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Short Story 6
Costa Rica, Belize, Peru, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua
[Part 3] 22 Memorable Countries for Solo Traveling Adventures
September 2024
Contents
Introduction
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Introduction
Welcome to Part 3 of this short story. In Part 1 (Short Story 4) and Part 2 (Short Story 5), you traveled to fourteen countries (seven from each story). For Part 3, you’ll get eight additional countries (15-22), highlighting one vivid encounter from my solo travels. You know what to do from here.
15. Costa Rica
La Fortuna/Arenal resonates with me the most out of Costa Rica’s four main domains (city, rainforests, mountains, and beaches). There are a bunch of activities to do in La Fortuna, such as zip-lining, horseback riding, ATV driving, bungee jumping, volcano sightseeing, hot springs (unisex spas), and the heartwarming Sloth Trail. Still, the upward and downward rainforest hike at the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges has me active and speechless.
About every 15 minutes, I walk across a long wobbly bridge made out of steel and aluminum. I’m on the highest hanging bridge, 147 feet above the massive rainforest, surrounded by greenery and vegetation. It feels like I’m floating above the trees, observing Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano, inhaling and exhaling fresh air through my nose. The sounds of various insects, birds, monkeys, and other animals feels relaxing and peaceful instead of alarming.
It's raining now. Rather than saying to myself, “This sucks!” or “Damn, I’m going to get wet,” I continue hiking on the ascending and descending trail in a meditative state. The Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges in La Fortuna is a calming and trance-like experience, even though the hike is more than a walk in the park.
16. Belize
The tour boat stops in the middle of the ocean, and a group of dark brown-colored sharks swim in front of it. The woman tour guide pours dusty food into the water, attracting more sharks as they pile on each other for the food. The stingrays join the fun, discreetly roaming underneath the water.
“You can go inside the water now,” shouts the tour guide. I quickly dip underneath the ocean, wearing snorkel gear, and the water is shallow, roughly three to five feet deep. About ten sharks and ten stingrays move quickly and freely in the ocean. My adrenaline is pumping. I’m not scared, but I'm not comfortable. I closely monitor the sharks and sting rays as they swim beside me from all directions, as if I'm a harmless sea creature. I don’t feel threatened by them either.
The woman tour guide goes underneath the water and grabs a three-foot-long shark. “Hurry, you can touch it,” she hollers. I gently pet the head of the shark as if it's a dog. It feels like thick, rubbery sandpaper. This is awesome! I feel so energized and satisfied. The shark and stingray snorkeling at Caye Caulker island, about an hour from Belize City by water taxi/boat, is the holy grail of Belize tours.
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17. Peru
It’s been a long three-hour drive up the mountains from Cusco City to Rainbow Mountain. Still, there’s another steep 30- to 45-minute trek to arrive at the top of Rainbow Mountain. Factoring in the cold winter-like weather, regardless that it’s March, the 11,000-foot altitude above sea level, the wet terrain from the early morning rain, and a storm that can strike any minute, this upward hike isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Other than going by foot, I can ride a horse, take a motorcycle taxi, or drive an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) for an additional fee. I’ll make it to the viewpoint in 10 to 15 minutes rather than 30 to 45 minutes walking.
The steep trek has me breathing hard through my nose, and it’s only been less than 10 minutes. This altitude is no joke! I need to take a break for a minute or two to catch my breath.
I make it to the top of Rainbow Mountain. What incredible scenery! The colorful, circular mountainous valley contains dark red, olive-green, and tan color themes. After taking a few pictures of the stunning region, I hike the bonus Red Valley route, another 30 minutes uphill to take more pictures of the majestic red and green mountains. I make it to the tour van 45 minutes later, soaking wet from the hail storm. Even though Machu Picchu is Peru’s main tourist attraction and worthwhile, Rainbow Mountain is also high up on the to-do list.
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18. El Salvador
After being dropped off by my tour driver, I walk directly to the nearby plaza to glimpse Ataco's local lifestyle. This tight-knit small town has enough street food, colorful souvenir shops, and a park where kids play happily while people relax and mingle around the plaza.
The fried foods (rigutas, plantains, yuca, and fries) are delicious! The heart of El Salvador’s food are pupusas. They look like pizza dough the size of corn tortillas with stuffing inside. The three main pupusas are beans, beans and cheese, or my favorite, mixed: beans, cheese, and chicharrones (pork rinds). Having a pupusa is similar to eating five corn tortillas in one but with tasty filling inside. To top it off, one pupusa order equals a three-pack for one dollar.
Even though I'm tired from walking the uneven cobblestoned, narrow roads for four hours, and it's nighttime, my soul feels touched and alive by Ataco's community synergy. Almost every Salvadorian I've walked by has either verbally and warmly greeted or acknowledged me with a smile, nob, or handwave. Some adults and children inside vehicles with rolled-down windows or in the back of pickup trucks say, "Hi," or wave at me. A few locals sitting outside their houses eating and relaxing politely greeted me and said, "Good night." I want to stay outside with the locals instead of returning to my hotel room. I don't feel alone in this town with no foreigners.
