I forgot to mention that Cartago, Costa Rica has a worthwhile Basilica that can be visited. Illuminated by a spectrum of lights, the night brings about its most beautiful display. We crossed the border in Nicaragua once again and in order to make good time, we headed to the northern part, known as Matagalpa. Matagalpa is less than 100 km from the border of Honduras and comfortably situated at a higher elevation, making a/c a non-necessity. We spent two nights at a hotel adjacent to the local park square. We also headed to a higher finca, Selva Negra, run by Germans whole settled here over 100 years ago. They managed to create a peaceful running farm with German and Dutch style houses, dairy cows, fruit trees, and a small pond with swans. I thought that we may have been in the “Hansel and Gretel” book. Leighton certainly felt at home. We hiked on the provided trails, both steep and flat. The woods provided observation opportunities for various wildlife such as toucans and monkeys.

We then took the easy Honduras border crossing, and learned that the country has quite a bit to offer. Heading straight to Lago de Yajoa, we spent a few nights at the D&D bed and breakfast. This establishment consists of several huts, swimming pool, Oregonian beer brewed in Honduras, and lush gardens. We met a few new friends from the US and Australia and headed straight to the caves. After haggling to pay $2 a piece, we managed to get the guard to grant our permission to spend unlimited amounts of time in the caves. Generally they only let you spend 30 minutes in them and go only a bit past where the lights are present. However, we had headlamps and were thankful for the opportunity to explore such an extensive Karst cave system. Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere. When the lights disappeared, we pulled out our source of illumination and crawled over and under small holes leading to larger rooms with sticky clay and gigantic formations. The cave was in Taulabe, just a few miles away from the lake.
We also managed to visit the Cerro Azul Meamber Parque Nacional in Lago de Yajoa. This park is very undeveloped which adds to its attraction. Although there are very few trails, we wandered up a beautiful clay walkway and across some rivers to check out the vista and local habitation of the area. Definitely a worthwhile place to return. Actually, I think Panama and Honduras are my two favorite countries on this trip so far. Guatemala would rank up there, except that it has a bit of infrastructure and safety concerns that need to be addressed.

We are headed out to Tikal, so I don’t have much more time to write, but I promise that a more thorough update will come soon. And Texas folks, we may be headed your way at the end of this trip, so keep your eyes out. We might also come back up through Western Mexico….time will tell.