The tourism industry in Guatemala is on the rise. The locals here have paid special attention to making this place grow into a major tourism hub.  The city has a population of about thirty thousand people. There is also a special tourism police force that is in play here that come fully equipped and trained in English. These tourism police roam the streets and keep patrolling the place to avoid any kind of mishaps from happening. You will also find that this place is safe to walk on, evening in the darkest hours of the night. A lot of the buildings here are candle lit.

This city used to serve as capital for the entire Spanish Armada.  This Spanish controlled region of Guatemala stretches all the way from Mexico City to Peru. This h was the case for over two centuries.

It is not too difficult to wonder why the Spanish chose Guatemala in particular.  The city of Antigua is set between three volcanoes and these are visible from anywhere in the city.  The only active volcano which is called Feugo gives out a consistent puff of smoke.

Since this place used to be the capital before, the capital has now shifted to Guatemala City.  The monuments here in Antigua which include the many monumental government buildings along with the many churches that have been ruined by the many earthquakes that happened here.  The streets are all cobblestone.  And the streets are generally lines with stucco houses that are quite colorful, painted with stand out bright colors.  This place still has a colonial feel to it.

You will find many luxury hotels, cafes, jewelry shops and day spas that are available here.

It is easy to move around in this city. Antigua is one of the first planned cities in America. This place has a grid pattern with is actually inspired from the early Italian renaissance period.  A fancy European style plaza is built in the center.  This is where you will find the fountain of topless women. This is what marks the plaza at its center as a major touristy destination.

When people started to talk about this, the sculptor, to drive away any claims of indecency, said that the fountain has mermaids carved into it. There are many chances that you will get to explore the history of this place.  The baroque façade which is in bright yellow and white, is one of the largest in all of Central America.

People from the Kuna culture; still exist in the modern world. These groups have stuck to their ancient ways despite all the pressures of modern society.  If you want to se them, then you might have to go to the mountains of Burma and jungles in Congo. The Kuna people are quite beautiful.

The collection of San Blas islands that are located on the Caribbean coast of Panama.  While you are traveling here from one place to the other you might have to cross walking trails, hilly regions, boat rides in rivers. The boa rides take you about fifteen minutes. These islands here are a cultural paradise. This is apparently one of the few vacation spots where both a scientist and a regular person will have no difference in opinion.

The San Blas islands are not very popular on the tourism map; however this clearly don’t seem like it would be this way for much long. You should hire a guide over here, usually you could have the hotel that you are staying in; arrange for that to happen! The television series Survivor featured the Sapibenega the Kuna Lodge. This is a hotel that is located on a small island that is exclusively devoted to the island.

There are four cabanas that sit on the stilts here in the water like a luxury oasis that has four walls.  There are comfortable beds and amenities like mosquito nets with hammocks that are made for lounging on the porch; you could get an awesome view of the ocean while lying in your hammock.

Check back in this section to find out more about what you could do in San Blas.

The accommodation here is quite the talk! There are swimming pools which lie directly beneath the sky, so if you would like, your evenings could be romantic under the clear starry sky. You could retire here for a long nap which you could plan after an invigorating hot shower. The cabin is pretty comfortable, and dinner is also served at the veranda. This place usually offers you a select blend of Cuban cigars. You could also ask for a glass of fine Scotch and some hot chocolate which is made from the cocoa beans from the locals regions.

There is lot of unspoiled land that has survived many centuries of reckless development. The unspoiled land here is famous for having rich thick forests with a diverse variety of wildlife species.

There are many resorts that have opened up in this region. Ad these provide for good high quality staying experience as well as having its location quite close to the natural attractions of the region. You could visit the Lodge which is at Pico Bonito which is on the Caribbean coast side of Honduras.

This lodge reopened in the year two thousand and has about twenty one different cabins which were all at the foot of the Pico Bonito. This is an eight thousand foot mountain range that has only been climbed a very few times.

This lodge has a property which spans over two hundred acres and joins the Pico Bonito National park which is four hundred and fifteen square miles.  This is the largest natural park in the Entire Honduras region.

This place has a tropical environment. You might find many people here who are biologists and researches and even animal enthusiasts, mostly due to the rich fauna in this region.

If you plan to hike along this place, you would be able to spot many exotic animals like, coati, porcupine, possum, and raccoon. You will also be able to spot of lot of Arial fauna; i.e. different kinds of birds, butterflies, lizards, tortoises and many kinds of orchids and flowers. If you are really lucky, you might also get to spot some Tapirs peccaries and Jaguars.

If you head out on the road that takes you out of town then you will come across, Clothe industries, which, when you pass, you will come across banana and pine apple plantations.

One of the best things to try out here are the fresh fruit juices that are the delicacy of this par of Central America. . Pineapple watermen and Cantaloupe are some o the few varieties. The fresh fish available her is just amazing with cooked with local flavors.

