eat and sell to tourists. We bought some chocolate from one family and asked them how they made the chocolate. It was difficult to communicate because only the younger students speak Spanish. But we did receive an invitation for 7 a.m. the 
following morning.
The key ingredient, cacao, is a fruit that grows on trees. The gourd is about eight inches long. The nuts inside are white, about one-inch long and Read more
Semuc Champey
Semuc Champey is often regarded as the finest natural attraction in Guatemala. It did not disappoint. I swam in the pools, floated down the river, visited a cave and watched indigenous people make chocolate.
The Rio Cahabon flows through limestone and creates an underground tunnel. Above is a natural bridge containing numerous turquoise, crystal-clear 
pools. A gushing waterfall and birds-eye viewpoint complete the magic. The pools are ideal for swimming; I spent many hours there. Below the waterfall, you can tube down the river through the rapids.
Las Gruatas de Marias was a wild cave experience. An underground river flows through Read more
Lago de Atitlán
Lago de Atitlán is a gorgeous location, a large deep lake surrounded by three volcanoes. There are many small settlements around the lake, all accessible by water taxi and some by road. At 5,000 feet, it’s cool and comfortable. Unfortunately, crime appears to be rampant everywhere. The guide books are full of warnings; I received a warning on this website from Fritz; and travelers as far way as Costa Rica warned me about Guatemala. Upon arrival, I had fresh 
reports of theft and robbery. I spoke directly with people who had problems with large amounts of money being stolen. I had my drug store reading glasses stolen after leaving them unattended for five minutes; I challenged the woman with her baby that was the only one there, but she denied it. The night before, a young woman had been robbed with an exacto knife at her throat; Read more
La Antigua
The Spanish built La Antigua. An earlier settlement was totally destroyed by volcanoes. The present location was also destroyed by volcanoes and earthquakes. At one point, the Spanish ordered the people to evacuate, but they refused and rebuilt the city, sort of. Ruins are in abundance everywhere, old ruins.
La Antigua is a fun town to walk around in; there are lots of good restaurants. The central plaza has an unusual fountain where water squirts from women’s breasts. Volcanoes surround the city. At breakfast, a huge plume of smoke hissed from one of them.
I went on an excursion to Volcán Picaya and hiked up to the lava fields. Read more
Copan
The Copan Ruins are well worth seeing. The Mayans worked on the city for about six hundred years. They are not as large as Chitzen Itzen, but the sculpture is better preserved and more intricate. Most of the best work has been moved inside the museum for better protection. Some of the names ascribed to kings are humorous, like 18 Rabbit. That´s a name the 
Artist formerly known as Prince could consider. I spent the better part of a day wandering around and enjoyed all of it.
I also visited Macaw Mountain, a home for orphan birds. People get exotic birds for pets and for one reason or another decide they don´t want to keep them. Macaw Mountain takes them. Because they are no longer tame, they can´t be released back into the wild. After stalking birds in the jungle for days on end it was funny to have them perch on my shoulder–no need for a telephoto lens.
Friday, April 18–next stop, home
Friday, April 18. I am flying home tomorrow morning. I am in Guatemala City after visiting Antigua, Lago de Atitlán, Semuc Champey and Tikal. I have been off the Internet grid since Antigua and am way behind on posting. I still can’t upload photos. I hope to catch up over the next few days, although my ISP left me a message saying my connection is down at home…. After that, I will work on my better photos and provide final comments on the trip. Thanks for following the travelogue and my apologies for slow posting.
map, Guatemala
Gracias
The town of Gracias, formerly known as Gracias a Dios, is an old, sleepy, little town surrounded by picturesque mountains. At one time in the early 1500s, it was the Spanish capitol for Central America. Here, the Spanish squashed the indigenous rebellion led by Limpira by offering him peace terms and then assassinating him. The basic Honduran currency is based upon the ¨limpira.¨
I visited Balneario Aguas,Termales. The locals in the bus insisted I must go there. I was reluctant because these are hot springs and I was already hot enough from the sun Read more
La Esperanza
I knew I was off the tourist path when I signed into the hotel. The two open pages of the ledger were almost full. I was guest 98. Under the column ¨Pais,¨ the first person had written Honduras. From guest 2 to guest 97, there were ditto marks. I wrote, EE.UU.
