For the better part of four decades, I’ve made a living as a Certified Travel Agent; worked for an international airline; researched, wrote, taught, and photographed travel; and considered it a vital part of my own personal and professional development. Some 200 journeys were taken by road, rail, sea, and air to every corner of the globe, seeing both everyday and far-flung locales. The residents of Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama are the main subject of this piece.
Belize:
The first of these was entered at Belize City; that country was Belize. The Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, a Mesoamerican site that was formerly one of the Maya civilization’s great towns, was visited on this particularly daring trip.
It encompassed over a hundred lesser structures, a ball court, and some dozen larger buildings, the most noteworthy of which were the Temple of the Mask, the Temple of the Jaguar Masks, and the High Temple. It was located on 950 acres and was one of the greatest such Maya ceremonial sites in the country.
The Lamanai site was unique among the sites because its ceremonial buildings and plazas were located on the west bank of New River and New River Lagoon, while the residential buildings were located in the northern, southern, and western parts of the site.
Common Belizean fare including chicken, rice and beans, and plantains were enjoyed for lunch under a thick canopy of rainforest trees.
Altun Ha, a Mayan archaeological site located about 30 miles from Belize City, featured a complex of tombs, pyramids, and temples that served as a trading nexus during the Classic Period of the Mayan Empire, between 250 and 900 AD. Known as “Rockstone Pond” by the local Maya of Yucatán, this artificial lagoon was named after the stone upon which it was built.
Since it is the largest island in the country, Ambergris Caye is a great destination for water sports like swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving, and is easily accessible via a six-person Britten Norman Islander turboprop. Off its eastern coast, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a popular diving destination due to its proximity to the Great Blue Hole (with a depth of 124 meters).
The island’s principal town, San Pedro, was reachable via golf cart from the little airstrip, and Ramon’s Village provided a taste of authentic tropical living.
It featured cabanas designed to evoke the Tahitian cottages of the Polynesian island of Bora Bora and constructed from local materials by skilled islanders using the same methods they used when the great sailing ships visited their island. Tucked away in what can only be described as a Caribbean paradise were Mayan sculptures that offered an insight into the civilisation that preceded it. The garden featured Royal Palms, bougainvillea, lilies, hibiscus, and countless other species of tropical flora.
Costa Rica :
Numerous trips to Costa Rica were taken. Volcanic in nature, it provided ample opportunity for discovery and study.
The Poás Volcano, for example, was located in the northeastern portion of the country and stood more than 1,600 meters tall with a crater 140 meters in diameter.
An additional volcano was the Irazu Volcano. Since its peak was so close to the tree line, the surrounding area wind sculpted it into a surreal lunar landscape. Its rain-fed mineral lakes shone with vivid hues, and gnarled, burnt trees lined the edges of its many craters.
The Arenal Volcano was the most active in the country during the preceding four decades, and its thunderous roar occasionally pierced the otherwise beautiful, serene surroundings, towering 1,657 meters (5,437 feet) over the surrounding pastured green hillsides at its base.
When the mist and clouds lifted from the Poas Volcano, a sulfuric, boiling, rain-fed green lake was exposed, surrounded by smoke and steam issuing from the fumaroles at its bottom. This lake is a powerful emblem of the geothermal powers that formed Costa Rica. Lake water seeped through fissures in the hot granite, evaporating and creating steam pockets.
In the rain and cloud forest of Braulio Carrillo National Park, I saw howler and white-faced capuchin monkeys, tapirs, Deppe’s squirrels, white-nosed coati, northern tamandua, jaguars, white-tailed deer, ocelots, pacas, and racoons, among the 500 species of birds and mammals I saw on my hikes and from the park’s aerial tramway.
An off-road excursion was the highlight of a subsequent vacation. Aboard 1984, they set out on an adventure in a Zyl Terra-X6, a 7,500-pound vehicle that was originally designed to fire Russian SAM surface-to-air missiles but was converted into a bus after the Soviet Union’s dissolution. It went through the Valle Estrella and between the banana fields, stopping on the banks of the Bananito River for a picnic and to check out the local fauna.
San Jose, the capital, is home to the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, La Sabana Metropolitan Park, the Catedral Metropolitana (Metropolitan Church), and the Casa Amarilla, among other attractions. Other notable areas include Alajuela, the Bananito River, Cartago, Limon, the Orosi Valley with its lush vegetation and coffee plantations, and the city’s many other parks and museums.
Panama:
Moreover, Panama was the final stop for more than one journey.
The Miraflores and Gatun locks, both part of the 40-mile-long Panama Canal, allowed massive ships to bypass the 8,000-nautical-mile round of South America and sail directly from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean upon its completion in August 1914, gaining instant fame as a result.
Just a half-hour drive from Panama City, the Gamboa Rainforest is home to a wide variety of attractions—from indigenous-tribe visits and night safaris to wildlife-viewing along the riverbanks and, of course, the area’s most luxurious hotel, the Gamboa Rainforest Resort.
The aerial tram travels 600 meters above ground, providing passengers with a bird’s eye view of the area vegetation and fauna.
