And now on to the last leg of our trip

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As I mentioned in the last update, we flew from Ecuador to Panama on 26 May 2009 on our penultimate flight of the trip. Leaving Ecuador marked the end of our South American leg and as our passports were scrutinised by customs officials at the airport, it also became the most difficult Country to leave! I can’t imagine who the customs staff thought we were as we just had our scruffy back packs and looked like typical “gringos” on holiday but as they tried in earnest to peel our passport pictures away from the paper backing, all we could was stand back and watch in horror!

After a lengthy delay in customs we just reached the boarding gate in time when Deep was told by the air stewardess that he should step to one side as the bag he’d already checked in needed to be searched by the police! We were both really worried and confused so when the stewardess told me to continue on to the plane without Deep, I told her that I wasn’t going anywhere and would not be leaving him alone!

Deep and I both followed the airline representative down a flight of stairs and through a long corridor finishing at the loading bay for the aircraft. We didn’t know what to think as neither of us had ever been through such an experience! It was only when we arrived at the loading bay that we realised it wasn’t just Deep’s bag that was being searched by police but a random sample of other passengers from the flight too. It was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen as police officials (clearly on a “power trip”) searched causally through the pre-checked luggage of passengers!

Anyway, after a rather stressful exit from Ecuador (and no illegal jems, jewels or narcotics in our bag!) the flight to Panama was only about 1 hour. As soon as we stepped out of the plane we noticed the heat and humidity. Whilst some parts of South America had been humid, the intensity on Panama literally took your breath away.

We decided to first visit Panama City which is said to be the most cosmopolitan of all Central American cities and, as you would expect, is as diverse as any major city. On the drive from the airport we passed through some of the “new” city with its stunning glass sky rise buildings, dazzling shopping malls and numerous bars, restaurants and night clubs. After about 40 minutes we began to enter the “old” town “Casco Viejo” which sits in stark contrast to its modern counterpart.

Casco Viejo is a magical and enchanting area of the city consisting of ancient dilapidated buildings and narrow cobblestone paths leading to old churches and plazas. The city is seeped in history and whilst it is still being regenerated by rich property developers there is still a certain charm about its rugged edges. At nearly every corner you can see how old and new blend together as young children play amongst the crumbling ruins whilst their grandparents sit quietly in a rocking chair in a cool breeze.

Of course no visit to Panama is complete without a trip to the famous Panama canal. Upon arrival at the Miraflores Locks we realised the sheer size of the canal and saw in earnest the scale of the operation there. We were lucky enough to see a big ship pass through the locks and the masses of water that is dispersed during the process. To help keep the vessel straight and stable as it passes through the canal, small cars with pulleys attached to the ship run along side on tracks. It is truly an engineering marvel.

Central America gave us our first real flavour of the local “chicken” buses which transport people to and from place to place. The buses are generally old American school buses which are now used in place of the more comfortable buses we have in the UK! To give you an idea of the conditions on these buses, here are a few choice words to describe them (not a definitive list!);

- Hot (literally boiling as there is no ventilation until the bus starts to move)
- Cramped (the buses are made for about 30 school children but somehow they manage to fit about 50 adults on to the bus!)
- Sweaty (especially under a local’s armpit!!)
- Noisy (kids, adults and animals all in one vehicle is always going to be noisy!!)

Unlike South America and parts of Asia, chicken buses are really the only way to travel around Central America. There are no long distance buses so you end up having to take several (usually 5 or more) local buses to get any where. Our travelling experience was certainly enriched by our chicken bus experiences and in fact, on one journey, I ended up holding a local woman’s baby girl for about an hour or so which was brilliant fun!

From Panama city we took several chicken buses to Boquete which is a small mountain valley further north. The climate is much cooler there and as such it’s a great base for walking / hiking in the mountains. Boquete is known for it’s coffee and fruit plantations and numerous outdoor activities. During our time in Boquete we walked the "Sendero Quetzales" trail which took us up higher in to the mountains and past beautiful waterfalls and countryside. As we had arrived in Panama during rainy season we were unfortunate enough to get absolutely soaked during the latter part of the hike which in the end turned out to be quite fun as we were literally wet through from the rain shower!

From Boquete we moved on to the Bocas del Toro islands which are one of the main tourist destinations for travellers. We took a rather bumpy speed boat ride out to Isla Colon which is the largest and most developed of the islands. It’s a laid back Caribbean place where the locals generally speak English and Bob Marley is played on every stereo. Upon arrival we found a great little hostal and booked up a boat trip for the following day during which we got to see dolphins and do some amazing snorkelling. During our day trip on the boat we also visited “red frog” island and got to see some beautiful bright red tiny frogs which inhabit the Island.

From Panama we moved on to Costa Rica (staying on the Caribbean side) and after a rather long day of travelling (boat, taxi, 4 buses, taxi) we reached Talamanca where we sampled the local red snapper for dinner. We hired bikes and cycled to Manzinillo which is about 13kms away and did some snorkelling and swimming in the Caribbean sea. We stayed on the coast for a few days during which we travelled further norther to Cahuita, a slightly quieter beach town, to explore the national park.