I took a bus from LaGuama to Taulabé to see the caves. The caves are reportedly at least 12 km long. Visitors get to see the first 400 to 600 meters. They are very impressive with large chambers. Read more
Lago de Yojoa
Lago de Yojoa is a large natural lake, 17 km long and 9 km wide. The Hotel Agua Azul is a resort on the lake with cabins and a restaurant. There are docks with boats and kayaks and lots of birds. I went kayaking and hiking. I went to Catarata de Pulhapanzak, a 43 metre high cascade–well worth seeing.
Getting There–I took a tourist bus from Tegucipalpa to La Palma and a local bus to the hotel on Lago de Yojoa.
Lodging–The Hotel Agua Azul is worth staying at for at least a couple of nights. The cabins have just the right amount of funk. The food is good. The views and birds are great.
Tegucigalpa
I stayed a couple of nights in the Capitol of Honduras and enjoyed the sites in the City Center and learned the story of the statue of the Virgin de Suyapa and Don Pepe´s Men´s Room. At dinner, Hondurans cheered as their team beat the U.S. in futból.
Tegucigalpa is the capitol of Honduras. The pronunciation includes the English word ¨goose.¨ The city center is safe for tourists (in the day). Squads of tourist police, city police, national police and military are everywhere. Pharmacies and other stores have private guards and 
bars between their customers and the merchandise. I did feel safe in the central park (Plaza Morazón) near the cathedral and spent several restful hours people-watching. The temperature was perfect. Read more
map, Honduras
Estelí
I had some difficulties related to traveling during Holy Week, but saw a procession for Good Friday. In Estelí, I visited a small one room museum about the Nicaraguan revolution and the Sandinistas.
I had been warned that the country slows down for Holy Week and that Thursday and Friday are particularly 
slow. On the advice of La Selva Negra staff, I took a taxi to Matagalpa (rather the the bus) . I planned to take the bus from Matagalpa to Estelí. However, all the buses had stopped running. I hired the driver to take us to Estilí. On the way, I saw tons and tons of coffee in bags waiting to be exported. I also saw an entire valley of rice.
In Estelí, I could only find one open restaurant. Everyone was in Read more
La Selva Negra
When I first hear about La Selva Negra, I did not think I wanted to go there. How improbable–a German resort in the middle of Nicaragua. But after several positive reports, I went. As anticipated, there were German tourists, but most of the guests were Nicaraguan. They take great pride in the resort and consider it a national destination.
La Selva Negra is a coffee plantation settled by German immigrants in the nineteenth century. The area reminded them of the Black Forest in their homeland. It now has a hotel, restaurant and resort accommodations. It is high in the mountains and encased in clouds. At 65 degrees, I felt chilly after living for weeks at 85 to 95 degrees. Read more
Matagalpa
The Museo de Cafe is interesting and the town has an authentic feeling untouched by tourism. Ruben Dario, a famous poet, was born here.
I took a taxi to Moyagalpa on the north end of the Island of Ometepe, took a ferry to San Jorge, a taxi to Rivas, a local bus to the capitol, Managua, and an express bus to Matagalpa. Matagalpa is about 2,000 feet in altitude and considerably cooler than the coast. The town is nestled in the mountains and is a center for coffee shipments.
I stayed in the Hotel Alvarado. My hosts are very friendly. The family is a family of physicians. Both Noe Garcia and his wife are physicians as well as a father, mother, aunt, uncle, son and grandson. There is variability in the rooms; we got the one under construction.
Isla de Ometepe
I am floating on my back in Lake Nicaragua. I slowly tread water with my arms and legs. My nose, mouth and eyes are above water. The cool water feels good after the hot humid afternoon. I open my eyes and see the new moon shining above in the clear, blue sky. I turn my head to the right and see the older volcano. I turn my head to the left and see the newer volcano. This is Isla de Ometepe.
