Isla del Tigre and travel to Nica

It's kind of hard to know where to start with relaying the events of the last few days. On the one hand, I'd like everyone to keep feeling envious of my travels and all the wonderful people I'm meeting along the way; on the other hand, sometimes there are just hard days and hard situations. For the sake of fair and objective reporting (you mean I'm NOT a journalist? Oh. Oh well.) and the hopes that maybe the full telling of the story will be therapeutic, I'm gonna share all of it...

Wednesday started with a bright and early 6am bus. By about 10:30am I'd arrived at Comayagüela, just outside the capital of Tegucigalpa...and was thoroughly disgusted in relatively short order. I'd been warned that a taxi here from where the bus dropped off was absolutely necessary because of the danger. I don't know about danger, but I was completely gouged by the taxi driver (who charged me almost the same amount for a five minute drive as what I paid for a four hour bus ride AND laughed in my face when I called him out on it) and then practically attacked by touts who were grabbing at me to go with their bus company and not the other guy's. I was then routed onto one particular bus where I got to wait for the next hour until we actually left. That wasn't so bad, kinda comes with the territory in these parts. What WAS bad was that during that hour I got to basically see the worst of humanity. Touts harassing anyone in their grabbing vicinity, blatant littering of the worst sort (trash cans were *right* there), lots of nose picking, junk grabbing, and spitting. Plus, it was hot and dusty.

Multiple bus changes later and I was in the town of San Lorenzo which I knew to be the closest place to Isla del Tigre to get money from an ATM. I haven't had any problems at ATMs thus far, but of course this was the one ATM that wouldn't work for me. (Did you know that MasterCard isn't as widely accepted in Central America as Visa? Guess which one I have...) I was still an hour away from the island by this point and I was quickly convincing myself that if I could find a hotel that accepts credit cards (did you know that's not particularly common here, either?), I was going to suck it up and pay a lot of money for a private room with a/c. It took multiple attempts, but I did eventually end up in an overpriced, somewhat run-down room in a currently-being-renovated-hotel. But at least it was icy cold, was right on the water, and had sunsets that looked like this:

(When the tide was in, that little spit of land in the foreground completely disappeared.)

For my two days or so on the island, I was indeed the only foreigner visiting. Actually, during some parts of my wanderings, it felt like I was the only person on the island, foreigner or otherwise. It was almost creepy how few people were out and about. Aside from the roads in the main town of Amapala, the island just has one road that goes all the way around it, about 18km distance. After spending some time at the pool (too icky to go in, so I just sat next to it) trying to wrap my head around what the next five weeks will look like planning-wise, I took a tuk-tuk almost halfway around the island to Playa Negra - my first black sand beach, as far as I can remember. It was nice enough, but nothing too special if I'm being perfectly honest, and not much to it. The people there mostly just gathered around me and gawked, staring, not trying to make conversation even if I initiated. And the quietness was shattered when a boy who was old enough to know better tossed a glass bottle into the air and let it smash into a million pieces on the sand, right where people were walking and playing. I know it's kind of mean, but I almost wished that he'd cut himself. He would've deserved it. Lucky for him, my wishing had no impact.

(Playa Negra, pre-broken glass)

Friday came and it was to be another long travel day. The guys at the hotel front desk told me I could pretty much get a lancha any time, but that on the hour would be my best bet. Unfortunately, they hadn't told me that the boats are colectivos which means they don't leave until there are enough people to fill them. After waiting for about a half hour, one of the drivers offered to take just me for 50Lps instead of the usual 15Lps (more than triple the price, yes, but still only about $2.50 and I figured it was worth it since I had such a long travel day ahead of me).

That was actually the most waiting I had to do for the rest of the day because I was pretty much shuffled along without incident from there. In fact, in Guasaule I was shuffled so quickly onto a minibus that I barely had time to realize there wasn't really a seat available for me. I was essentially sitting between a guy's knees, facing him like we were in a marriage counseling therapy session, except it would've made the weirdest session ever since we'd never even seen each other before. There were about 20 people on that 12 seat bus and I had a cramped knee and an asleep leg about 10 minutes into the 45 minute trip. At one point there was a security checkpoint - fairly common, but it was my first where we all had to pile out so the bus could be searched. I still don't know what exactly happened, but one less person got back on the bus than got off.