We travelled on to San Jose and then to Monetzuma which is another cute beach town along the coast. We did some more snorkelling there and got to see some amazing sea life in the crystal blue sea.

From Panama we travelled overland to Nicaragua and arrived initially on Isla de Ometepe. Unfortunately the weather was pretty bad with persistent rain so we didn’t get to climb one of the two volcanoes on the Island. Rather than get soaked for any longer than necessary we decided to move on quickly to Granada, a cosmopolitan city which offered us some more of the comfort we were looking for. We decided to treat ourselves and went out for dinner over several (really cheap) mojitos which was lovely!

During our time in Granada we climbed up a nearby volcano (Volcan Mombacho) which is a steep hike up a paved path offering fantastic views of the surrounding area. The climb down was just as challenging as the path felt nearly vertical in some places!! It was nice to get out and see more of the area though and we enjoyed the challenge of the climb.

From Granada we moved on to Leon and then on to Matagalpa where we did a great hike up in to the mountains. The path was very remote and passed through several small hamlets which proved to be a great way to practice our Spanish! During our walk we got to chat to four small old ladies working over a massive kiln in which they were heating up breads they had made earlier that day. The countryside was beautiful and whilst the walk was a challenge due to the heat of the day it was certainly worth while when we reached the peak!

Our next stop was Honduras which involved a rather long, arduous journey using 5 different buses and several taxis! It took the whole day but we arrived in to Honduras (Tegucigalpa) before moving on to Lago de Yojoa the following day. We were looking forward to staying at the hostal in Lago de Yojoa as it’s actually a micro brewery which offers guests the chance to try locally brewed ales (Deep's favourite!). Unfortunately when we arrived at the hostal the owner was on holiday so there was none of the local ale ready to sample but never the less, it was a nice place to stay for a couple of days.

We ended up with no choice but to stay in Lago de Yojoa in the end due to the well reported political coup taking place throughout Honduras at the time. Luckily, as we were very remote, we didn’t see any of the demonstrations in person and were only affected because the transport system locked down so we couldn’t move on when we wanted to. We eventually managed to get a local bus out of Lago de Yojoa and after a couple of days long travelling we managed to reach the beautiful Island of Roatan.

We went to the carribean Island of Roatan mainly so I could learn to do my Open Water Diving qualification (Deep already has his). After finding a great place to stay with a French lady and her son, I enrolled on to the next available diving course starting the next day! I was lucky because I had one to one instruction for my Open Water course so I ended up having longer in the water and more time to practice my "skills" underwater. The diving was awesome with plenty of sea turtles and beatufiul tropical fish.

On the last day of my diving course (6th July), after my final examination, Deep and I went for a picnic out on one of the deserted piers used for summer diving expeditions. With us both being foodies, Deep had surprised me with various different foods for our picnic and as I had my eyes closed he presented me with something different each time. It’s only when he said “….and this is because I want to spend the rest of my life with you” that I realised he was in fact proposing!! I was absolutely gob-smacked and of course I said “yes”!

We celebrated by spending a couple of days in a nearby hotel that Deep had secretly booked for us and by having a posh seafood meal. We of course told everyone we knew there in Roatan too!! We had decided to keep our news quiet from family and friends until we returned to the UK which was a challenge to say the least as we were both so excited about it!! I think Dad had a hard time keeping it quiet as Deep had asked for his permission so he was the only one at home who knew! (well done Dad!).

It goes without saying that Roatan was a very special place for us and whilst we didn’t want to leave we had to move on to Mexico to finish off the last leg of our trip. I will never forget the way Deep proposed to me and the magical setting over looking the carribean sea.

We had a hard few days travelling ahead of us over land up through Belize and on to Mexico on the carribean side. We got over the Hondurian boarder to Belize and then stayed for 1 night in a horrible little coackroach infested hostel on the border between Belize and Mexico. Despite all of the travelling it was well worth the effort because we ended up in an all inclusive hotel by the sea just outside of Playa del Carmen. The food and accommodation where excellent and we did nothing but just chill out by the beach for 10 days!

Following our very relaxing time in the all inclusive we flew from Cancucn over to Mexico City and, feeling ready to come home, boarded our 9.30pm flight back to London Heathrow.

Where has the time gone?...

We can’t believe we are now back in the UK and how quickly the time has gone. We feel privileged to have had such a wonderful experience and one which we will never forget. We left the UK as boyfriend and girlfriend and have arrived back engaged to be married. Duriong our trip we've been lucjy enough to see some of the world’s most amazing natural wonders, climb beautiful mountains and swim in crystal blue waters.

I will never forget standing in front of the Taj Mahal or scaling the side of an active volcano in Chile. Bungee jumping in to a canyon in New Zealand and eating Green curry in Thailand. Some of our favourite times were just being together in the car driving the open road.

What we have learnt...

Life is short - live each day as if it’s your last. Enjoy your family and friends and take nothing for granted.

Adios Chicos!!

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