I took a ferry from Granda to the Isla de Ometepe. The ferry left almost two hours late and took about four hours Read more
Granada
After being away from home for a month, Grenada was a good time to catch up. I stayed at the hotel Patio del Malineche in the colonial area. The city was built by the Spanish in the 1500s. The hotel claims the foundation stones for the first courtyard are original. They are basalt and certain look like the could be that old. An American, William Walker, seized power in Nicaragua during the late 1800s and ordered the city burned in his hasty retreat.
They have good Internet access and the operating system supports AJAX, so I could access the website I needed. It was fun to walk around and look at the old buildings and churches.
San Jose
From Tortuguero, I took a 5 a.m. boat ride to connect with a bus to take a bus to take a bus to San Jose. I didn’t see much of San Jose because I took a 5 a.m. international bus in the morning to Granada, Nicaragua.
Scam? When I first arrived in San Jose, a taxi driver immediately latched on to us and said the international bus terminal had moved and the hotel we planned to stay at would put us too far away for a morning departure. He recommended another hotel that would be closer to the new terminal.
I had read in the guide book and been warned Read more
Tortuguero
Tortuguero is in the middle of nowhere on the Costa Rican Caribbbean coast. You can only get there by boat or plane. There are lots of tourists here–more tourists than turtles.
I rented a canoe and went on an aquatic trail early in the morning in the Parque Nacional Tortuguero. Part of the trail is closed to motors, so I left the tourists behind. The channel narrows and finally ends. In places, I had to squeeze the canoe under Read more
Moin to Tortuguero
I took the four-and-a-half hour boat ride from Moin to Tortuguero. It is a long ride but very interesting. It follows a combination of rivers and banana canals. There are lost of birds and crocodiles. I paid $35.
Playa Bonita
I passed through Puerto Limon and stayed at Playa Bonita. There is a pretty beach there (of course) and I had a nice swim. I stayed at Hotel Cococi; it had a great view of the beach and surfers. The restaurant was good with comidas tipicas.
Manzanillo
I awakened in the Cabina in Manzanillo to the sound of a male monkey asserting his domain. I could hear the surf pounding against the shore and the birds singing. Manzanillo is a sleep, quiet town at the end of a dusty, bumpy road. No banks or Internet. It has one restaurant and a snorkel shop. A perfect place to chill, relax and take in the tropical breezes.
Beyond Manzanillo, I hiked into the Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Gandoca-Manzanillo. It was wet, hot and humid–a swampy, tropical jungle. It was full of Read more
map, Costa Rica
I entered Costa Rica in the southeast from Bocas del Toro. I went east of Puerto Viejo to Manzanillo, then north to Playa Bonita. After that, north to Tortuguero on the northern coast and on to San Jose.
leaving Panama, arriving Costa Rica
I took an exciting boat ride along a banana canal from Bocas to Changinola. From there, I took a micro-bus to the border and walked across the railroad trestle across the river that marks the frontier between the two countries. A couple of bus rides later, I was at the end of the road in Manzanillo, the most southeastern point in Costa Rica.
Bastimentos
I went to Bastimentos because Bocas Town has a reputation as being loud and noisy, especially at night. The Island was tropical delight, but evening music followed me.
The Island has a small town of the same name. A sidewalk runs the length of the town. There are no cars. People don’t seem to do much of anything–except party at night. Originally they were banana workers that moved from Jamaica but after the Panamanian banana blight, they were out of work. In any event, there are private parties at night with large loudspeakers broadcasting music across the Island. 
Unfortunately, it’s not reggae, just bass, techno drums and yelling (regga?). I stayed at Beverly’s Hill in their “premier” accommodation–a two-story hut at the very top of a long hill. It had a hammock on the balcony with a great view. Read more
People on the Bus
I spent a long day taking buses and water taxis to Bastimentos. On the way, I saw a family of indigenous people moving their household.
