Adios Honduras

View all photos from Honduras: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcNmzVq5YsWLEWg

Technically I have said good bye to Honduras for the second time now (after having entered and exited Honduras for a brief three day visit to the Copan ruins). My second Honduras trip though was much longer. I entered Honduras from Rio Dulce, Guatemala at the eastern border in between El Chinchado and Corinto. The trip to San Pedro Sula lead past the ocean and endless fields of Banana plantations (indeed I am in the banana republic). I spent a few days with my friend Kate and her family in a suburb of San Pedro Sula, which gave me a small glimpse into the expatriate community and lifestyle as well as the region’s most prestigious international school. From there I passed the Garifuna beach town Tela and spent a couple of relaxing days in the jungle just outside of La Ceiba (hiking, swimming, climbing on rocks and relaxing in comfortable hammocks). The 1 hour ferry ride from La Ceiba took me to Utila, a small Caribbean island. As almost every other tourist on the island I have come to dive, and loved every minute of it. I wound up staying almost 20 days, somewhat longer than I had anticipated. This was due to 1) the amazingly capturing experience of diving, 2) due to the many great people I met, which whom I had so much fun making a departure difficult and 3) a storm which prevented any ferry navigation to and from the island for seven days (it is an interesting experience to see the supermarket shelves increasingly empty as the days go by and restaurants crossing off more and more items off their menus).

My trip south led me through San Pedro Sula once more and then to the hilly, crowed capital Tegucigalpa. From there I passed the Gulf of Fronseca and Choluteca and finally crossing the border into Nicaragua at El Trinto / Guasaule. It is amazing how different the climate can be in such a small country leaving the Caribbean behind in stormy rainy season and reaching the Pacific being greeted by the sun smiling form a cloudless sky.

I have to admit that my Honduras experience was by far the most touristy so far (I spent most of the time diving on Utila) and I wish I could have experienced normal Honduran life more fully (hopefully in Nicaragua) but nevertheless (despite its poverty) I found Honduras friendly and charming.

A Car Wash (Honduras Style)

The car gradually rolls down the bumpy gravel road towards the muddy Guasaule River. There are a few cars in front of us so we have to wait but not too long since the car wash attendants are working fast. Soon it is our turn. A ten year old boy waves us forward, then signals to stop the car, as if we had just entered an automatic car wash. We gradually pull forward and drive into the middle of the river where we park the car in between a few rocks. Several boys equipped with buckets and old rags start to give the car a good rinse, they are as wet as the car or the river for that matter but the sun is scorching so the refreshment is probably welcomed. A couple of minutes later they are finished and we exit the “car-wash” on the other side of the river. The sun quickly dries the car and we are on road again.

Utila Highlife

Utila (a small island off the Honduran coast) is unique in that it is made up of an eclectic mix of people. The oldest (living) inhabitants of the island are descendents of British pirates that took possession of Utila some centuries ago. Some time later came the Garifuna (ex-slaves from British colonies) from the mainland. Both of these groups speak English (yet with different accents), neither of which is easily understandable even to an English native speaker. Over the past decades Utila has converted itself from a sleepy fisher island to a diving & tourist metropolis. Many tourists from all over the world have been captured by the energy on Utila and have stayed; now making a living as dive instructors, restaurant operators or simply hanging out and not making a living at all. With the growing tourist importance of Utila, there has also been an immigration of Latin Honduran’s from the mainland, to the effect that today Utila is English / Spanish bilingual with both languages spoken roughly equally. All these distinct groups tend to stick to themselves and do not mix a lot, which allows the visitor to observe very distinct cultures on one tiny island.

The group I naturally had the most con tact with were foreigners that have come from all over the world and have stayed attracted by the endless summer, sun, amazing diving, rum and fiesta. After two weeks on Utila I can relate to the charms of such a life. Discovering the magic of the underwater world during the day and watching the sun dip into the ocean over a tasty Cuba Libre in one of the ubiquitous hammocks at night, is a life style that has many things going for it. Many of these “professional” divers claim that a diver is a happier person (than a terrestrial one). I am not sure if it is the serenity of diving or the nitrogen that builds up inside a diver’s body during a dive that leads to this happiness, but they certainly tend to walk around with big smiles on their faces.

