Central America - fascinating, unique, different!

Central America? What do we know about it really? Banana republic? Wasn´t that a country in Africa? Those interested in politics might have heard of the Sandinistas and the Iran-Contra-Affair. And, of course, everyone knows the Panama Canal. But what else?

We didn´t know much either but we´d heard from other travellers that the highland area of Guatemala with all the various indigenous people was even more authentic and colourful than Chiapas in the southern part of Mexico. Others, who had travelled along the Pan-American Highway from South America northwards, told us that they didn´t like Central America - too much corruption and too many police checks! So, is it worth going down there?

We have been travelling around the North American continent since 2003, so we couldn´t really leave out Central America when we are so close. Over the last few years we have been thinking of coming down but there was always something that came up and stopped us. By spring of 2011 we started planning a trip for the winter of 2011-2012 and when our friends Helmut and Agnes found out, they said they´d join us. We made arrangements to meet them in Arizona. We drove south from Canada where we´d spent the summer and Helmut and Agnes shipped their motor home from Hamburg to Baltimore.

We hope that the wonderful photos and experiences will be an inspiration to others because Central America is fantastic!