Honduras: Libre, Soberana e Independiente

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With no clear plan or route of how I was going to circumnavigate the biologically, culturally and geographically diverse countries that make up Central America, I landed safely at the San Pedro Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport and thus, my trip had officially started.

It was in the middle of the night and I wasn't quite sure yet if I was going to stay the night at the airport or at the bus station. A local made the decision easy; A guy who later appeared to be a Utila-born native called me over and asked me if perhaps I was going to the island. Upon affirming his question he told me I'd better stay at the airport since going into the city was too dangerous. After lingering for an hour or so, him, I and another fellow on his way to meet his misses in La Ceiba, took a taxi together. It took a mere 2 and a half hours to the coastal town of La Ceiba so it was before 4 a.m. I was sitting in the lobby of the local hotel. This was my first encounter with the 'dangers'of night-time Honduras: On the intersection, two men guarded the hotel and the street in front of it with large machetes the length of their legs. I sat there until 6 when I had breakfast at the local restaurant, a proper Honduran breakfast. The flavours were all new to me and needed some getting used to. I took a taxi when it was fully light and so it was that I arrived at the La Ceiba harbour two and a half hours before departure time of the ferry to Utila island. I killed the time talking to the increasing number of travelers coming in and staying in the shade, as the temperature was soon hitting 30 degrees.

The ferry only took an hour and although some people got sick during the ride on the catamaran, I came off unscathed and set foot on Utila safely. I checked into a $6 a night place, without bathroom and not all too clean but it would do. I immediately set off to the beach, called Chepes beach, to the west of town. After returning I fell asleep and didn't wake up until 2 a.m. The night before had really done its damage on my system. The next morning though, I felt refreshed and ready for some serious tanning. I walked up and down a bit first along the only 'main' road the town has and spent some more time on Chepes beach that day. The next day wasn't much different, apart from the fact that this time I was on the east side of town, on the man made Bando beach. By then I had soaked up enough sun and heat to have the European cold replaced by lots of vitamin D and a reasonable tan/burn...

Dinner on that first night consisted of something called popcorn chicken, and I don't know if it was just that or maybe the usual travel bug, but in the middle of the night I woke up sweating with a very urgent need to find a bathroom. All that delicious food and the accompanying beers came right out, in a variety of ways. Welcome back to traveling ha ha. The next evening I had a chicken kebab with Jamaican jerk sauce, and although I had to send it back to have it cooked properly, I didn't get sick from it!
On day 3, or actually my second full day on the island I rented a kayak early in the morning and took it through the canal to the other side of the island, called rock harbour. I first had to paddle it along the western coast line where there was an inlet to one of the two lagoons, with a short canal leading into the second. The water in the lagoons turned dark and it was supposedly very deep, so I had to get all my mental strength together to get across them.
At first I couldn't find the canal, but by following a small fishing boat I was able to paddle my way in. Very soon the width of the canal was only twice the width of my kayak. It was quite amazing to move my way through the jungle of roots and black, murky water, which in parts was only knee-deep. When I saw a black crab with bright red coloring on it, I 'stopped'to get a picture of it. While I was floating among the mangrove, I got the scare of my life; Suddenly a dark and quite large creature jumped right over my kayak, from front left to right back. I can tell you, I yelled! I screamed! Aaarrghhh!!!! Imagine just sitting there in the mangroves, all alone and without any sound and then suddenly have this thing jump over your kayak. Oh man!

Nevertheless, I pushed on, making sure I was making noise to scare away any other creatures that were thinking about making my kayak their new home. After one an a half hours of leaving the town I was on the other side, called rock harbour. I stayed there for a bit, drinking water and enjoying the view before getting back the same way. The way back was sort of more peaceful, as I knew what to expect then. I later learned talking to a very friendly local it most likely was a Utila iguana, an endemic species which unfortunately are endangered. Good thing it hadn't jumped into my kayak! The rest of the day I spent having a 'hair cute' at the barber shop and relaxing in the shade as I had had too much sun the previous day.

I learned more from the local people; an 83 year old man, wandering the island most of the day chatting up people as he felt lonely at home since his wife had died 2 years ago, taught me a bit about the history of the island. How it was given back to Honduras by the British mid 19th century, and how much the island had changed during his life. He, like myself, disliked the busy 'traffic' in Utila town, all the loud quads, motorbikes and cars going way too fast most of the times. I noticed the light in his eyes as he spoke of the years he traveled the seas to countries around the globe and how he was given a wonderful light for the Utila light house he kept for years. I found it very interesting lostening to the local people, their 'English' with that twist of Caribbean in it, a Cayman dialect. One thing I heard one man say to another I can't forget;

You been drinkin' them plenty these days, Jimmy?

Talking to a Canadian guy, I learned of a cheap deal to one of the cays. $10 would pay for a return boat ride and a night on Jewel cay. So the next morning I left my backpack at Morgans dive center and took my essentials on the boat. We left at 07:15 and arrived half an hour later. Wow!!!
If I had known before I would have stayed the previous 4 days here as well! Stunning, quiet and beautiful!
The Kayla 1 was full so they put me in Kayla 2. Great hotel, so much better and cleaner then on Utila. Jewel cay, connected by bridge to Pigeon cay are two islands completely filled with fishermen houses with a total population of 500 and 5 churches! From a small distance, swimmable, lies Diamond cay,great to snorkel around. Adjacent to the Kayla 1 hotel sits a pier with lots of chairs and hammocks to chill out in with that lovely sea breeze coming in from open sea. The 3 floors harbor cafe, fantastically decorated provides great food and views to go along. I spent just one night there, but I loved it!
Had great fun talking to a family from Seattle and a Canadian couple, and praised luis from Mexico for kayaking all the way from (and back!) Utila. I loved it!

I was able to catch a free ride back on a fishing yacht and thus in time for the 2 p.m. ferry back to La Ceiba. I joined a Canadian couple in a taxi to the bus station where we got a bus to San Pedro Sula. The scenery on the way was great, rivers coming out from the mountains, valleys... Too bad the battery of my camera was dead... The plan was to go to Copan Ruinas early the next morning, but unfortunately I had a little glitch. Tell you all about it next blog!

Hasta luego!

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Photos

From here to there...
Harbor cafe, Jewel cay

Utila barber shop sign
I had a 'hair cute' myself...

My 1st Honduran breakfast
At the La Ceiba hotel; consisting of scrambles eggs, refried bean paste, plantain and cheese...