Next came la frontera and it was probably one of the more maddening border crossings I've ever experienced, if not the most. A guy in a pedi-cab snagged me as I got off the bus and was cycling me from point to point, telling me what to expect next. By the time he told me about the fee to cross into Nicaragua, I'd already exchanged my Honduran lempiras for Nicaraguan córdobas and was beginning to feel panicky that I wouldn't have enough ($12). (Not that I wouldn't have enough, exactly, but I also needed money for my bus into León, etc. and didn't want to have NO money.) The ATM at the border also wasn't working for me, but I managed to piece together enough dollars, lempiras, and córdobas to pay the fee AND have some left over. As my pedi-cab driver and I were officially driving over the bridge into Nica, we were stopped by some soldiers. I'm not really sure what the point was - were they trying to bribe me? search my bag? something else entirely? - but I didn't even have to play dumb because I really didn't know what they were trying to say to me. It was mildly intimidating because the one soldier had this baton that he kept tapping against my leg, but the whole situation was over in probably less than a minute and a half. I finally got to where the buses into Nica were parked and this tout tried to gouge me, too. He was suddenly insisting on 200Lps, more than ALL of my travel up until that point had cost, combined. I gave him the rest of my lempira, about 80Lps I think, still too much, but I'd had enough and wanted to get away from him. As I thanked him and walked away, he was still calling after me that I owed him more money, but he did eventually give up and bike back the direction we'd just come.

My arrival and first 18 hours in León have presented their own challenges, but that will have to wait for another day because this has already gotten long enough. Suffice it to say that I have cash now and can eat something substantial for the first time in a couple of days, so things can only go up from here, right?

Sorry if this was a bit of a downer of a post, but I had to get it all out. Here, about a cheerier picture to wrap things up?

(Because how can you not smile with this guy staring down at you like that?)

Pulhapanzak Waterfall

My adventure for today was a trip to the Pulhapanzak Waterfall. But "today" is actually Tuesday and you're not seeing this until Thursday because I scheduled it that way. Wednesday is a travel day and I'll be on an island without internet on Thursday and Friday, so I figured I'd space the postings out a little bit.

ANYWAY. I hadn't exactly planned to go to las cascadas, but a couple of people from my hostel were going and since I didn't have anything better to do, I figured I'd tag along. The three of us hired a taxi and made the 20 minute trip. Had I done this on my own, I probably would've opted for public transport, but considering how far away it was I was kind of glad that I didn't end up doing it that way.

It's 60Lps ($3) to enter the park and another 130Lps ($6.50) to go behind the waterfalls with a guide. We all quickly decided that going behind the falls was a must, so we made our way to the office to get our tickets and meet our guide.

My lucky streak with good guides continued with Luis. He was a guide not in the let-me-educate-you-about-this kind of way, but truly in the you-need-to-follow-me-to-make-it-through-this sense. He was awesome because he told you every step of the way what to expect, helped you along the slippery parts, and even lent me his hat so that I wouldn't lose my contact lens as we moved through the super powerful falls.

You see those falls right up above? They are 43m high, the tallest in the area for sure. THAT'S what we walked/scrambled/slipped behind. It was pretty awesome. There were opportunities to do some cliff jumping, too, but my dorm mate sliced the bottom of his foot pretty badly doing just that. Sliced it enough that he thinks he may end up having to cut his trip short by a month and go home. I let his misfortune be my warning and played it pretty safe.

Tonight I'm picking the brains of some of the staff here at the lodge to figure out logistics of getting from here to Isla el Tigre tomorrow and then from there to Nicaragua a couple days later. I'm feeling a little anxious about it because it's well off the beaten path, there aren't a lot in the way of budget accommodations, and I may well be one of the few foreigners around for miles. The owner of D&D said the best way around it is to knock on doors and ask about lodging and even meals. Wow. Wish me luck! Since there's no internet on the island, so I'll be back (from Nica) sometime over the weekend.

Lago de Yojoa

On Saturday I had an 11 hour journey from Utila to Lago de Yojoa - a ferry, a taxi, two buses, and a 10 minute walk. (Am I the only one somewhat amused by all of the types of transport I have to use in any given day? I keep mentioning it, but are all of you out there like, "why does she keep telling us that?") I woke up for that journey at 5:45am and had only gotten about three hours of sleep because it was too hot to sleep. By the time 9:30pm rolled around I was completely exhausted and crashed for the next 12 hours. It was glorious. Especially because it's cooler here and it was MUCH easier to sleep.

