Blogs from Central America Caribbean - page 7

We didn’t have to wake at the crack of dawn but still had time for a walk with Dorie down the road before breakfast.t On that walk we found THREE new lifers – a type of martin and 2 pigeons!! We were back to eat Dona Rita’s lovely breakfast, this time fruit (mango, watermelon, papaya, kiwi) and watermelon juice, omelettes with cheese and canned tuna (very tasty), and coffee from the Tico Keurig (see photo). Then we were off to La Tirimbina Lodge, where you can buy a day pass without a guide. Right away we saw a sloth and one howler monkey. We decided to do the longest trail, and that turned out to be the only one we did – it got incredibly hot even tho we started before 9. Didn’t see many birds ... read more

We are on vacation, so what do we do? We get up at 4:45!! We had our left-over fruit for breakfast and drove Puerta Viejo, about 30 minutes “further” along this road, to see birds by boat. Salamon our captain and Daniel, about 23, our guide, were wonderful, and we were the only ones on the tour that Wendy arranged (friends). First things first – there was a sloth slowly climbing along a wire!! On the water we saw a crocodile and NEW Mangrove Swallows, and NEW Buff-rumped warblers and THREE NEW Bare-throated Tiger Herons. Even some Long-nose bats hanging onto one of the many large logs in the river. Evidently the country has had a dry spell so the river was low – Daniel said that the rain could make the river rise up to ... read more

Up with the birds again and enjoyed some free time even before the breakfast miraculously appeared. It’s going to be scorcher today! The first photos hardly need explaining – banana trees, our deck with breakfast, flowers nearby, a lovely tree we dubbed the RAINBOW TREE, amazing bougainvilleas of all colors. The second set of mine include the natural fences that are everywhere. The soil must be so fertile – some take and grow into trees, some just stay dead sticks. We saw in the neighborhood a plot coffee plants. We drove about 2 hours north to our place #2 – the “ecolodge.” We went up up up, like the Road to Hana but with hills and no ocean. Sometimes there was only 1 lane, even though this is “national road # 126.” We were surprised to ... read more

While I was in the capital, my friend Carolyn was in Tikal, and then we continued our journey together to Antigua. This is a lovely old town, Unesco World Heritage site, and for a reason. There are so many beautiful buildings from 16th to 19th century with distinct architectural features, which our tour guide explained in detail (highly recommend Nelson from Guruwalk!). It used to be the capital, but after a major earthquake in 1773, the capital was moved to today's site. And when you look around, you'll see at least 3 volcanoes, one of which was very active, with smoke blowing up every day (but far enough from the city). We spent three days enjoying many, many lovely cafes, restaurants, various museums, including Museo de Cacao (ok, it's touristy, but it was a fun hour ... read more

What a lovely village! It's the only place where they won't sell land to outsiders, which makes it very authentic. It's an artsy place, which you notice as soon as you're off the boat, walking uphill on a narrow street with colourful stuff hanging above you. There are many murals, art galleries and art stores, and local handmade products such as traditional medicines, cosmetics, clothing, chocolates, etc. We visited a women's weaving co-op (Asociacion De Mujeres En Colores Botanico)where local women use old-style backstrap weaving techniques and natural colours to make traditional huipils (shirts) and other clothing, tablecloths, pillowcases (got one!), hair ribbon band (Carolyn got one!), and more. Then we had a nice (big) lunch at Alma De Colores, which is a project (including restaurant) that supports and hires people with disabilities. And finally, we ... read more