I had a long travel day from the cloud-forest cabin to the tree-house hut on the Island. I awoke early and hiked through the jungle and spotted a pair of quetzales. I saw a total of six in several days. At 10 a.m., I put my luggage in the four-wheel drive and slowly made it down the volcano. I hiked to the bus 
stop and took a three-hour bus ride to David. From there, I took another bus back over the Highlands to Almirante near Changuinola. In David, I noticed the roof of the bus was piled high with burlap bags. It turned out a family was moving. My guess is they had been picking coffee beans and were returning to their homes. They even had a dog tied to the roof. Read more
Cerro Punto
Above Cerro Punto and Guadalupe is a charming international park. The jungle is dense, dark and exotic. Birds, including the quetzales, live in abundance. The air is cool. It’s called a cloud-forest (rather than a rain-forest).
I liked the coolness of Boquete, but not the widespread tourist development, so I headed to Guadalupe, a small settlement above Cerro Punto on the north side of Volcan Baru. I rented a 
cabin in the mountains at 7,000 feet in altitude, located inside Parque International La Amistad. The park spans both Panama and Costa Rica, hence its name. Read more
Boquete
Boquete is a small town in a picturesque setting. Volcan Baru hovers over the town while Rio Caldera sweeps through it. The coffee tastes great. The large construction projects, gated communities and large tourism industry take away some of the charm.
After baking in the tropical sun of Panama City, Boquete was a genuine relief. Because of its altitude and frequent clouds and mist, Boquete is cool, particularly in the evening.
We toured the Cafe Ruiz coffee operations for half-a-day and became coffee snobs. Read more
Sunday, March 9, Costa Rica
I am now in San Jose, Costa Rica and am going to Grenada, Nicaragua tomorrow. I spent several days in Manzanillo and then went to Playa Bonita and Tortoguero.
In Panama, I
- spent two weeks studying Spanish in Panama City,
- went to the highlands near Volcan Baru to visit coffee planations and spot tropical birds, and
- went to an island near Bocas del Toro to walk isolated beaches.
Note, to edit my sidebar, I need a computer that can handle AJAX and Web 2.0. Maybe someday soon.
the Bus and the economy
We took an eight-hour bus ride from Panama City to David. It was a double decker, air-conditioned and comfortable. They played movies, El Perro Bombero and some remake of Dracula Meets Frankenstein (?¡). We stopped in David for the night and took the “school” bus to Boquete. It was packed with people with luggage hanging out the back. I was disappointed there were no chickens.
Riding the bus game me time to observe:
- Panama is about the size and population of West Virginia Read more
Casco Viejo
Also known locally as San Felipe, this is the second “old city.” After Panama Viejo was ransacked by the English, the Spanish movd their settlement here. Much of the neighborhood is still in ruins. The tourist police have set up a protected tourist area. Several restaurants, art galleries and redevlopment projects are underway. Also, the next James Bond movie is being filmed here, so a portion of the neighborhod was reconstructed (to look like Quito??). The Presidential Palance is also here with its characteristic herons.
Homestay with Paella
Part of learning Spanish is interacting with people outside of school. The immersion program includes living with a family. We stayed with Angeles, an 84 year-old woman. She told us the story of her life “her destiny.” She was born in Valencia, Spain. I calculate in 1923. When she got married, she and her husband wanted to see the “Americas” and took a honeymoon in Buenos Aires. They didn´t go back. After living there for many years, they moved to Peru. After 15 year sin Peru, the political situation changed and they moved to Panama in 1986. Read more
SpanishPanama
I give Spanish Panama high marks. I learned a lot, found the teacher friendly and competent. and the environment suitable for learning. The school administration and staff were uniformly friendly, flexible and helpful. Most students take individual lessons (one-on-one) and that may be the way to go. The first day, I was in a class with other students who had little or no exposure to Spanish study. While I can use almost any review, this was not particularly challenging. The second day, we changed to smaller classes Read more
School Days
I wake up to the sound of the city and morning bird cackles. Breakfast is routinely served at 8 a.m. Eggs scrambled with ham, toast, a plate of fruit and coffee. We sit on the apartment veranda overlooking the city and in between the high rises, we can see the canal towers in the distance near the mountains. We walk about ten minutes down the hill to the school, take class for two hours, take a one hour break for lunch at one of the local restaurants and return for two more hours of class. Usually the first session is difficult with lessons in grammar and verb conjugation. The afternoon drifts into conversation and learning new words. Read more
Pipeline Road
I went to Panama Rainforest at Pipeline Road, a discovery center and tower that just opened in January. The Audubon Society counted the most species of birds during a 24-hour period here. We arrived in the dark and had some difficulty finding the place and getting past the entrance fence. In the dark, various animals scurried in front of the taxi headlights while a constant din of animals and monkeys filled the air. I kept saying, “Asi es un jungle.” The taxi driver said, “No, es un Congo.” Read more
Panama Vieja
Panama City has two “old towns.” The first, Panama Vieja, was ransacked by the English pirate, Sir Henry Morgan in the sixteenth century. There are some ruins that are being restored.
