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Published: March 26th 2009
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At the border
Actually should be adios Honduras Day 2: Thursday (La Ceiba - San Pedro Sula - Puerto Cortes - Corinto - the Guatemalan border!! - Puerto Barrios - Livingston)
Yes, I hit all those places in one day. Granted it was get off one bus get on the next, but I really lucked out and there was always another bus, so I didnt waste time waiting around. The border was hilarious. So I got up early cause I wanted to get the 6 am bus to San Pedro, only told the driver the wrong bus line, so got the 630 am one instead. It was a luxury one, so more than id hoped to pay (270 limp, which is about $15), but it was nice and plush for the 3 hour drive... and they gave me a ham and cheese sandwich! You just cant get that kind of service in America... there they kick me off the bus 😊 Then it was onto a mini van to Puerto Cortes, then a school bus for the 2 hour drive to the border. At the border you have to go to immigration, change your money over (its rather nice though, the money changers at the border give you the
Lisa 002
Y Benvenidos Guatemala! exact rate, no ripping off or anything) and then walk across the border... in this case a large rope they had laid across the road. Then you get in another mini van and they take you to the Guatemalan immigration, and then on to Puerto Barrios. Puerto Barrios is a deep sea port (so is Puerto Cortes) but I tried walking from where the bus dropped me off to the ferry dock to see if I could make it to Punta Gorda Belize. So walking towards the dock, I was absolutely floored by the amount of Dole and Chiquita big rigs there were... it was quite interesting to see the remnants of the banana republics.
In the end I could have made it to Punta Gorda that night, but I didnt want to stay in Punta Gorda and was afraid I would miss the last bus out, and thought I might as well check out Livingston since this is the only way to get to it, ferry from Puerto Barrios or boat down the Rio Dolce. Its Guatemalas one piece of Carribean paradise, but if I was Guatemalan I dont think I would claim it. Livingston in my mind
existed solely as a place to hawk tourist trinkets. It had one main road leading up from the dock, and it was just filled with stalls and shops and touristy restaurants (i.e. nice places that charge a lot and you would never see a local eating there) and hostels.
I was going to go eat at Rasta Mesa, a Garifuna restaurant, but I just could never find it. So i wandered around the city a bit, walked to the beach, which was gross. The water there, in the Caribbean, is brown. The beaches have trash all over them. Frankly it is not a town you visit to enjoy the Caribbean. Ended up eating at this restaurant on the main street, and just sat there and people watched for a bit. Then this older guy came up, and i dont remember how we got started talking, but at one point he said he was planning on going to San Pedro to fly out of, and we started talking about the different ways he could get to Honduras. So he sat down and we were chatting, and he had a boat out in the harbor. So he invited me to come
Lancha view
The lancha from Puerto Barrios to Livingston out to the boat with them for a fish dinner. Turns out he´d met people in Caye Caulker who sailed down with him from there for about 4 days. There was an English couple, two Norweigan girls, and a Swedish girl. So I went out to the boat with them, and had a great time. They had a bunch of beer from Belize still (actually two of them were made the bartenders and the other three were in charge of cooking, so they´d made a proper bar, with a drinks menu) It was quite fun. The English couple is planning on going to Roatan in about two weeks, so we exchanged emails so they could email me when they were coming. Great fish dinner.
Day 3 - Friday (Livingston - Puerto Barrios - Punta Gorda - Dangriga, Belize)
So anyways, I had planned on staying in Livingston an extra day, so I could go see the Seven Sculptures, some waterfalls. But then I decided that the longer I stayed out of Belize meant the longer I had to stay in Belize. So instead I caught an early morning lacha back to Puerto Barrios, and then a lacha to Punta
Livingston!
View from the top of the main street in Livingston looking out to the harbor Gorda, Belize. On the lacha back to Puerto Barrios, I started talking to an older gentleman from the U.S., and when I said I live on Roatan, he was like thats why my friend recognized you, Turned out he was living on Roatan for the past year as well, but he had a boat and was planning on moving up to the Rio Dolce. He had to go back to Honduras though, Puerto Cortez, to get some boat visa thingy that he hadnt gotten when he left. And here I was thinking oh I wouldnt know anyone outside of Honduras!
Got into Punta Gorda about 11 30, so just in time for the 12 noon bus. Punta Gorda is a very very very small town. Immigration there was funny though, after walking across the rope the other day. They had a customs and everything, and I had to explain why I was in Belize (on holiday for a few days, nothing to do with a visa oh no siree). Took the bus up to Dangriga, about 3 hours from Punta Gorda, cause again I didnt think I would make it to Belize City in time to catch a ferry
Oy Caribbean!
Beach in Livingston to Caye Caulker, and didnt want to get stuck in Belize City for the night.... do you know Belize City was stripped of its capital status in the 80s because it was so dangerous!
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