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So I went to this agency to book a trip from Flores, Guatemala to Copan, Honduras, because it seemed difficult to find information about connections. It would start at 5.30am from the hostel and after 8 hourse in a LUXURY bus, should reach my destination. While saying this, the agent pinted several times at a supercool modern bus on a poster. Ok, I thought, sounds easy, I thought, should be comfortable I thought. Booked the rather pricy trip for the next day. To my surprise, at 5.30 am there really was a taxi waiting for me. Even the tour agant was there to hand money to the taxi driver, so the transfer to the LUXURY bus was included, already the second nice surprise. Unfortunately, my good luck for the day ended here, at 5.35am on this day. The LUXURY bus might have been one in the 70´s but since then lacked any care or cleaning. It also must have survived a civil war or so, looking at the damage o the body and the windows (put up some pics later). Taking it with a smirk, I entered the vehicle when I saw the taxi driver talking to he bus conductor something
Classic Tikal ruins
Known to be the largest Maya city, Tikal buildings are quite steep about "la frontera" and handing him some money. At that time I believed to cross the border in this bus and that the money would be to ensure a priviliged treatment for the border process. But soon it dawned me that this was just a large version of a chicken bus that would pick up people and deliver anyone on the way. And that Espuguelas was acually not the name of the company but a village where the bus was heading. It was on the right way though, yet after 8 hours I was stil nowhere ner the border, but asked to leave the bus to get a connection. At this point the conductor handed me some money that should buy me the ticket to the border. Now I got concerned about the money situation. My funds were at this point 4 US dollars, 24 quetzales (2,40 euros) and the 25 Quetzales that I just received. I knew there would be an exit fee and the transportation from the border to the city was appently left to me. The ticket to the border I managed to get for thse 25 quetzales although it was supposed to be 35, with a
'Luxury bus' from 70s
The door didn't even shut. It was held by a rope. desperate look and the remark "that´s all I have". Another 1,5 hours and 2 change of busses later I did reach the border. I paid 10 quetzales to exit Guatemala. Then to enter Honduras, I was asked to pay the equivalent of 3 US, despite everybody telling me there is no entrering fee for that border. Ok, one dollar left and 14 Quetzales. When handing the money over to the border official I started to sing "no tengo dinero" (I do not have money), which the border guard took without much humor. He tole me the next atm is in Copan, the nearest town and half an hour away by bus - my destination. Now how much would the transfer... and if they do not accept quetzales I would be depending on the single dollar. I can tell you already the dollar was not enough, but the fare of 20 Lempiras was the equivalent of 10 Quetzales and I gladly took the chance to pay this from my ampe funds. So I finally arriveds to Copan after 12 hours at sunset with 1 Dollar and 4 Quetzales left, went to the hostel, and fell asleep in a hammock the moment
Bullet holes
actually, there a civil war was going on for decades, this bus possibly would be able to tell a tale. I laid down.
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Daniel Lundberg
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Not easy
Interesting to read about your trip :) No easy life there!