Letter 11.12.95
We are 6 months into our jouney having clocked up 23,300 miles and as many experiences. Mostly having a great time, but there have been odd occasions when we'd have rather been some place else. The Honduras border post was one of them, where we were forced to pay $52 for 'services rendered', ie some grubby official filling in a form. Also while in Hoduras, a 'security guard' kept waking us up during the night so we'd know he was there and be sure to give him a big tip in the morning.
We had a rather sobering experience in Guatemala city when a fellow traveller had her 4x4 Isuzi Trooper stolen out of a security parking lot. All her belongings were in the vehicle and she was left with what she wore. We vowed solemnly to take more care of our van. We have extra locks for the doors, bars on the windows, electrical and fuel cut offs and try to be as cautious as possible. We had one comical incident when an old man, drunk beyond oblivion made a feeble lunge at Alan's camera and fell flat on his face.
Some of the highlights of our trip in Central America have been the rather laid back Carribean town of Placencia in Belize where we snorkeled the Barrier Reef, watched Dolphins from a pier at sunset and saw the most 'un-British' of cricket matches: Local Rastafarians drinking beer on the field, bowling to the sounds of Reggae. It was GREAT!
While in Guatemala, after visiting the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal, deep in the jungle, we spent 5 days on a cattle ranch. The place was alive with travellers and the buffet dinner by candlelight a real treat! We hiked to river caves and plunged from an underground waterfall into the deep dark pools below, lit only by candlelight. It was a great experience.
Also in Guatemala is the magical town of Antigua where we spent a week at a Spanish school improving our means of communication. The town is built in the colonial style and very quaint. We explored all the sights by bike and enjoyed a good many restaurants. I tasted the best yoghurt on earth at the restaurant Dona Luisa. West of Antigua are the natural hot springs of Fuentas Georgina's and we spent some time on the volcanic splopes soaking up the warmth.
Honduras has some magical islands and we spent a few days on Utilla, snorkeling and relaxing. This is one of the cheapest places in the world to get your PADI certificate and so the place is teaming with foreigners and dive schools. We are quite content to just snorkle on the reefs and see the amazing array of fish and corral.
The terrain in Central America is amazing, during the morning you could be travelling along palm fringed beaches under bright humid skies and by the afternoon be in mist enshrouded volcanic mountains. Everday is a surprise for us. The mountains have the advantage of fewer sandflies and mosquitoes and we escape there when the itching gets too much!
We have come across very few camp sites and so have to either camp out or take a hotel. Most times we just use the room for a shower and sleep in the van. Its much more comfortable and familiar. We tend to cook most of our food in the van and occasionally eat out at 'hygenic' resaurants. The USA has a profound influence here and you can find hamburgers, fried chicken, donuts and Coca-cola everyhere!
We will be in either Nicaragua or Costa Rica for Alan's birthday and Christmas. Right now, we are trying to get a Panomanian visa for Alan which we've been told could take up to 30 days so it seems bureaucracy dictates again!
We have been fortunate enough to encounter another VW heading south and have made plans to meet up with a canadian couple along the way. We also keep meeting the same backpackers in popular spots and have long chats about our travels.
We hope to get to Columbia by mid-January and then its south all the way!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE
Postcard 15.12.95
We are now deep in the heart of Central America, both Belize and Guatemala were marvelous. We enjoyed the laid back lifestyle of the Carribean in Belize. The beaches and snorkeling were great! In Guatemala we met wonderful people and enjoyed the colonial town of Antigua. Honduras is a little disappointing, we were ripped off at the border by officials and so won't be staying as long. We head to Nicaragua to await Alan's Panama visa (which could be 30 days!).
ENJOY THE FESTIVE SEASON EVERYONE!
Tracy & Alan
Part I: An Introduction to Alan and Tracy's journey
Part II: Canadian Capers
Part III: Not such Bad Lands
Part IV: Northern Exposure
Part V: Southward Ho!
Part VI: Hooray for Hollywood!
Part VII: Tempest Trouble
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