Check back here to find out more about this beautiful Honduran Adventure.

Mexico, the paradise of water bodies – where diving becomes an extreme pleasure anlong with adventure. The undersides of Mexico show limestone in large amounts. This limestone is found to have been hollowed out into a huge system of tunnels and caves and caverns, and these are called Cenotes. The ocean is responsible for the formation of such structures. Not different from other underwater systems, the underground caves in the Yucatan Peninsula are also chambers, with a reverence of stalactites and stalagmites, and waters of the color pale green. The thing that makes this place different is the largeness of the system along with its many open air entrances and exits. Also, the tunnels are wide enough, easing the snorkellers and divers to explore down there. The water is consistently temperate with visibility good enough to serve a surprisingly un-repetitive view. There are routes taking you out, all the way, to the sea.

If you’ve experienced something like this before, then it’s not a big bite for you. But your experience really doesn’t matter much – a local is supposed to accompany you or you need to hold a cavern diving certificate. It is this way because many are not quite sure if they want to go alone, on their own, down there. There is a distance of as much as 700kms to which the tunnels extend, but not all are worth exploring. The locals help you by guiding you to the best ones. But the thing worth remembering for a lifetime is the water that changes colors. Some deeper cenotes are of the color rich green, like that of the grass, while the ones which are comparatively shallower possess a lustrous shade of pale blue, which may remind of the caverns underneath the deserts.

Flying over this particular part of the vast Mayan Riviera will show a view of the cenotes that are large in number to seem like pock marks on the beautiful face of the Riviera. The Mayans considered them to be quite important, since they had begun being seen in the fresh water. Hence, the Mayans built their communities around them. They are a part of the jungle ruins and local divers are quite spiritual regarding them, which adds to their reverence. The tunnels are so many in numbers, covering a huge area that they can make some of the diving visitors feel claustrophobic. In such cases, the Mesoamerican reef, which is offshore from there, can always be a choice to recover from the anxiety.

The beginning of November marks the most out-of-the-world kind of festival for Mexican Families – Día de los Muertos i.e. Day of the Dead. It may sound one like the Halloween, but it’s a lot different from that. It’s a festival that spans over for two days, the days being declared as public holidays for the citizens. During this festival, the Mexican families gather along with their relatives and friends, remembering their dead family members. They welcome back the dead into their homes, providing feasts for them. They also visit cemeteries with joyous picnics and decorate the grave areas of their dead close ones. People spend the day getting together with their families and telling their children and grand children, the stories of their ancestors. Though it is called the Day of the Dead, there is nothing gothic about it. In fact, the atmosphere throughout the country is quite festive as, or even more than, other festivals. There are two days of the festival, the first being the day which families celebrate in the memory of their dead children, and the second, for the dead elder members. Special foods and sweets, in the unusual shapes of skulls or skeletons, are prepared for family feasts. Some families also build shrines of flowers and offerings of the memorables’ favorite alcohol, sweets and cigarettes.

People of Mexico have been celebrating this festival since over 3, 000 years. The origin of this festival seems to come from the Aztec festival. In pre-Hispanic era, to keep skulls as if displaying trophies during the rituals, was a common practice in order to symbolize the significance of death and rebirth. The native Aztecs and Mesoamerican people celebrated these kinds of festivals because hey considered death as not an end, but a continuation, of life. The Aztec calendar shows the beginning of the present time Day of the Dead festival in the month of August and it continued for a whole month. This festival was celebrated as a dedication to the Goddess known as “Lady of the Dead” who corresponds to the modern Catrina.

The celebration in the honor and memory of the departed family members and friends descended from old times and continue till day, every year on the first two days of November. This festival is celebrated in connection with the two other important days, The All Saints’ Day on the 1st of Nov. and the All Souls’ Day on the 2nd. The 1st  Nov. day is known by the natives of this country as Day of the Innocents or Day of the Little Angels, celebrated in memory of dead little children, and the 2nd of Nov. is known as the Day of the Dead, celebrated for deceased adults. Apart from the Mexicans, people from certain parts of the United States and Central America also celebrate this festival.

Costa Rica serves its tourists with a variety of beaches. Tourist may find all types of beaches here, and choose for themselves a beach of their type. The coastline of Costa Rica is over 1,000 miles in length and nearly 300 hundred beaches in number. The stunning coastline runs along the Pacific and Caribbean. Each beach is having unique and distinct features about it, which include the color and texture of the beach sand. The sand color on the beaches varies from white, through brown, to black. The beach sand may contain shells of various shapes, sizes, and designs, while on some other beaches the sand may be soft, fluffy and fine. Or, some elsewhere, it may be a rocky beach with very less of sand. Also, the country provides you with quiet wildlife refuge beaches, where development is little, or you may have resorts in towns with casinos and a happening nightlife. The location of this exotic house of beaches is near the equator. It is giftedly situated on the warm Gulf Coast that gives this place a warm weather although the year. These features make it a fantastic vacation spot during any time of the year.