I had high hopes for exploring the lake and surrounding area on Sunday, but after a looooong leisurely breakfast, well, that used up just about all the energy I had! Instead, I read, surfed the internet, sent out accommodation requests to couchsurfers and hotels, and did a bit of Nicaragua planning. There may have been a beer or two in there as well, consumed during conversations with other travelers (I am staying at a place called D&D Brewery, after all!). But that's about it for the entire day.

So Monday came, today, and I knew I had to get out there and do something, maybe even take a picture or two. I figured seeing the lake I came to see would be a good start, but I mistakenly thought I was much closer to it than I am (Santa Cruz de la Laguna close) and, as it turns out, it's about a 35 minute walk/hike away. No worries, after the laziness of yesterday, I needed the exercise.

I consulted a map, double-checked it with one of the staff, and was off. Along the way I snapped a pic or two and greeted people who were fishing from the riverbank. It was a warm day, but I was still grateful for the long pants and longish sleeves I was wearing because it helped protect me from the brambles and other pokey, grabby things. 

Now, I don't know where exactly I lost the trail (or even if I was truly on it to begin with), but I figured I'd power through it - swampy, shoe-sucking muddy reeds and all - because as long as I walked along the river I'd eventually come to the lake. And that's true. I would have. Eventually. But before that could happen, I realized that I was in about knee-depth water (definitely no path in sight by this time!) and I was still pretty far from my destination. Lucky for me, a group of four hondureños had been pacing me in their rowboat for about the last five minutes or so. They must've had pity on the crazy girl trudging along and called to me in Spanish to get into the boat. I gladly accepted because I needed the help for sure!

When we got to the lake, they asked me where I was going and all four cracked up when I replied "no se" (I don't know). I really didn't know, I just knew I wanted to take pretty pictures of the lake! Eventually we got to the lakefront and all piled out of the boat. They joked and laughed and skipped rocks while I took pictures, and they climbed back in and told me "let's go!" Awesome, looks like I was gonna get a ride back, too, yay! They took me much further past where they picked me up which was so nice.

I indicated where they could drop me off and asked if I could pay them. (By the way, SO proud of myself for that sentence: ¿puedo te pago? I just finished the Duolingo lesson on clitic pronouns and it was a BEAST. I didn't understand them when I first learned them in high school and I struggled with them this time, too. But damn if I didn't get it right when I needed to!) Anyway, in typical Honduran fashion, they refused to take the money I offered, but I insisted. I wished them a good day and said goodbye (and that's when one of the guys got cheeky and made kissy noises at me haha).

And that was my big adventure for the day. Now I'm back to doing what I did yesterday. :-)

Yesterday's sunset

When you last heard from me, I was on my way to an icy beer and a sunset. Here's some of what I captured (and, in case you need a reminder, all of my photos get posted on my Flickr page):

I feel like I've been on a quest for that most glorious of sunsets for most of this trip. Most of my attempts have been thwarted by rain or clouds (I am traveling during the rainy season, after all). This one has come the closest, but I'd have liked if the island was positioned a bit differently to see more of what gets hidden by the western side of the island. That's not asking too much, is it? :-)

Tomorrow I take the early ferry (6:20am, ugh) back to La Ceiba to make my way southwest towards the middle of the country, to a place called Lago de Yojoa. The lake is home to over 400 species of birds (too bad I'm not a huge birdwatcher!) and is near coffee plantations, caves, waterfalls, and national parks. After spending a few days there, I'd like to head further south to Isla el Tigre, but I'm still working out the logistics of getting to and staying on a not particularly highly visited island.

Happy weekend everyone!

Diving Utila

Yesterday I did my scuba tune up course to help me feel more comfortable since it's been three years since my last dive. It is a testament to how good my dive master (Maru at Parrots Dive Center) was that I only had one tiny little freakout before being able to move on, good as new. I'm actually kind of surprised that it was that easy for me to get back into the swing of things, considering I tend to be a pretty nervous diver.

I'd signed up for two dives and was at the dive shop bright and early this morning, 7am. I was happy to see the sun shining (it'd been a little overcast yesterday) and smooth waters for as far as the eye could see. There were a whole gaggle of divers heading out, but most of them were in class to get their open water certification. Once we got to the first dive site, the four of us doing fun dives and the aforementioned Maru, quickly separated from them (new divers have "skills" they have to perform and they tend to flail about a bit, both of which kick up sand and reduce visibility, hence the reasoning for wanting to distance ourselves). 