They also have a gallery of local crafts and a fruit stand. I ate the best pineapple of my life at the fruit stand, a smallish size fruit, skinned and sliced as I watched and placed in a plastic bag.
the Canal
I visited the Mira Flores Locks of the Panama Canal, located about 10 kilometers outside the City. It is indeed impressive to see monster, “PanaMax” size ships entering the locks with roughly a meter of clearance on either side. There are several locks that raise the ships to canal and then lake level. Then they make their way to the Caribbean side and through another series of locks. It takes only minutes for the large basins to fill, “in less time than it takes to fill your bathtub,” and the enormous ship goes up about a meter a minute.
tropical
To say Panama is tropical is redundant, but it is tropical. Luckily, there is a breeze from the Pacific Ocean. It is hot and humid here. But, I at the best pineapple I have ever eaten. The water is good to drink. The city is lively with about 1.5 million people, half the 3 million citizens of the country.
weigh-in
My luggage weighed in at 48 pounds with 30 in my backpack and 18 in my knapsack. My knapsack is almost all photographic equipment and there is probably another 5 to 6 pounds in the backpack. So, my weight is about evenly divided between clothing and photos equipment.
I want to get photos of wildlife, specially birds in the wild. This means my 8-inch, 300mm telephoto plus a 1.7x teleconverter. This also means, I nee a tripod and ballhead. The combined magnification will be about 765mm. The ballhead features panoramic capabilities, so I can snap photos like my good friend, Larry.
map, Panama
The Pacific Ocean is to the south and the Caribbean Sea to the north.
Smithsonian
We went by taxi to the Punta Calebra Nature Center associated with the Smithsonian. It is located at the entrance to the Panama Canal. For many years, it was in military use and had not been developed; it is now a refuge for marine life and dry forest. We saw large iguanas, osprey and frigates. We visited the aquarium. From the point, we could see ships waiting for their turn to enter the canal.
Nearby, we saw a panoramic view of the Panama City skyline and large yachts in the harbor.
Panamanian attractions
The biggest attractions of Central America are climate, ability to practice Spanish, multiplicity of countries, natural wonders and interesting cultures. I hope to see a lot.
- the Panama Canal (of course)
- coffee plantations in Chiriqui Highlands
- Bocas del Toro seashore and coral reef
- birds along Pipeline Road
on arrival
We arrived in Panama City late at night and stayed at an airport hotel, El Hotel Riande Aeropuerto. In the morning, one of the teachers from the school took us to our home-stay. We are staying in a large apartment in downtown Panama City; it has three bedrooms, two baths, a living room, a dining room and two verandas. Our hostess is an 84-year-old woman from Valencia, Spain. She has lived in Argentine and Peru, as well as Panama. Her Spanish is very good. She is interesting and patient. She volunteers at the Hospital in the Canal Zone. Read more
map Central America
Here is a map of Central America showing the six countries I hope to visit.
Next Trip Scheduled — Central America
In the first week in February (a week from Thursday), I fly to Panama City to begin my next trip. I will spend a couple of weeks in the City studying Spanish in an immersion program. After that, it’s north and west–Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Not sure I will make it to Belize this trip.
Originally, I was focused on Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, but became disenchanted when I learned it was the rainy season. I didn’t want to exchange the cold rain of Oregon for the hot rain of South America. Read more