Blogs from Western, Honduras, Central America Caribbean - page 9

Having been away for three months Rachel decided it was high time she came to check up on me & for the past two weeks we have been travelling through Honduras together. After a quick exit from San Pedro Sula (the lonely planet lists leaving SPS as one of the highlights of the country) we headed inland to the vast Lago de Yojoa. The lake is famed for it's bird life and is reputed to have around 440 different species, binoculars at the ready Rach and I set off early on our first morning for a rowing boat tour of the lake, the quantity and variety of birds was impressive, especially the raptors which are such a rarity in the UK. The water was shrouded in mist and lining the rocky lake shore were some truly ... read more

After the expedition to Aguas Calientes, Marco and I had agreed to meet for a couple of drinks and to discuss the possibility of traveling together to La Ceiba where he wanted to do some kayaking. He brought with him an English girl who had checked into his accomodation who was eager to join him on an expedition into La Moskita which is a vast roadless area along the Carribean cost in Eastern Honduras and Northwestern Nicaragua. I agreed that this could be possible if she didn't mind be crammed into the back of the Scion so now there were three. I amended the plan by suggesting that we should detour to Lake Yajoa and stay one night there before pressing on to La Ceiba. Thus agreed we drove about 4 hours to an interesting expat ... read more

Everybody sing! Now I'm hiding in Honduras. I'm a desperate man. Send lawyers, guns, and money. The shit has hit the fan. It took me about 4 or 5 hours to make the drive to the Honduran border. I didn't find a transito to take me under his wing at this relatively remote border post so I was on my own to navigate the red tape circus. I elisted the help of an Italian man named Marco who just happens to hail from the same city where my (imaginary) friend Teresa lives. He helped translate which was a very big help because my command of the Spanish language has proven to be totally inadequate in these situations. Even with his help it took at least an hour that seemed like three. I hate borders! I gave ... read more

It was a six hour mini bus trip from Antigua to Copan Ruinas in Honduras. We were all crammed into the bus pretty tightly. The first couple of hours were terrible - we drove through Guatemala City and the pollution from other cars and trucks was very heavy. We had been warned constantly by locals not to go to the capitol city due to violence and robbery issues - even the residents of Antigua hate visiting the place. Even after leaving the city boundaries the pollution didn’t decease as we were in the middle of a constant stream of trucks belching fumes. We were all pretty pleased to get to our half way point to stretch our legs. Thankfully the scenery improved from there - hilly rural country with lots of banana plantations and tiny dry ... read more

This is a post that should have probably written weeks ago. It is a post I have dreaded. How do I describe these experiences? What do I say? Do I have the right to tell this story? Do have the skill to tell it in it’s entirely? Where is the truth, would I recognized it? I have avoided this posting because it demands context, but not justification, simply context. I have postponed this posting for weeks in attempt to gain some of this context. But I am beginning to wonder if I have the ability to separate between the reality that my eyes see and perception that my prejudices distort. I am reminded of a quote from a book I have recently read on this trip: “…We have no choice but to see the world through ... read more