FROM LAKE TO CAPITAL TO BORDER CROSSING
Trip Start
Jan 29, 2010
1
19
38
Trip End
Sep 13, 2010
Lake Yojoa, Santa Bárbara, Honduras
Friday, May 14, 2010
After another couple of relaxing days on Utila and some more dives on the North Side Shannon and I said goodbye to our little island paradise and headed back to the mainland. First we had the hour long ferry on rough waters to cross, then it was into a taxi and onto a bus headed back to our 'favourite' place San Pedro. This time we were only changing buses to head to the nearby Lake Yojoa. The buses were old and rickety, had comfy chairs but no air-conditioning, so by the time we arrived at the D&D Brewery on the Lake we were exhausted and the sight of the swimming pool and the thought of a cold home brewed ale was like heaven. We met another bunch of travellers on the bus headed for the Lake, so after some kafaffle trying to fit us all in, we were finally settled and spent the afternoon sampling the different beers on offer and chatting to everyone. The Lake area of Honduras is really beautiful, with lush greenery all over the place. The next morning we go to visit a nearby waterfall and have a swim before setting off on the journey towards Nicaragua. Shannon is headed back up north, so I join up with Richard and Jesse who are heading towards Nicaragua as well. We have a few chicken buses ahead of us, so we hail a pick-up truck and hitch a ride for 25c up to the nearest town. The 4 of us jump in the tray with our bags and zoom along through the countryside with the wind in our faces. We all have big grins on our faces, living it up travelling local style. It is simple moments like these that make me really love travelling. No sooner do we set off when we see the chicken bus come up behind us - the bus that Shannon needs to get back to San Pedro. So we race the bus to the town of Pena Blanca trying to flag it down. We jump out and the pick-up starts driving off whilst I am still trying to get my way too heavy backpack out of the tray and at the same time trying to wave goodbye to Shannon as she runs off to get on her bus, still with the big grin on my face.
So me and the boys jump on a collectivo headed around the Lake to the point where we need to pick up a bus to the capital, Tegulcigalpa. We jump off and then have to wait 1/2 hour for the next bus to show up. It is a niceish bus, but without air-con and only going as far as the next town Comayagua, so we jump on it for the next couple of hours. In Comayagua we wait for another bus headed for Tegulcigalpa and this time get an old rickety chicken bus. This is going to be a slog of a journey, the bus stops at all the villages along the way and people get on and off. The chicken buses are full of people selling their wares, food and drinks and again the salesman with his 'cure all' drugs, providing us with a little entertainment as we bounce along. It soon gets dark and the bus makes a funny noise and then conks out. Oh dear, we are broken down mid-hill, but the locals don't seem to be too worried. Half an hour later, whatever the problem was seems to be fixed and we start the stutter up the hill again only to meet some road works and a big line of traffic. We eventually come over the mountains and have a view of the lights of the capital down in the valley below - it appears to be a huge city, but it only has a population of 800,000. Much like San Pedro, the cheap accommodation is around the bus stations in the dodgy part of town. We find a hotel that is not too shabby and are chuffed to find Pollo Frito (fried chicken) is open next door. Looks like I will get to try the favourite dish of Central America after all.
We have another day of chicken buses ahead of us as we try to cross the border into Nicaragua. We get a coach as far as Choluteca and then change onto a chicken bus to the border town. We are getting off the bus and are accosted by people wanting to change money and pedal us to the immigration on their bicycle contraptions. We try to shake them off and then walk the couple of meters ourselves. We are out of Honduras and then have to walk across a bridge to get into Nicaragua. Although only a short walk, being the middle of the day, the heat is obnoxious. The immigration guy wants to charge us US$7 and won't accept the Cordobas we just changed, so is being difficult. Apparently because it is lunchtime we get charged an extra US$2 to cross the border. The guy says he won't give us a receipt so we try our luck to get through without paying, but get held up for a receipt at the gate. So back to the guy, and it seems it isn't him specifically but his friend who hands out the receipts. Technicalities. We eventually get across and head to the bus station and get a collectivo to the nearest town in Nicaragua, Chinandega. I am squished in between two large men on the back seat, trying to balance my day pack, my lunch and a Pepsi in a plastic bag. It is ridiculously hot, but we are back in volcano country, and have a nice drive with Volcan San Cristobal dominating the skyline. One more bus change and we are on our final leg towards Leon, a pretty colonial town. The hostel we choose is one of the nicest we have seen complete with swimming pool and it feels nice to throw down the bag and finally be in Nicaragua!