The beaches of Costa Rica can be more conveniently described by dividing them into three, location wise. There are beaches on the North Pacific Coast, which are most developed and popular. The Southern Pacific Coast comparatively holds remote beaches.

The beaches in Costa Rica are famous for the surfing sports. Popular beaches like the Jaco Beach, Playa Grande, and Playa Hermosa, located on the Central Pacific Coastline, are a surfer’s dream and are rated as some of the best surf locations in the world. For a stay vacation in Costa Rica, tourist choices range from luxury beach front resorts to inland hotels and boarding.

It’s one of the best tropical places for a suitable vacation. Along with beaches, it’s also serves the nature-lover tourists – exotic wildlife, plant, beautiful aerial and underwater creatures everywhere. Rainforests cover the mountains making Costa Rica a true paradise for a joyful holiday. So, are you in for the pie?

Being the capital city as well as the biggest City in the whole of Costa Rica, one can expect so many activities to look forward from this amazing getaway destinations.

Much visited due to the varied bio-diversity, Costa Rica is filled with some of the world’s greatest locations. No wonder, there are so many travelers opting to explore San Jose.

Closely situated Avenida Central stretches about 10 blocks featuring some of the greatest culinary joints, bazaars that will set you crazy, amazing museums, plush hotel properties and so much more. Most spotted over here are the tourists that keep the city electrifying.

Also, a lot of local based items can be found in the bazaars that are peculiar only to San Jose.

The area is so wide and huge that nearly to walk about the entire place even briskly might consume about two to three hours.

Home to many a great mountain peaks and ranges as well as some of the world renowned national parks and wonders alike.

The blazing volcanoes which are actively present should not be missed by taking a trip at the very famous Poas Volcano Park. A never before experienced trip this surely has to be. However, don’t worry about the safety, as they don’t pose a threat to life or any damage. It takes nearly about an hour or so to reach right to the top.

San Jose is the capital and the largest city of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations because of its bio-diversity. Because of this regions many; beautiful places to visit; this city has become a frequent tourist destination.

Sampling the Cuisines:

You surely can’t be missing from trying the local dishes here. Absolutely high on culinary quotient, here’s your gastronomic affair.

Casado:
A wholesome mix of rice with generous servings of non-vegetarian delicacies including mouth-watering chicken, fish and meat. The whole dish is served with fresh salads.

Gallo Gallo:
A more of a breakfast delight, Gallo Gallo is a finger licking dish consisting of fried rice with wholesome black meals. Your morning meal must have never been so good. So, definitely sample these culinary delights.

Refrescos:
Think of Refrescos and the first name term that comes to the mind is Refreshing. That’s exactly what you’ll find when sample this drink. Made of fresh fruits with milk or water, this concoction is a great cooler.

Some of the famous San Jose drinks include Fresca, Fanta Kolita and also Canada Dry which are among the top favorites of locals and even tourists coming in.

About ten years ago, the scenario over here started picking up quite fast and heading towards progress. The Spanish colonial houses which were covered in moss were later designated as a UNESCO world Heritage site. The site was listed by UNESCO in the year nineteen hundred and ninety. This apparently contributed greatly to the spread of the glassy office towers here in the city.  In the year two thousand and five, there was a special tourist police force that was established which was responsible for searching for and containing the outburst of muggings that used to take place here.

The government now, helps the country so that the real estate prices here are quite cheap. This place also has amazing architectural beauty.

Apparently Casco Viejo seems to become a place for the south beach styled platform of cafes, hotels and nightclubs.

Casco Viejo is a romantic version of Havana. The buildings here are dilapidated and made of stones, the cathedrals here are massive.  The many balconies here have bougainvilleas that pour generously over the railings.

There are many narrow alleyways which have a skeleton of what once used to be buildings. . You will see the bright blue light from the pacific pouring into here through the many hollow windows and tree that grow out of the roofless shells and even the worn out chimneys.

The buildings are in the phase of being restored. Most of these buildings now are being redeveloped into tall luxury apartment buildings. Also there are nightclubs and hotels that were once old broken down buildings.

Although this place is already very popular amongst the locals, the expatriates, artists, musicians and of course the tourists as well.

The canal house is one of the most famous boutique hotels over here. This hotel has and old world wrap around styled veranda. The brick walls are unpainted with sleek hardwood floors and plush linens and beds. The rooms are decorated with palm plants that are placed graciously at all corners.

