Honduras by far surpassed all of the positive expectations I had for the underrated country (which was a lot thanks to some Hondereños I met in the states before leaving for this trip.)
For some reason I had always been drawn to the place, kept away only by statistics of most dangerous cities and 99% of backpackers passing by and warning me to stay away, despite never have been there.
I listened to the 1% of backpackers who have gone, and I went...and I'm so glad I did.
Honduras is an absolutely breathtaking country. Overflowing with farm land and cowboys, cows and horses, I felt right at home and downright dissapointed that I only had eight days to explore.
Just to throw this out there, Honduras is not a dangerous
country. In fact, the countryside is absolutely safe (as safe as anywhere) and the locals are soo friendly and welcoming to foreigners. The problems are in the cities, but even so it is generally safe to change busses there. But the facts don't lie, and San Pedro Sula boasts the highest murder rate in the world so its not a place to hang out and take pictures. Even so, not once did I feel in any danger in the small towns, on busses, or even walking around by myself.
My Honduran adventure started out in Copan Ruinas, a mere 30 minutes from the Guatemalan border. The border crossing took about 10 minutes (entering and exiting) thanks to the CA-4 agreement between the countries. No hoops to jump through, no bag checks, no questions. Just a stamp in and a stamp out. A far cry from other border crossings where I can easily spend two hours waiting for details. A good impression from day one.
Copan is a charming cowboy town, and my first day I spent exploring the town and talking to the people that live there. I walked through the small central park where venders sold DVDs and random items like watches and ropes. All around, kids ran playing tag and screaming and smiling at me shyly, and beautiful women sold tostadas and corn on the cob and Atole for 10 lempira - a drink made from corn sold for about 50 cents.
My favorite though were the old cowboys who always sat around chatting and greeting me warmly.
I struck up conversation with a DVD vendor and he offered to buy me a snowcone from one of the three guys pushing around little carts with ice and flavors. I gladly accepted and we talked about the country and kids and what its like to sell DVDs every day. He said he enjoys it because he basically gets to sit in the park and talk to people all day...and buy gringas snowcones...
As its name implies, Copan ruinas is also home to old Mayan Ruins, and for this is one of the most touristy places in Honduras ("Most touristy" meaning about 10 other gringos.)
Although not a huge park, the ruins have a variety of sculptures and detailed carvings, more so than Tikal in Guatemala.
It also has beautiful trails through the woods that I was happy to get lost in, basides the countless spiderwebs and absolutely terrifying creatures sitting on them...I tried to get a picture but failed...consider yourself lucky. ;D
On a brighter note, the park is also home to beautiful, huge trees, and a river...
And my favorite, countless scarlet macaws. :)
After a day at the ruins, I caught a few busses to the small town of Gracias. Gracias instantly stole my heart with its small town vibe, friendly people, the cutest, most smiley kids I've ever seen, churches, art, cafes, and of course the food.
Unfortunetly, my first days at Gracias were pretty rainy, so I joined forces with some dutch girls and together we bussed to Lago Yojoa - to be flooded with more rain and cold keeping us from even seeing the lake for the first two days, but believe it or not, it was still beautiful.
We can't expect perfect weather all the time, so we made the best of it and along with Wei from China and Daniel from Denmark, we hitched a ride....
And went "extreme caving" which consisted of crawling, climbing, and sliding in the darkness of a very hot and humid cave while holding a flashlight and a bottle of water.
If I heard right, it was one of the largest caves in the world. No one knows exactly how big it is, because no one has ever come out the other side!
While at the lake, we stayed at D&D Brewery, which really felt like I was back at 4-H camp. Cabins in the woods, one bathroom for everyone, four people per room, and lots of spiders in the rooms.
But after two days in the jungle we were ready to move...even though of course now the sun decided to show itself and light up the lake.
Despite the beautiful sun and view, Wei and I said goodbye to our adventure buddies and headed to San Pedro Sula where we planned to get a bus back to Copan.
Two hours into the trip though, we got caught in stand still traffic and the word that a bridge fell and our only options were to walk the remaining 10 kilometers to the bus station, or return to the Lake. After severe warnings from the locals of "its too dangerous" and one man making the cut throat motion, we decided against walking in the most dangerous city in the world, and began the two hour return trip.
Four hours later we were back where we started, but not content with staying put, so we got another bus, and another, and another, keeping ourselves entertained with the passing landscape and old cowboys.
(Every time a bus stops, several young people RACE to be the first to present their sales using sticks with baskets on the end - they look like plungers with holes hahaha.)
The kindness behind their wrinkled eyes is such a beautiful thing..
(The photo doesn't show it, but the back of this cattle truck is PACKED with people hitching a ride home from work.)
Six buses and 12 hours later, we arrived back in Gracias.
(By the way, that little red three-wheeled vehicle is a tuk-tuk.)
Even though I was hoping to get further, I was happy to be back in Gracias - Jardin cafe is a beautiful hostel and resturant with incredible staff and food, and this time the weather was nice, so after a good nights sleep, Wei and I, along with Angel the guide (and hostel owner,) a dutch guy, and an insane birding local, we headed up the mountain.
We trekked through dense cloud forest, thick brush, down muddy, trail-less trails, and found a huge, fuzzy caterpillar!
Don't let his looks fool you though. The cute little guy would love to give you a fever and maybe even kill you.
We took some pics and let him be, continuing through the jungle and to a waterfall partially hidden by drifting clouds.
After a good six hours in the jungle, we headed back for some Chinese food made by Wei. :)
All too soon.......it was 6 am in the morning, which meant more bus time. I'm going to skip the details on this one, but four busses, two countries, and 14 hours later, I arrived back in my beloved Antigua, Guatemala. Guatemala City traffic is the WORST. But, traveling has its fun and not so fun days...comes with the territory, and here I am.
I adore Guatemala, and Honduras didn't dissapoint either. Ten points for the country everyone overlooks; I'll be back soon.
Xoxo
