Leaving Central America - highlights and lowlights

In our last 24 hours in Central America we have been giving thought to the best and worst of our travels so far. Some unanimous and some less so (but the judges´ decision is final) so the list follows
Favourite country - Guatemala in a land slide; what´s not to like about a country with great Mayan ruins, live volcanoes, OTT Easter parades, colourful people and crazed bus trips.

Top three destinations - Easter Island, Tikal (Guatemala) and Antigua (Guatemala)

Nicest people - Belize; you have to like a place where the local radio makes announcements to "Be nice to tourists" and the people listen. Everyone just wanted to chat, be helpful and be certain you were enjoying their country. Honorary mention to Nicaraguans; very friendly people and especially the young man in Granada who, when asked for directions to a restaurant, walked us across town in the opposite direction he had been taking.

Best hotel - Hotel Oasis in Granada, Nicaragua. Beautiful private room with cable tv, a swimming pool, free internet, tea and daily 10 minute phone calls anywhere in the world (except Denmark!?) and a friendly vibe. Honorary mentions; Hotel Hong Kong in Chitre, Panama with a 3 pool water park including hydroslide and no other guests so it was all switched on whenever we wanted it and the Jungle Party Hostel in Antigua - pokey room but really welcoming and inclusive of the kids.

Favourite animal - Sloths especially within touching distance in Monteverde, Costa Rica(although the kids liked the insects and snakes they could handle). Honorary mention to leaf cutter ants; you have to admire the industry of something so small yet so relentless that they cut paths on the jungle floor.

Best Wildlife encounters - Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica. Close up snakes, sloths and monkeys who stole bananas and pooed in Susie´s bag. All set in jungle with the option of popping out to a Caribbean white sand beach for a swim when you got too hot.

Best bus trip - through the Guatemalan highlands from the Mexican border to Huehuetenango. Awesome gorges, mountains, fearsome hairpin bends, a chicken bus driver in an insane hurry and a bus full of Mayans in colourful traditional dress.

Best laundry - frighteningly clean and vacuum packed in San Cristobal, Mexico. Honorary mention; 6c an item in Leon, Nicaragua if we provided the soap powder (and the lady led Susie literally by the hand to buy it) so a whole load for 88c.

Best guided tour - Mayan village tour out of San Cristobal, Mexico. Great guide, the colourful Mayans and a church overwhelmed with lit candles, icons and the occasional chicken being sacrificed.

And we will not miss
Thieves - five encounters; a bicycle snatch and grab that got Susie´s empty sunglasses case in Comayagua, Honduras and a pickpocket who got Blair´s drivers license and divers card on a bus in Costa Rica being successful (but probably both rather disappointed). And a snatch and run thief who grabbed at Blair´s camera strap in Panama City but only broke the strap at the time as Blair was holding the camera (tight), a pickpocket in Antigua who couldn´t get into Blair´s zipped pocket during an Easter parade (and looked very apologetic) and two young guys who trailed us through a market in Antigua but eventually lost their nerve when repeatedly stared at.
Insects that bite!

So many people with guns (and bullet proof vests) guarding everything from banks to toy shops especially in Guatemala and Honduras.

Looking for a new hotel in each town; 49 different hotels stayed in but perhaps 200 looked at.

Sitting in cafes and restaurants waiting for food and bills, sometimes up to 3 times a day

Sweating - espècially when combined with a thin film of dust, sunscreen and/or insect repellant

Misunderstanding and mangling Spanish (although Susie has used both the past and future tenses in conversation and made jokes that the locals kindly laughed at)

Being stared at.

Footpaths that either don´t exist or are hazardous underfoot with Romany in particular being upended on multiple occasions.

Having to put toilet paper in the bin rather than down the loo - particularly if the bin is not emptied for more than 24 hours and it is hot (and it always is)

Over-rated; Health concerns (no significant illnesses in 4 months travel for any of us). The wet season - one month into it and it hasn´t stopped us doing anything yet (although one spectacular shower made us unable to croos the road to our hotel for half an hour).

Commendations
Susie; family spanish expert and conversationalist, adherence to children´s schoolwork, no haircut or colour for 4 months confirming she is really a red head (not), repairing Ciaran's broken sandle by sewing it together with dental floss (successfully)

Blair; paranoid attention to security foiling several thieves (and rather stupidly chasing the other 2), financial and itinerary planning (obsessive guide book reading)which nearly always worked, haircut in Nicaragua which included eyebrows, ear and nostril hair.

Ciaran; assistant hotel finder in all temperatures, unerringly finding something poisonous on jungle walks (and wanting to pick them up), nicest big brother sometimes under extreme provocation

Romany; charming locals with big blue eyes (and allowing over-affectionate same to embrace her without complaint), unfailingly finding something nice about the crumbiest hotel room (quote - "Ciaran, this hotel has a toilet seat that doesn´t fall on you when you sit here"), excessive pursuit of orange juice for breakfast.