The Karavan Gallery is one of the most famous art galleries over here. This place has an impressive collection of Panama folk art; this apparently has beautiful and impressive wooden sculptures. The gallery is studded with jewellery. The jewellery is displayed in a special place with brightly lit focus lights making this place one of the finest modern art museums in the region.

Once the sun sets, Casco just comes alive. The streets have been rid of most of the crimes that used to take place before.  You have many local and foreigners who come to the plaza Bolivar and even he many nightclubs here like Plateau. This place is known for its famous jazz music and the refreshing mojitos that are served here.

If you make a trip to the Indigo Lounge and Bazaar, you will find the Buddha Bar inspired nightclubs that are partly Moroccan Influenced lounge the open air patio here makes for a memorable experience.

The Ego Café which is also located at the Plaza Bolivar is surrounded by food vendors that sell the local favorite which crunchy mango in peppery sauce.

The famous Bella vista alfresco restaurant here is one of the local favorites.  It generally so happens that most guests don’t even bother leaving the Las Brisas. This place has over seven hundred and fifty acres of beautiful mountain landscapes. . These head about six miles into the fishing village of Pie de la Cuesta. This place is an extremely laid back location with hammocks and surf waves around. All of this making Acapulco; the trademark destination of fun that it so much is.

Taxco

If you are out on the quest for silver, head straight to the light hearted and delightful colonial era, hill town of Taxco. The streets here are all zig zag and there are around two hundred and fifty silver shops in this area. .

This place is quite staunch on its quality with regards to the silver that is used to make this jewellery. In fact you will also be able to find many red roofed and white washed housed. The houses here are uniquely piled one on top of the other. The streets are cobble stones and take you directly to the Plaza Borda.  This is the main shopping square here.  This place is named after the towns eighteenth century benefactor. This benefactor was no one other that the minor who practically started Taxcos silver boom.  The town was every grateful and in turn, decided to make this man wealthy.  Borda who was born in France, later commissioned the construction of a baroque styles twin towered church. Right at the square this church is an amazing example of  Churrigueresque architecture in Mexico.

Churrigueresque is considered to be the best form of architecture here in this region. A lot of money was spent for the magnificently carved pink stones which make up the large stone façade.  The twelve gilded altarpieces are also quite amazing. .

The church and the plaza here are what the processions revolve around. This apparently is the most compelling festivals in this region.  The entire town takes part in a spectacle which includes strange things like self flagellation, hooded people and people who are bare torsoed.  Taxco has many beautiful views and the nights here are supposed to be particularly romantic. Especially during the nights! The very romantic top notch hotels and villas here make the landscape of this beautiful hilltop sometimes quite unbelievable.

During the times of ancient Maya, Tikal became the capital of the most powerful kingdoms in the region. The civilization has been prevalent since the fourth century BC although the place reached its peak of prosperity in the yea nine hundred AD. It was at this time that this city almost dominated the whole of the Maya region.  The dominance was felt politically, economically and militarily.

Tikal was conquered by Teotihuacán around the fourth century. This was right at the end of the classical period. . There weren’t any monuments built here at Tikal although there is evidence that many elite places were burned.

Tikal is the best example of the Mayan culture. This place has a long list of dynastic rulers who made it a prime case of curiosity to find out regarding the Maya cities, the monuments, the temples and palaces.

The agricultural development in this area dates back right from one thousand century BC.  There re some mamon ceramic which may date from four hundred BC. This place is in a sealed chultun. And the entire chamber is bottle shape. Major pyramids and platforms were built here during three hundred BC.  Further, these sites include el miorador and Nakbe.

Tikal participated in the regional widespread of the Chikanel local culture. . This culture was already prevalent in the north part of Maya at this time.  This region also included the Yucatan Peninsula.  These included Guatemala and Belize as well.

Hernan Cortes  who was a Spanish conquistador in the fifteen century also happen to pass through the Tikal ruins although he did not mention about any of this in his many letters.

Just like a lot of ancient ruins, the knowledge of this site was never actually completely lost in this region.

The local people kept talking about these in their stories and word of mouth.  Later on, there was guided expedition that was made to the ruins in eighteen fifty.

News about Tikal started appearing in the local print during the seventeenth century. .  Frederick Catherwook had heard rumors of a lost city and he decided that he wanted to investigate as well.

Not many explorers actually came to this town because the location of this place was quite remote. However Modesto Mendez and Ambrosio tut later come and the governor of peten later visited this place in eighteen forty eight.

These explorers were also accompanied by the artist Eusebio Lara who published the entire account in the year eighteen hundred and fifty three in Germany. Later on archeologists made it a point to map and record the ruins in the late eighteenth century.

In the year nineteen fifty one, there was an airstrip that was built so that the ruins could be reached directly. . Before the airstrip the ruins could only be reached on foot or on the back of a mule.