Sixteen Days In Central America
May 11, 2019, 10:50 pm
#46
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
Fabulous TR as always with amazing pictures and information. Big bonus for a quick visit to Amsterdam!!
in USA, there is always a lot of frightening media information in the New York Times press, with regards to Central America, so it was nice to see your TR because I’m quite afraid to go there. The long overland bus journeys felt long but I have felt spoiled by ICE in Germany.
How is the coffee? I worry that you have too much coffee and not enough time to drink it all!
the chocolate factory looked quite fun.
in USA, there is always a lot of frightening media information in the New York Times press, with regards to Central America, so it was nice to see your TR because I’m quite afraid to go there. The long overland bus journeys felt long but I have felt spoiled by ICE in Germany.
How is the coffee? I worry that you have too much coffee and not enough time to drink it all!
the chocolate factory looked quite fun.
. Yes, the quick trip in Amsterdam was alot of fun and a bit surreal too. Like being teleported back to one of your old memories for only a brief moment.Yes, unfortunately alot of news you hear on Central America is bad, especially with the migrants going to the US. It was good to see some parts of it which were relatively safe and normal though.
Not sure if it's possible to have too much coffee, at least the good stuff anyway
.I recently had to chastise DanielW for the same reason. These excellent trip reports can easily wreck my plans for a morning!
That said, I am not a fan of group travel, but I think this type of trip is a perfect opportunity for such travel. And DanielW thanks for posting yet again a report with excellent photography and a lot of useful information!
These excellent trip reports can easily wreck my plans for a morning!That said, I am not a fan of group travel, but I think this type of trip is a perfect opportunity for such travel. And DanielW thanks for posting yet again a report with excellent photography and a lot of useful information!
. Yes, group travel is not normally my first choice too. For this trip it made things alot easier and more enjoyable though, and I now have a $1800 voucher for Antarctica too.A fabulous trip report! It made me look up flight connections to some of the (many) countries you visited! Really great pictures as always.
Minor note: many of the Wikipedia links don't work for me - looks to be an extra character has crept into the URL. When I remove the character (%22 usually), the link works.
Minor note: many of the Wikipedia links don't work for me - looks to be an extra character has crept into the URL. When I remove the character (%22 usually), the link works.
. Yes, alot of these places are probably doable with long weekends from the USA. Thanks for the hyperlinks too, should be now fixed.. Yes, was worth the effort trying to smuggle the drone into the country
.
May 12, 2019, 12:47 pm
#48
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: St. Paul, MN
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, IHG Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 448
Another amazing report, Daniel. I really enjoyed all your photos and reading about your travels, but most notably, your time in Panama. My wife and I went there in 2015 and had a great time exploring Casco Viejo, and we promised we would stay at the American Trade Hotel the next time we visited Panama. Sorry to hear about your unexpected delay at PTY - but glad you made it back safely the following day.
May 13, 2019, 5:10 am
#50
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
. Yes, quite an idyllic and photogenic place, would love to head back to all the parts I missed.Another amazing report, Daniel. I really enjoyed all your photos and reading about your travels, but most notably, your time in Panama. My wife and I went there in 2015 and had a great time exploring Casco Viejo, and we promised we would stay at the American Trade Hotel the next time we visited Panama. Sorry to hear about your unexpected delay at PTY - but glad you made it back safely the following day.
. The American Trade Hotel looked like a great place to stay. A lot more style and character than a generic glass tower hotel in the city and didn't look to be too expensive too. The IRROPS was a bit of a bummer but the €600 helped soothe my frustrations..
May 19, 2019, 11:24 am
#51
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: TPA
Programs: DL Diamond, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,256
Looks like an awesome trip to Central America! Great shots of the Panama City skyline as well. Have you been to Belize before? Seems to be the only country you left out.
Was this your first time using Intrepid? I've looked at using them a few times to various places in Africa (since I usually travel solo) but their Africa trips are a bit on the expensive side.
Was this your first time using Intrepid? I've looked at using them a few times to various places in Africa (since I usually travel solo) but their Africa trips are a bit on the expensive side.
May 19, 2019, 11:25 pm
#52
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
Looks like an awesome trip to Central America! Great shots of the Panama City skyline as well. Have you been to Belize before? Seems to be the only country you left out.
Was this your first time using Intrepid? I've looked at using them a few times to various places in Africa (since I usually travel solo) but their Africa trips are a bit on the expensive side.
Was this your first time using Intrepid? I've looked at using them a few times to various places in Africa (since I usually travel solo) but their Africa trips are a bit on the expensive side.
. Haven't been to Belize yet, will have to head back and visit Tikal too.This was actually my ninth Intrepid trip
! My last one was to see Everest in Nepal back in 2014. Their Africa trips include most food and fees and you also get a small discount if you've done a previous trip which makes it a slightly better deal.
May 20, 2019, 9:01 am
#53
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Excellent report as usual! Interesting to see the new expressway in Panama City around Casco Viejo... my last visit to Honduras, El Salvador and Panama was in 2008 before it was built (Central America overland: San Pedro Sula to Managua). Even latest trip to Costa Rica trip was now 4 years ago. So probably due for another Central America trip at some point.
May 20, 2019, 4:49 pm
#54
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,181
I want to go to San Salvador and was told by two San Salvadorans not to go because it's dangerous (they live in the US though). So it was nice to see you went on local buses and had no problems. Love your reports! You went to the same places I want to go. As to Copan they built a new airport there but hardly no planes go there. Just a few a week from Tegucigaslpa.
May 21, 2019, 4:18 am
#55
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
Excellent report as usual! Interesting to see the new expressway in Panama City around Casco Viejo... my last visit to Honduras, El Salvador and Panama was in 2008 before it was built (Central America overland: San Pedro Sula to Managua). Even latest trip to Costa Rica trip was now 4 years ago. So probably due for another Central America trip at some point.
. Panama must have changed a bit since then, with all the new skyscrapers built with laundered money. Looks like you had IRROPS as well, although Granada is not a too bad a place to spend a day.I want to go to San Salvador and was told by two San Salvadorans not to go because it's dangerous (they live in the US though). So it was nice to see you went on local buses and had no problems. Love your reports! You went to the same places I want to go. As to Copan they built a new airport there but hardly no planes go there. Just a few a week from Tegucigaslpa.
. Yes, I have heard that both street crime and organized crime in El Salvador is quite bad. The touristy places we went to felt quite normal though.There weren't too many tourists in Copan, definitely not as much as Antigua anyway.
May 23, 2019, 12:22 am
#58
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
. It was great to see some of the Americas again, and practice my bad Spanish!Thank you, Loose Cannon
. Next TR will be a little cooler and whiter (i.e. lots of snow).
