Honduras by born2travel.it

excerpt from

11.01.2013 Copan Ruinas (HONDURAS)

We wake very early to face this long day. It is five in the morning and outside it is still dark… in the distance a small lantern light from the lake not far away can be made out… The backpacks are heavy in the early morning… the little town, already sleepy in itself, rests blissfully… around there is only some employee from San Salvador with her neatly ironed polo shirt and the emblem of her company, or some old man who, in boots and a cowboy hat, machete at his hip, heads into the woods in search of who knows what.

It is 05.48 when we reach the small bus "parada", tired from the forced early-morning exercise; we collapse to sit on a pavement to rest, but we last little… we are literally attacked by an "army" of tiny but nasty ants that hurt so much… dancing like madmen we try to free ourselves from the murderous attack…

Finally at 06.20 our colourful bus arrives. This time the driver's assistant does not shout the name of the destination, nor does he try to push people inside… maybe he too has just woken up.

In an hour we reach the little town of Las Aguilares, which is a big sorting road for the south or north of El Salvador. We manage to conquer the first two seats of the bus and so we have the chance to savour scenes of Salvadoran daily life…

Las Aguilares. A huge sign framing an overpass invites citizens to vote for Mrs "Pena" in the upcoming elections for "Alcadesa" (mayor). We cross the road and wait together with the street vendors for bus no. 119, destination: El Poy, the border, while a large lady bags the last "pupusas".

Here comes our packed bus slowing down; I stow the backpacks in the bus's luggage rack, let the last sellers of mango and fried bananas pass, and finally I sit down!

El Poy. Borders have always fascinated me. The bus driver points out the immigration office to us in the distance and we, hand in hand, pass the long queue of waiting trucks, show our passports at the checkpoint, refuse a couple of guys with two big bundles of Central American banknotes and when yet another policeman approaches us I can only smile at him and say: "El Salvador? Just beautiful!"

We are in Honduras! As always happens when we cross a new border, I feel the need to repeat it to myself, to hear it said that we are in a new nation, almost like a good-luck ritual! We are in Honduras! My voice echoes in the air and rumbles in my thoughts: it is the beginning of a new adventure.

A sleepy flag with white and blue stripes and five stars in the centre does not even have the strength to flutter. We pay the 120 Lempiras of entry tax, change 20 dollars with a friendly old man, and in a taxi we reach the border town of Nueva Ocotepeque; from there we will continue by bus to La Entrada… we are still quite far but we are calm; the sun shines high in the sky, it is only 10.16 in the morning! The ten minutes of waiting for departure promised by the driver become 50, but it does not matter, we are not in a hurry.

We set off; every village we pass through becomes a reason for "battle" for the poor driver's "assistant", who as soon as he glimpses a potential passenger literally flies off the bus and returns with suitcases, holdalls, bags and new customers… meanwhile those selling fresh water in transparent sachets or "pan de huevo" get on while the bus continues towards the Land of the Maya.

It is late afternoon when we leave La Entrada for the last leg. We climb up the mountain and while I try to keep an eye on our backpacks resting on the roof of the minivan, the surrounding landscape changes completely.

Finally: "Bienvenidos a Copan Ruinas".

[Guy Castonguay from Navan, Canada]: "Si l'amour est une faiblesse, je suis plus que mort et pour l'amour je suis pret a mourir".

12.01.2013 Copan Ruinas (HONDURAS)

[Stefy]: "The ruins of Copan represent the economic and political life at the time of the Maya. One is immediately struck by the architectural grandeur of the place where the Kings resided or where sacred rites took place. We wander and slip in everywhere until we reach the "ball game court", where we relax, lying down peacefully on the grass not far from the majestic "Hieroglyphic Stairway". If you closed your eyes you could imagine the "jaguar or shell" Kings attending the Maya rites, faces painted and adorned with feathers, men in costumes with great wings dancing on the steps of the pyramids while others, invested with divine powers, raised a still-beating heart to the sky while an eclipse darkened the sky."

13.01.2013 Roatan (HONDURAS)

[Stefy]: "We set off at dawn; today we cross almost all of Honduras from south to north. We stop in San Pedro Sula only to change buses and immediately leave again for La Ceiba. The landscape left us spellbound; the thick vegetation was as if it would fall on top of you. Bright green, everything sparkled with the sun's rays."

At the port of La Ceiba, along with the ferry ticket they offer us a pill against seasickness… the situation becomes worrying… and they were right: the hour and a half separating us from the little Caribbean island severely tests our stomach, and so half the passengers spend the journey with their heads in a plastic bag.

[Stefy]: "Incredible waves, it felt like being on a roller coaster. We land towards 18.00, take a taxi, leave our backpacks in our damp room and go to devour three empanadas filled with cherry tomatoes, chicken, onions, beans and cheese: exquisite!"

14.01.2013 Roatan (HONDURAS)

[Stefy]: "The beach with crystal-clear sea is four steps from our guest house. We stay lying in the sun for a couple of hours when we hear a gospel song coming from a little all-white church right on the beach. Curious, we approach and, despite our beachwear, they immediately invite us in. All the ladies dressed up turn towards us and smile. A big black woman leans to Marco's ear and whispers: "We are happy to have you here." What joy, what a celebration, what music. In this part of Honduras they do not speak Spanish but English, the skin is coffee-coloured, reggae music rumbles everywhere."

15.01.2013 Roatan (HONDURAS)

On the little boat that took us from West End to West Bay, with a wonderful day and a sea so transparent it looked fake, we were like two little pirates ready to board.

Once on the beach we are so captivated by what we see that we barely take a few photos… the landscape is straight out of an advertising magazine… coconut palms, very fine white sand, water so transparent that the boats seemed to hover in the air…

In a few seconds we drop all our belongings and dive into the water.

We spend the whole day between swims, sun and relaxation… in the end, sunburnt despite kilos of "50" protection cream and riddled with mosquito and various sand insect bites, shortly before sunset we decide to return to West End by land, despite everyone having advised us against it as too dangerous!

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