|
by Clare Johns
Special to Tropical Breeze
Well I took my Tropical Breeze on a trip
to Central America. It was really much more than a trip. It was an
adventure! It was two weeks with OATs (Overseas Adventure Travel)
through San Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. The trip was
to cover the Route of the Maya. (Copan, Tikal, Caracol and Yaxha)
That turned out to be just a small part of the adventure.
It began with a tour through the city of
San Salvador. We couldn't see the cathedral as students were
protesting their right for free speech and burning tires in the
streets.
Our walk-on guide took us to his home to
sample his Mom's tamales ("Mmm good!!")and show us how they were
made. They were delicious and I plan to make them really soon.
Unemployment in this country is high
— 34% — and people sell just everything on the streets
to survive. One hundred oranges could be purchased all over for
$2.
The border crossing to Honduras was an eye
opening experience. As we approached within a mile of the border
there were large tractor trailers all lined up along the street.
Our guide Carlos told us that it takes many of them up to two weeks
to cross as they inspect everything. Vendors are set up all over
and men hooked hammocks under their rigs and slept. We crossed over
into Guatemala rather easily.
After a night's stay in Guatemala City we
headed to the highlands and delighted in its beauty and people.
There were hundreds of "Chicken Buses" all through the mountains.
These buses have received a new life. They started in the U.S. as
school buses and made their way to Guatemala and have been refitted
and used for transportation through the highlands. They are very
colorful and are driven at great speeds around the curves, picking
up as many people as they can, taking them to market with their
chickens, veggies, blankets, etc.
To our complete surprise Carlos took us to
the depot, told us to get off our bus and gave us a few coins and
before we knew it we were on a bus traveling along the Chicken Bus
route. They cut each other off to get the most customers and there
were more than 60 people on this bus. It was quite an adventure to
say the least.
The people of Guatemala have had a long
road to get where they are today with help from many countries.
Their civil war for many years really hurt. Many countries have
helped them. (eg. Spain with electricity, Canada with the mail, the
Cartel with their roads, etc.)
I was introduced to the zip line and that
was a thrill to behold. After going over six hanging bridges and
climbing among the trees to the top of the canopy you were hooked
up on this wire and zipped along the tree tops. I didn't look
pretty but I did it and got to the bottom after a series of seven
zip lines. I'm sure it was beautiful but I had my eyes closed most
of the time hoping for the best
I did see lots of spider monkeys and they
flew through the air with the greatest of ease. One night in
Antigua I was sitting on my bed reading and this weird feeling of
being on a magic carpet swept over me.
Wow, this is an earthquake I said to
myself… scary! A short time later a loud boom. Sure enough
the next morning we heard it was a 4.5 on the Richter scale and it
made headlines in the local paper
We were nine miles from the epicenter We
flew to Tikal and it was awesome. There were no heads rolling down
the steps like they were in Mel Gibson's Movie "Apocalypto."
Then we were off to the rainforest of
Belize. We traveled on dirt roads for many hours and arrived at the
Five Sisters Lodge. I had my own thatched hut on a cliff that
overlooked five waterfalls. It was truly the most beautiful
experience. There was a small tram that took us up and down I never
wanted to leave this place of wonder.
Well that's my adventure.
|
Front Page 
News 
