Central America - Summary:

Central America – Summary:

We travelled through Central America for a total of 2 months and visited 6 countries during that time. I experienced many weird and wonderful things and came to learn that random is the norm of everyday life of the local people. Health and safety was a term that would have given most of the locals a glazed look in their eyes if ever mentioned, as it simply doesn’t exist in most places, especially when it comes to their dodgy electrics! Travelling through Central America was tough at times and I was getting fed-up with lugging my heavy luggage around and having to spend a lot of time in very cramped minibuses. Although a wonderful place, I couldn’t wait for our American road trip where we could have our own car. This is my summary of highs and lows in Central America:

Best food: The best local food was at a place called Finca El Cisne (Honduras) where local ladies cooked traditional food for us. Also in Honduras was the chocolate cake in D&D Breweries which we couldn’t resist. El Castillo in Nicaragua served up the largest river prawns I’ve ever seen in my life and tasted really good with garlic butter! Learning how to make chalupas in San Cristobel (Mexico) was not only fun but also delicious. Last but not least was an Italian dinner with a view in Flores (Guatemala) where I had a tender (not very common in Central America) steak while watching the sunset over the lake.

   

Worst food: Our first impression of Guatemala was not a good one as our shuttle stopped at a restaurant for a quick breakfast on our way from Copan to Antigua. If bad cooking was an art, that particular restaurant had perfected it – everything tasted horrible! The mashed beans were burnt AND tasted of cardboard, the plastic cheese in my omelet wasn’t melted and the ham inside was cold. It came with a sausage that was probably boiled for a number of years and a dollop of white cheese which looked like something I’ve stepped in before. Yuck.

I’ve had some really good empanadas especially in South America although one in San Carlos, Nicaragua takes the crown as the worst I’ve ever had. Instead of wheat they used corn dough and produced a brilliant sample of a culinary nightmare after deep frying a frozen empanada for long enough that it soaked up at least a pint of 2^nd grade oil. I had to accompany the empanada safely to the nearest available bin after just one bite.

      

Favorite country: My favorite country was Guatemala as it had so much on offer: volcanoes, lakes, exciting activities, lots of wildlife, a beautiful colonial city and best of all, the local culture. Travelling through South America we hardly saw any colorful markets after exiting Bolivia as so many countries are now much more westernized which is a shame.

Worst accommodation: Our hotel room in San Carlos, Nicaragua looked like I felt that day (I was dry retching over a boat for most of our journey there after picking up a 24hr bug). The room was dark and dank with a large plastic bucket filled with water for flushing the toilet AND for using to have a shower. There was both an electricity and water cut which didn’t help matters. That place was so dirty even the cockroaches stayed away…   

Best City: I loved Antigua in Guatemala as it was a beautiful city with old Colonial buildings and towering volcanoes in the background. The city was clean and had many shops, restaurants, local markets, churches and ruins. A close 2^nd would be San Cristobel in Mexico which reminded me a lot of Antigua.

Worst City: Yet again San Carlos in Nicaragua. It ticked most boxes of what not to like in a city.

Best natural wonder: Glovers Reef in Belize was my favorite and still haunts my dreams. It was such a lovely place with picture postcard perfect palm lined beaches and colorful corals teeming with fish. I was hooked with all the activities on offer like kayaking, diving, snorkeling and last but not least fishing for big fish such as bonefish, barracudas or reef fish. I would go back tomorrow if I could!

I also loved Semuc Champey in Guatemala as it had much to offer. The pools viewed from the top of the mountain were cool both to look at and swim in while the water caves were thrilling. I walked and swam through a network of caves using only candles to light the way – great fun! To top it off, we stayed in a place called El Portal which had a view over the jungle and river. We could have breakfast while watching toucans have theirs!

Best manmade sight: The Tikal Ruins in Guatemala were very impressive with the large temples. To top off the experience was the abundance of wildlife around – it was like viewing ruins while in a zoo! We saw many toucans, monkeys (howler and spider) and other colorful noisy bird species.

Favorite activities: Spending a week relaxing, fishing, diving and kayaking on Glovers Reef in Belize was one of my favorite activities. I was like a little kid brimming with excitement with so many things to do. When I wasn’t active, lying in a hammock sipping a cold beer or coconut rum and watching the cute hermit crabs scurrying around was just as much fun.

