Blogs from Gracias, Western, Honduras, Central America Caribbean - page 3

After Esteli I took a quick bus ride to Ocotal which is very close to the border between Nicaragua and Honduras. I stayed there for a night. While I was there I met a young woman who was from Ocotal and wanted to practice her english. She had learned her english from tourist and from music and her englishwas quite amazing. She has worked with both Lonely Planet and Moon Handbooks on thier Nicaraguan editions. She was very nice and graciously showed me around town to some different monuments and to the Parque Central, which is said to be the nicest in Nicaragua. The former Mayor of Ocotal was a botanist and created a very incredible and lush parque central. I left Ocotal on Thursay. I didn´t qiute know what to expect from the border crossing ... read more

We visited a town called Gracias. Gracias is 'Thank You' in Spanish and the town was named when explorers finally found a flat area of land for a settlement after hiking through the mountains and said 'Gracias a Dios' or 'Thank God'. It took 2 buses and a minivan to get to Gracias from Tegucigalpa via La Esperanza and San Juan. In the minivan I (Rae) sat in the front squished with the gearstick and the guys (Peter came with us from Tegucigalpa) were packed in the back. And more and more were packed in the back, crouching, perching, siting behind the passenger seat. Pieter had to protest a couple of times which caused a few giggles. It was definitely a 'Thank God' moment when we arrived in Gracias. The road had alternated paved and dirt ... read more