Escape from Honduras

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We are now in Granada, Nicaragua, after too long in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. While we will miss our room, the view, the gym and our waiters Freddy and Darwin, 10 days was too long! The people were so very nice though, and that made the stay bearable....

However:

I almost didn't make it out of Honduras, since my passport expires in July and Nicaragua requires that one's passport is good for at least 6 months...I had neglected to read that part of the travel guide...And we found out all this on my birthday...

That afternoon, after spending the am at the Embassy getting the house documents notarized, we tried to buy a ticket on the first class bus from Tegucigalpa to Managa, but they wouldn't sell me a ticket, once they looked at my passport...so (after I threw a small fit, picturing life in Honduras) we decided to take the local bus to the border, walk across with the locals and then get a bus onwards.

This option cost about a tenth of the first class bus fare, and if I got turned back, we had decided that I would apply for a new passport back in Tegucigalpa and we would then head for the Atlantic coast, where we would would wait out the two weeks for the new passport..

There was no problem at the border...other than the officials wanting dollars for the entrance fee rather than the national currency!

We spent the night in small town about an hour from the border, and then took an express bus, and two local buses here today.

Granada is beautiful! Other than the heat, it's been a lovely first afternoon here! More in the next blog...

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Photos

Escape from Honduras
Bill is waiting in line at the border to have our passports stamped and to pay the exit and entry fees.

Another city, another church
This is the church in Ocotal, Nicaragua, where we spent the night after leaving Honduras

One the most beautiful central parks we've seen
This is in Ocotal...the plantings are beautiful....we walked around and then tried to find someplace to eat, with no luck. It started to rain, so we headed back to our hotel.

Finally able to celebrate my birthday!
We found that that the restaurant next to our hotel was open and we became the only customers...

Finally able to celebrate my birthday!
The restaurant cat who shared our dinner....

Our room in Ocotal
It was like an oven all night, even with the downpour outside...

Bus rides: Not a first class bus...
We were lucky to arrive at the bus station a few minutes beofore the express bus loaded up..it had air conditioning and comfy seats and cost $5 for a three hour trip..we then changed to a local bus to get to Granada and by pass Managua...

Bus rides
In the bus yard at Masaya, near Granada

Bus rides
On the way to Granada..we took 3 taxis, one first class bus, three "directo" buses, one mini van (in horrible shape), and one local bus to get from Tegucigalpa to Granada...it cost us each less than $30 and took about 9 hours in all..

Granada, the first afternoon
This city is really beautiful, but very hot...our room has air conditioning, so we'll be able to sleep tonight! We have walked around the central square and I'm typing this at an Internet cafe on the square. Next door is some kind of cultural institute where a choir is practicing, in a beautiful colonial building..

Comments

[Nola]

Nice tan, Lynn!

[fran]

great example!!
and the kids in your class get "in trouble" for throwing a fit?!! hummmm... seems it paid-off this time!! Glad things worked-out and your enjoying your travels once again. Fran