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19. Honduras
Honduras is complete for me without visiting the city of Copan Ruinas to explore the Mayan Ruins of Copan. It's the country's main attraction for tourists and archaeologists who want to discover the remains of the Mayan civilization in Honduras. Plus, the tour with a knowledgeable English- or Spanish-speaking local guide only takes two to three hours.
The black sun hat on my head isn't me impersonating an archaeologist. It's to keep my face in the shade from this beaming sun. Although I'm not a ruins enthusiast, the overall layout of the Copan Ruins and what I'm learning about the sophisticated Mayans are impressive. They were known for being astronomers, scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, and the Mayans invented the number zero. The tour guide has also highlighted three times that the Mayan civilization in Copan Ruins consumed magic mushrooms and alcohol during special events and specific ceremonies.
As I approach the end of the tour, there it is, the holy grail of the Mayan Ruins in Honduras: the hieroglyphic stairway of Copan. This eye-catching structure reminds me of a massive Mayan Ruins bookshelf at approximately 70 feet high. It has roughly 62 steps and about 2,000 hieroglyphics, the lengthiest Mayan text archaeologists have discovered as of June 2024. Taking one picture of the hieroglyphic stairway isn't enough!
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20. Guatemala
Finally, I'm in Guatemala, a country I've been compelled to visit for the last six months. I don't know much about Guatemala and its Latin culture, but as with any travel destination, something good will come out of it.
I arrive in San Juan, a Mayan town about two and a half hours away from the colonial city of Antigua. After the 15-minute boat ride, I'm welcomed by live music. Two guys are playing a massive xylophone synchronously while one man cheerfully strikes a jumbo-sized drum and a large turtle shell. The playful melodies cause me to be present and smile like a child as the taxis, small red three-wheeled tuk-tuks, drive down the vibrant roads.
I walk the steep roads, observing the vibrant colors, the bright hats and umbrellas hanging on strings above me, and the graphical wall murals. The women and girls wear their traditional and colorful Mayan dresses. Some elderly ladies walk up and down the narrow and steep roads wearing sandals, steadily carrying bulky items on their heads without using their hands. The Mayan Tz'utujil locals speak Spanish, but most speak Mayan (Quichean). Listening to the people talk in Quichean gives me a taste of the Mayan nation. Visiting the town of San Pedro is worth checking out while staying in Antigua.
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21. Panama
I’m at the starting point at Chagres River, Panama, roughly a one-hour drive from Panama City. An Indigenous man, who’s barefoot and practically naked other than an okao (a loincloth covering his groin and butt with a string tied around his waist), escorts me to his wooden canoe. The man mentions that the slim boat was hand-built by his people: the Embera Drua tribe. Getting to the village requires about a thirty-minute boat ride in a river the size of a one-way road, surrounded by green vegetation.
I arrive at the Embera Drua village, welcomed by four guys (men and teenagers) playing wooden tribal instruments. They are barefoot and wearing a loincloth with a string tied around their waist. The tribal women are also without shoes, wearing their colorful paruma (an indigenous-style wraparound skirt) and headbands made of plant fibers. It’s fascinating to observe the infrastructure, lifestyle, and attire of the Embera Drua villagers.
Now I’m inside the tambo (hut). It's made out of leaves and other natural rainforest materials. A group of males and females are about to give me a glimpse of their shamanic ceremony. The sounds of tribal instruments orchestrated by the guys while the ladies are in a circle moving their bodies up and down, chanting in choco language, has me laser-focused. The women do another dance, quickly following each other in circles, clapping their hands freely, which is stimulating my mind. This is an incredible Panama experience!
22. Nicaragua
Julio, a former guerilla fighter for the Sandinista National Liberation Front (the acronym is FSLN in Spanish) during the Nicaraguan revolution (a civil war beginning in 1978), is the tour driver and guide during my five days in Nicaragua. This friendly, talkative, and funny sixty-year-old native has been showing me the heartbeat of Nicaragua by taking me to local towns. The humidity right now feels like a swamp, and it’s been that way around the clock.
Today, I’m in Granada, a town I’d never heard of before booking this trip. Granada’s colonial buildings, with their bumpy and uneven roads, give the town a warm and old-school vibe. It doesn’t appear to be a tourist destination. I’ve come across some sweaty foreigners here and there, but no tourist crowds or large vans. I like that Granada has a hustle-and-bustle street in downtown and a laidback Parque Central de Granada (the central park), where the community locals gather daily. The town doesn't feel sketchy to walk around either.
Exploring Granada on a horse carriage ride is a first for me. It’s a cool and relaxing experience too! The guy maneuvering the two horses speaks English. We’re shooting the breeze about random stuff as he gives me a simple rundown of his beloved town, and we’re laughing about trivial things. This is a heartfelt moment and one reason why I enjoy traveling solo. Granada has surpassed my expectations of a place to visit in Nicaragua thanks to Julio Tours.
Check out 14 other countries, seven in Part 2 (Short Story 5) and seven in Part 1 (Short Story 4)!
