Central America 2000 - Introduction
From Worldtraveller
Central America is a fascinating and amazing part of the world, for many reasons. What first attracted me to the region was its volcanic activity: there are volcanoes all down the Pacific side of the Americas, and in Central America there are well over a hundred to be found. Around ten of these have erupted in the last decade, and some have been erupting constantly for many years. A trip here was almost guaranteed to involve the sight of a volcano erupting, and this is what I wanted.
Another reason I really wanted to visit Central America was, perversely, because I had heard so many bad things about it. Nicaragua and Guatemala have both had terrible civil wars in recent decades, and the history of the 20th century in most of the region is one of dictatorship, repression, revolution, and war. In recent years, however, a new peace and stability has been found. Treaties signed in 1996 ended 36 years of war in Guatemala, while elections in 1990 in Nicaragua led to the downfall of the Sandinista government and the end of the notorious Contra war. The result is that the region is safer to travel in than it has been for a very long time. I wanted to see for myself what it was like in this region, and hopefully prove the scaremongers (of whom there were many) wrong.
And so I set off, on September 14th 2000, for a six week journey through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. My hopes of finding beautiful scenery, fascinating history and friendly people were more than fulfilled. As I begin to write this account it's a little more than two weeks since I got back to Britain. It's cold and it's grey here and the trip already seems like a distant memory. It was an amazing time, and it's no exaggeration to say that I came back a changed man.
But before I begin, I must acknowledge most gratefully the support of the University of London Convocation Trust, and University College London and the Friends of UCL. Without their support, the expedition could not have taken place, and my gratitude is boundless.
