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The Road to Panama
 It seems that no matter where you get to these days, there’s always another grey nomad who has been there first. The Gulf Country … join the queue!
The Gibb River Road … been there, done that (backwards in a blindfold).
Cape York … “It’s like a highway these days.” (At least according to some of the returning ‘experts’).
Well what’s left, then … the Panama Canal? Nope, sorry, that one has gone as well.
Yes, indeed. It’s hats off time to Harriet Halkyard, who incidentally used to teach drama at the University of New South Wales, and her American husband John. The couple travelled in their second-hand 22-foot motorhome from their home in Houston, Texas, through countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Costa Rica Nicaragua and Honduras to achieve their dream. Oh, and it was their first ever motorhome trip and they took their pet dog with them, too.
 If you’re thinking that Central America may not actually be the easiest place to travel in a motorhome, you’d be right. While more than eight million American families own RVs, very few take them south of Mexico. Apparently, there are only about 20 motorhomes on the road at any given time in Central America, and the Halkyards discovered there were only four full-service campsites beyond Mexico.
However, there are plenty of service stations and these generally welcome travellers and offer a safe place to stay for the night. John and Harriet, though, often preferred to seek out other more interesting camping spots but always made a point of asking a local for permission and of checking if the area was safe.
The couple say they were always welcomed and had no negative encounters in their entire 99-day adventure.
Indeed, as they ventured into a region notorious for guerrilla warfare and numerous past revolutions, the most daunting thing they saw were the endless guards toting semi-automatic rifles.
The Halkyards say they took sensible security precautions, such as not wearing jewellery, and report that even the bicycles that were strapped to the front of their motorhome were still there when they got home. They enjoyed numerous new cultural experiences and made many new friends. And their advice to others thinking about making a similar trip … “Go for it!”
It’s starting to make my “adventurous” dream of venturing across the Tasman to do the Big Lap of New Zealand sound a bit boring.
Papya New Guinea anyone?
The Halkyard’s tips for a grey nomad adventure to Central America:
- Avoid the rainy season, plan to take your trip from November through April.
- Avoid the big cities, and explore the little villages. And slow down. Expect to be sightseeing at 30 mph. This is, after all, the land of mañana.
- Make sure your vehicle and tyres are in good shape, especially the delicate ‘house’ items, such as the refrigerator. Never drive at night.
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Weighing up the pros 
