Centro América here I come

Well soon I am off on my second adventure for the year. Covid has a lot to answer for so I am quickly running out of travel years and my list of 'must do' places is forever growing.

I have been learning Spanish for a couple of years and although slowly getting there I know I have to be there face to face to be able to put it into practice. Spain is not on my list until I get old and go to Europe, I've done much of South America so the logical step was Central America where I am only going to the Spanish speaking countries.

The countdown is on and soon I will be lounging in the warmth of Antigua before I embark on a short volunteering stint in Antigua, Guatemala where I will be helping in an aged care facility. Just the ticket to practice my monosyllabic Spanish and where the residents wont know if I mess up the grammar.

I will then have a few days to hang out and will check out Lake Atitlan and the world famous Mercado de Chichiastenango, the biggest handicraft market in the world.

From there I join a simple tour which will literally organise my transport, accommodation and nothing else to take me down through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Short snippets in each place but more than anything an opportunity to practice the Spanish I have been learning and to give me a taste of how people live in these fascinating countries.

I'm hoping for a variety of experiences from old town Antigua where I can wander amongst old colonial buildings. It has one of the best examples of city planning in Central America where there is a basic grid plan. That will be one for the books. Oh did I mention that they have a chocolate museum? Oh I might have to visit and sample some of the world famous Guatemalan Chocolate before checking out some Copan ruins in Honduras. Maybe?

An opportunity to sample some Pupusa (griddle bread) will be the highlight in the drive through of El Salvador before we get to Suchitoto strategically overlooking the Emblase Cerron Grande (aka Lago Suchitan) which is a freshwater lake attracting multitudes of migrating birds. I hear there is a beach nearby and although I am not a beach person the thought of palm trees and a beer can only be a good idea.

Another stop in Honduras for lunch before we get to Nicaragua to explore Granada. There is an option to check out an active volcano - um maybe not for that one. I will sit in a cafe with the locals instead. I wont go swimming either as the area is known for sharks popping in for a snack. Ometepe Island is the next port of call where again we do beaches, soak up the sun and soak in natural springs.

Costa Rica is the next stop and here we have a few stops mainly checking out wildlife in the rain forests before heading to picturesque La Fortuna for some town life before relaxation in nature in the middle of a rainforest.

The last port of call of the tour is in San jose where we spend a day checking out the city.

Tour over I fly to Panama for a day. My only attraction is to go up the Panama Canal which I will do before flying back to Houston and homeward bound.

El Salvador and Honduras will be pretty much a drive through

From Costa Rica I go to Panama for a couple of days, only to do a stint up the canal. This trip is, for once, not a food trip but I am sure there will be morsels along the way that I will forever savour.

The initial plan was to then spend a few days in Havana, Cuba but because I am transiting through the States and there are many restrictions on travel to/from Cuba via the US (coupled with the fact that the Americans don't like people that have travelled through Iran) it got too hard and the plan was canned.

With the exception of the Caribbean and a few countries on north of South America I will have pretty much kicked off the America's. Only a few continents to go. As the saying goes, "so many places, so little time".

And so the bag is nearly packed and the anticipation grows. Follow along with me.