Blogs from Central America Caribbean - page 2146

Hola! Mailing to you during my 22 hour stopover in Heredia. I left Samara at 8.30 this morning, arrived in San Jose (my first visit to this place which can absolutely be missed...my walk from Coca-Cola bus terminal to the Central Park was enough) at 2.30 and have a few hours here with my first host family before I return to Samara tomorrow at 12.30 for my last week of language classes. The past few days have been quite dramatic and absolutely crazy, and probably my worst experience so far. My fellow chicas Rachel and Alex are both leaving this tuesday, so sudden!! Alex has had medical problems ever since she arrived here 4 weeks ago and it hasn´t gotten better, there were actually two occasions it was so bad she had to go to Emergency ... read more

bus stops bus stops, for the backpacker they never seem to end and the bus never seems to arrive. Here we wait on the road for manuel antonio for the next buss.... read more

Does anybody know what gunshots sound like? 'Cause I swear, last night there was a shootout going on in the neighbourhood around our hostel last night. It doesn't make any sense at all, we're in what is probably Honduras' biggest tourist destination, a sleepy but prosperous little colonial town on the border of Guatemala, known primarily for being right next to the ruins of one of the major Mayan cities. We've been here for three days while Vanessa was recovering from a bit of fever, and the people here have struck me as leading as peaceful and relaxed a life as anywhere we've been so far this trip. I don't know, maybe it was the bikers. See, last night there was some kind of fiesta going on in town. There was a little charity event just ... read more

Robbed on our way to the world's most famous pick pocket festival Antigua during Semana Santa is known for thieves and pick pockets. One of the locals told me that the number of "tourists" from El Salvador and other parts of the country that congregate here in the week prior to the festivities is getting more and more alarming. "They aren't here for the parades or the parties and anyone who lives here can tell exactly who they are," she told me. "Antigua is so small, everyone knows one another. It makes me nervous to see all these shifty types everywhere." This was no news to us. We've heard all there is to hear about separating your valuables, never letting your bag go, keeping your eye on the zippers, especially in crowded places like markets and ... read more

Mmmm...Guatemala. At this moment I feel that I might be beginning to have a love affair with this country. "Third time´s a charm," right? Even though I am blasting through here at lightning speed and visiting cities I´ve already seen, I am totally captivated. Not that Guatemala is an idyllic paradise...its flaws are perhaps even more glaring because of the extreme beauty that it contrasts...but it is impossible not to be won over by this country. Both Antigua and Xela are colonial cities with all the European charm of cobblestoned streets, Baroque facades, lively plazas, and flowering gardens artistically adorned with sculptures and fountains. The central plazas at night, with the uplighting on the grandiose cathedrals, columned walkways, and pillared municipal buildings, hold a certain romanticism -- enhanced by the occasional horse-drawn buggy strolling by and ... read more