After a brief overnight in the distinctly insalubrious Ocetepeque (a Honduran border town 15 minutes from El Salvador and 30 minutes from Guatemala) and a quick change of bus in Guatemala City and we arrived in Antigua. Our now much thumbed Lonely Planet describes Antigua as Guatemala if the Scandinavians took over. As this was our first stop we didn’t really have any references to properly assess the comment but there was little evidence of any Saabs or saunas. Antigua at first sight was a little worrying for us budget conscious travellers as the supposed cheap eats options were foun [View Full Entry]

---

---

Utila is known for being the cheapest place on earth to gain your PADI diving qualifications. However, it wasn’t the diving we’d come for but to snorkel on the world’s second largest reef. We had found Honduras a pretty inexpensive country with accommodation noticeably cheaper than Nicaragua. Although the Bay Islands carry their premium we found a cheap sea-facing balconied hostel with kitchen which enabled the finances to be kept on track. On Utila you never know quite whether to start a conversation with the locals in English or Spanish. English is the first language as [View Full Entry]

---

---

Ticabus did the job. We were whisked north across the border into Honduras and onwards to our next stop. The general advice on Honduras that we had received was to avoid it. Consequently images of a sun baked, treeless, rubbish filled, unfriendly and charmless place had been created in our minds. Instead we discovered a damp, verdant, cared for, hospitable and endearing land. We had jumped off Ticabus at Lago de Yojoa to be seamlessly connected by shuttle bus and then by something akin to a three wheeled go-cart to D&D’s Brewery the micro-brewery cum hostel that we had targeted for [View Full Entry]

---

---

As strangely normal as it was to have the parents with us it felt equally so to have them leave. The two weeks had worked out well. The travelling comfort that Costa Rica offers gave us the ideal relaxed and well managed setting to have the parents looked after and provided a good blend of entertainment options. An impressive wildlife tally realised, suntans achieved (bit crispy in places) and some good laughs had. A very nice way to spend a couple of weeks. From here we continued our journey north and back to Nicaragua. The thing that will really make our [View Full Entry]

---

---

When planning the itinerary for the parents we had thought hard about whether to include Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica’s most visited reserve. Reports were that although a stunning strip of sand on the Pacific coast the rush to capitalise on the tourist dollar had rendered it rather characterless and overtaken by a few too many hotels. However, what we discovered on arrival, after finally emerging from our seemingly endless road though a mega farm of palm trees - used for palm oil, was a rather less developed scene than envisaged. There was of course a fairly hefty hotel presence but in [View Full Entry]

---

---

Leaving La Fortuna and its cloudy volcano behind us we took to the dirt roads in our private transport (well parents need comfort) in search of our next stop about 1700m above sea level in Santa Elena. Like La Fortuna the once sleepy farming community of Santa Elena was now a honey-pot-site for any tourist or wildlife enthusiast who ventures into Costa Rica. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is the jewel in the crown of the Santa Elena locale. Along with this king of nature reserves the line up of potential attractions seemed more than adequate to keep us busy during [View Full Entry]

---

---

La Fortuna had apparently been a sleepy farming community until a rather spectacular eruption of its nearby volcano in 1968. Since then regular minor volcanic activity had drawn the tourists and catalysed the arrival of souvenir shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels and spas to service the predominantly American visitors. La Fortuna was really the first clear sign on our trip that the impacts of the financial crisis is global in the full sense of the word. Empty hotels, deserted restaurants and tour guides sweating on another day of no sales. The impact may have also been compounded by a recent ne [View Full Entry]

---

---

We had a day to prepare the ground in San Jose before the parents landed. They were due in late that evening so we dutifully lined up a sandwich and tropical fruits picnic for their arrival snack. Our evening at the airport proved entertaining as we lived the anguish of the taxi drivers. Those who had bookings firmly pressed their name cards against the windows of the arrivals area desperate for their targets not to be picked off by the airport's own taxi service. The joy when they were successful in their quest was akin to the arrival of a close [View Full Entry]

---

---

We had taken onboard a glowing recommendation from a Swedish couple that we’d met in Boquete to include three nights in Panama’s only cloud forest on our itinerary. A great opportunity to hone our wildlife spotting abilities ahead of Costa Rica and three nights for the price of two had us sold. Hostels can attract some very awkward blends of folk but equally they have an uncanny ability to provide an irresistible concoction of travellers with whom to share a beer or two. Lost & Found our tree house like home dished up the latter. A heavy helping of two very [View Full Entry]

---

---

After another overnight with our purple friends in David it was onwards to Panama City. As the canal was the only thing that we knew about Panama pre-arrival we had it embedded in our itinerary from day one. However, with the rest of the Central American capital cities that we had encountered so far leaving us less than enthused, we wondered what Panama’s capital would offer during our five night visit. Getting off of the bus when we arrived in Panama City's new substantial out of town transport hub felt different. The normal over anxious swarm of taxi drivers looking to [View Full Entry]

---

---