I felt pretty good about my buoyancy and air use; I wasn't the one sucking down air and forcing a short dive this time (that honor went to a 12 year old kid who was actually sharing air underwater because his tank was so low). All was good...except the dives just weren't that awesome. Visibility was super low on the second dive and we just weren't seeing anything super amazing. Trumpetfish and angelfish are cool, but I've seen them before. I admit, I was really, really thinking it'd be pretty stinking awesome to see whale sharks, which tend to be in this area. I know that not every dive can be the best dive ever, so I don't want it to sound like I'm placing blame or am bummed out. I'm actually really glad I went, I just don't think I'll do the other two dives I'd been considering. There are at least two other potential dive areas I can hit up before this trip is over - the Little Corn Islands in Nicaragua and Bocas del Toro in Panama.

And now for some snippets:
*  As I've discovered in past travels, contact solution is just not an easy thing to find. I brought a bottle with me that would have been enough for the whole trip...if I hadn't left it in my room in Guatemala City. Oops. I finally found some in Utila yesterday - $10 for a teeny, tiny little bottle. I seem to remember paying even more than that in Prague?, but I can't find the link.
*  Readers who have been around awhile know my love of brunch and how much I miss it when I'm on the road it. Imagine my surprise when I found that a restaurant here does brunch, a true brunch, complete with both breakfast and lunch options AND the proper accompanying adult beverages. I really thought twice about staying here two extra days just for brunch, but I finally decided that was a bit silly.
*  Although I'm sitting on a breezy balcony at the moment, it's basically been hot as Hades since Cabo. I've managed to get into the habit of three showers daily, sometimes four. The beer in Honduras is the iciest ever and combined with all those cold showers, I'm managing (sometimes barely) to stay comfortable.

I like sets of three, so I'll stop my bulleted list there. It's just about time for one of those icy beers and what looks to be a pretty great sunset.

Gearing up for diving

I arrived in Honduras on Saturday and, so, have been here for three full days now. I've been in Tela, on the north coast, and I've been quiet because, honestly, there hasn't been a whole lot to write home about. Downtown Tela is a bit rundown looking and not all that pretty to look at. On Sunday when I actually took my camera with me to see if I couldn't squeak something out of it, 95% of the shops were closed and that would've meant just lots of corrugated metal gates and barred windows, so I didn't bother. 

I was actually staying a bit outside of Tela in a place called Triunfo de la Cruz (Triumph of the Cross). It's a Garifuna village that I was initially dismayed to see required a 15 minute taxi ride to get into town, but after seeing that Tela isn't much to look at and a taxi ride is only 25Lps (lempira; $1=20Lps) anyway, I was okay with the decision. It's a sleepy village with not much to do besides walk along the beach, chat with locals, read, watch videos, and nap in hammocks. I didn't take many pictures, a few cloud challenged sunsets shots is about all. I'll try to get those posted in a couple of days, but my internet connection is deadly slow right now. Done!

One kind of funny thing to mention is that kids seemed to love me in Tela. During one of my walks along the beach and through the village, kids would stop and wave. Quite a few pointed to my tattoos and made comments (that I mostly didn't understand). One even laughed, pointed, and called me gringa (white/foreign person)! I hadn't been called gringa or any of its variations in some time, so it kind of tickled me. Also, the youngest daughter of the family running the place where I stayed took an instant liking to me. She'd always run up to me and grab my hand or jump into my arms to give me a hug. Her name was Mia and I didn't understand most of what she said either, but that didn't stop her from chattering along anyway. It was kind of sad when she burst into my room (she had a habit of doing that, enough of one that I made sure to keep the door locked, usually), saw me packing, and asked "a dónde va?!" (where are you going?).

Today my four hour trip consisted of a 2 1/2 hour ride on one of those legendary chicken buses, a 25 minute taxi ride, and an hour long ferry ride. I'm in Utila now, the smallest of the three main Bay Islands, located in the Gulf of Honduras. Tomorrow I'll do a refresher course to bring me back up to speed in the ways of diving and I'll go on two dives the following day. Depending on how that goes and how I'm feeling, I may do two more on Friday, but we'll see.

(I don't know who they were, but so romantic, right?)