Don't Skip Central America

Central America has been beautiful!

So glad to have the opportunity to drive through it and meet some of its peoples...and to dispel myths that have lingered in the recesses of my mind. That, really, is the best part of travel: seeing it for one's own eyes and eradicating falsehoods that creep around the periphery of one's paradigm.

It truly is unfortunate how we in the USA view our southern neighbors...and deeply unfortunate how our current president perpetuates these ill-conceived notions. But I don't care to digress into politics in this post.

Nick and I drove from the southern border of the US all the way through Mexico, through Guatemala, the entire length of El Salvador, through a chunk of Honduras, through the civil unrest in Nicaragua, through the surfer's paradise of Costa Rica, and now through Panama.

This section of the trip has easily required the most consideration for personal safety due to human and social concerns (as opposed to the wilderness and wildlife concerns in Alaska and northern Canada). And yet, we've met nothing but good people and excellent vistas throughout this section.

The one exception to the beauty of humanity noted above, of course, was the passage through Nicaragua, which is undergoing some major social upheavals presently. But, even in the midst of all of that, in a town scared of sandinista vengeance, we found safe haven and assistance beyond what we could have possibly hoped for.

As with any travel in a land foreign to one's homeland, there are things to beware. Driving is different in a foreign country than it is in your own back yard. Particularly here in Mexico and Central America, often the roads don't have the same level of upkeep. In some places, domestic critters are encouraged to graze right beside the road.

A herd of road-side cattle and those tending them.

Driving etiquette is different here, though -- as may not be obvious to the uninitiated -- is very much not absent. A honk here often means "hey, I'm over here, hope you see me," as opposed to what honking often means in the US: "WTF, YOU !*&$(^#(*>!!!"

Border crossings are a pain, to be sure, and the rigamarole of different border agents asking for different documentation is only compounded by the "helpers" who roam the borders looking for a quick buck. In truth, some of them likely do help speed up the process, but there are far too many who predate upon travelers.

Fumigation at the Guatemala border.

Do your research and know what you need ahead of time, have everything in order, and take care of your business your own self.

No doubt, there is corruption and there are unique dangers here, but even with all the miles we've chalked up through these areas, we were only pulled over twice (besides normal inspection stations, etc.). The first time, in Guatemala, the police wanted two things: to advise us not to head into the post-volcano evacuation traffic, and a photo with us.

Friendly police folk in Guatemala.

The second time, in Panama, it was an absolutely legitimate stop for speeding, and after a quick joke about American football, he sent me on my way.

I'm not saying everyone needs to visit Latin America. The world is a huge place: too huge for any one person to see it all. But if you're skipping it because you think it's fraught with danger, you're cheating yourself. We've been engulfed in beauty -- natural and human -- in every single country we've seen so far.

Muchísimas gracias, amigos, para compartir sus países y hospitalidad con nosotros!

Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Park in David, Panama. Don Quixote is everywhere!