and the winner is ...

Our three-month tour of Central America is complete.  We drove through eleven borders, visited five countries, and enjoyed every moment except the border crossings.  We thought it would be fun to list what we consider the highlights of the trip.




 

Tikal, Guatemala

    Climbing impressive mayan pyramids
Coffee tour, Juayua, El Salvador

    Learning to appreciate and brew fine coffee

Copan Honduras

    Interpreting Mayan hieroglyphic

Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua

    Suffocating while staring down a glowing crater

Ojo de Agua, Ometepe, Nicaragua

    Swimming laps in a flowing crystal-clear spring

Ecotreat Lodge, Cerro Punta, Panama

    Looking for questzal in mystic Park Amistad

Whale sharks, off Coiba Island, Panama

    Diving with huge fish

Carnaval, Las Tablas, Panama

    Sharing energy with rivers of people

    Here we met the couple who wrote this a blog about it.  Click here

La Marea, Darien Province, Panama

    Making friends in the "Heart of Darkness"

    
We also selected our favorites in a few categories.  And the winners are:

Border crossing:  Nicaragua

        Choosing in this category is like choosing your favorite tooth extraction.
    Roads:  Nicaragua

        A combination of good road conditions and clear signs

     Small town:  Suchitoto, El Salvador

         Colorful, pretty, and pleasant.
     Local Food:  Gallo pinto

          Rice with black beans.  Available in different variations anywhere south of El Salvador.

    Fresh vegetable salad:  Bar baro, Leon, Nicaragua

        We craved for it, and were usually disappointed, except here.
    Local people:  El Salvador

        Smart, friendly and helpful.  Even the cops.

On our return, we confirmed that the

    Best Central Plaza (in all of North and Central America):  Oaxaca, Mexico.

To see a photo album of our trip, press Here.