The water caves in Semuc Champey which would have broken all first world health and safety rules was also a lot of fun. Also, catching my first ever sailfish in Costa Rica had my adrenaline pumping!

Worst journey: We had so many of them while travelling through Central America as their minibuses are just not made for tall Westerners. Most of the time I sat only on one very numb bum cheek while my knees where cramped up in the seat in front of me. Our journey from Semuc Champey to Rio Dulce however takes the prize as worst journey.

 Either the driver or conductor bought a few hundred chicken eggs which were piled on the back seat taking up two spaces. Again we were sardined up into the small minibus and as the sh*t covered eggs took up two spaces, the conductor had to sit the entire journey sitting half in and half out of the side window getting pelted by bugs while driving along the bumpy roads. At some point the cover keeping the eggs in their packaging came undone and one by one eggs crashed down onto the floor. Our bags underneath our seats were drenched in egg juice while the stench made people nauseous which resulted in a vomit-stop along the way.

   

Funniest moment: The monkeys and raccoons in Manuel Antonio (Costa Rica) stealing unsuspecting tourists’ food was very amusing. I couldn’t help but laugh after a family of raccoons stole a German woman’s food while she politely tried to shoo it away to no avail. The raccoons really didn’t give a toss and just kept on munching her food!

  

Biggest fright: This happened to me while snorkeling in Belize. I was happily swimming along minding my own business when I saw a big rock with a large overhang. Holding my breath I dove down to check underneath and nearly had a heart attack when I came face to face with a fish bigger than me! I’m not sure who had the biggest fright though as the fish darted back into its “lair”. It turned out that I was very lucky to have seen it though as it was a Jewfish which are quite rare.

Favorite animal(s): I saw a sloth for the first time ever while in Costa Rica and it is impossible not to like them especially seeing them up close. Like dolphins, they seem to have a permanent smile on their faces. They are very inquisitive and loving animals.  

The cheeky toucans remain another favorite as they are such beautiful birds with their long colorful beaks. Seeing them flying freely in the wild was very special and we couldn’t help but take many pictures.

Most disappointing moments: We were told by another fellow traveler that he had climbed a volcano and had the chance to poke a stick in molten lava. I was all over that idea and couldn’t wait to do so while in Antigua. However, after arriving there we discovered that the volcano had stopped spewing lava and all that was left was smoke. We came across the same situation while in Costa Rica re Vulcan Arenal. For some reason the volcano gods were definitely not on our side!

Most thrilling moment: The water caves in Guatemala was by far the most thrilling - many of our group freaked out especially after their candles started blowing out.

Will miss: I will miss Glovers Reef in Belize the most as it was just such a great place with its laid back lifestyle and beautiful scenery. Also, spotting either toucans or howler monkeys in random locations. Fresh fruit for breakfast is also high on my list followed by the warm climate and friendly people.

Won’t miss:  I really really really won’t miss lugging my heavy luggage around and getting into cramped up minibuses. Throwing toilet paper in a bin next to me and cold showers is also not something I will miss. Food was also not a highlight and I will definitely not miss eating tough meat with either rice & beans or corn tortillas. I also picked up a few ear infections while swimming in contaminated water which is something I will not miss.

Least privacy: Sharing a room with your partner in Central America can be very interesting especially some places where a thin curtain acted as the only separation between the toilet and the rest of the room. Eating dodgy food caused upset tummies on many occasions and let’s just say that there are no more secrets in our relationship…

Favorite village: My favorite village had to be El Castillo in Nicaragua. Although very small, the village had a lot of charm with wooden buildings built on top of the water. The locals there were very friendly and we didn’t see many other tourists which made for a nice change. There were many activities on offer which ranged from jungle hikes to canoeing in a traditional canoe. They also served up the massive river prawns which are the biggest I’ve ever seen.

Tips: If I can suggest a few things it would be to take Spanish lessons before visiting South and Central America. It would be easy enough doing it while there as one would get the best out of both worlds by learning the language while experiencing the culture. I really regret not doing so beforehand. Something else to consider is getting a pet parrot who you’ve trained to sit on your shoulder while saying “no gracias” non-stop, especially when visiting the local markets.