Mother Earth or Mother Water: Scuba Diving in Utila, Honduras

Scientists have long claimed that we know more about the surface of the moon than the surface of our oceans. This seems paradoxical to me. How can a place as close and ubiquitous as the oceans remain such a mystery in the 21st century? To make this paradox more apparent: the name of this planet is Earth and many ancient cultures have referred to it as Mother Earth, yet 2/3 of its surface are covered with water, evolution shows that the human race evolved from fish and each of us spent the first 9 months on this planet in water.

What I am trying to suggest is that the element water is everywhere on this planet and constitutes the basis for all life. I have long felt a strong connection to water and have wanted to experience the magic of the underwater world. When I heard about the possibility of outstanding diving off the coast of Honduras, I had to go. I have spent countless hour snorkelling and observing the underwater world from above. Yet scuba diving is distinctly different. You get to see the underwater world right in front of your eyes (without shortness of breath) by becoming part of it, by amercing yourself in it.

The plethora of colors, shapes and sizes of fish, plants and corals that the Caribbean waters exhibit is truly spectacular. With every consecutive dive I see new species of this in different colors and shapes and gain an even deeper appreciation of the diversity of this new world.

It is a new world indeed because different laws of physics seem to apply: I am referring to the feeling of weightlessness brought about by the neural buoyancy the diver establishes in the water. Suspended in the ocean- motionless – as if flying without any movement of flapping your wings, allowing you to turn, flip or spin in any direction effortlessly. But the feeling of “weightlessness” is not the only sense that is skewed. Sound travels 4 times as fast in water than in air, which makes it almost impossible to tell where it comes from. Your vision is much narrower than on earth because of the restrictive nature of the diving mask. Of course the other senses: smell, touch and taste are completely distorted as well, making a visit to the underwater world an adventure for all your senses.

A dream within a dream: 25 meters is the reading on my depth meter. Although it is bright and sunny on the surface, at this depth much of the sunlight has been absorbed and only a diffused twilight reaches my eyes. Gradually the sunken ship “Halliburton” comes into view below me as I sink towards the bottom of the ocean. At 30 meters (100 feet) depth my knees gently land on a patch of sand next to the ship. I look around and find myself in a magical, surreal new world. Circling the ship I cannot help feeling like I was visiting the Titanic submerged on the bottom of the ocean and feel like I am insight a dream because what I am experiencing around me seems unreal; a vision much more reminiscent of a dream than reality.

The oceans by night: another spectacular experience was a recent night dive. Similarly to how a familiar place can convert itself to an unrecognizable location at night, the ocean changes its face completely at night. Colors are much weaker almost appearing black and white, and while most fish are sleeping, new nocturnal fish have awoken and replace them: octopus, shrimp, lobster, spotted drum fish. The small spot illuminated by your flashlight is the only thing you see as darkness completely surrounds you. A fun experiment is to turn your light off for a while and flying weightless through complete darkness only hearing the sound of your breath. The highlight of this night dive was a large blue octopus that all of a sudden appeared in front of us, wrapping its long arms around everything in its reach in pursuit of a meal, not swimming but crawling, seemingly extending ever new arms in unpredictable directions.

If someone has ever felt bored with life wondering if there is more to it, I can only recommend diving as a striking display of a beautiful new world, so close to us but yet very mysterious, different and magical.

Old Friends – New Places: San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Having kept in touch with my ex-girlfriend Kate over the past 10 years, I was excited when I found out that she, together with her husband Troy (my former host brother during a High School exchange year in 1994-1995) and two children Kaiser and Malachy, had accepted a teaching position at an International school in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

San Pedro Sula (the second biggest city of Honduras) is the commercial center of the north of the country. Travelling anywhere in the region invariably brings you to San Pero Sula since all roads seem to converge here (not that I would hot have traveled a ways to see Kate and her family).

Although I had seen Kate a few times over the past 10 years, these meetings were generally brief and hardly sufficient to exchange the news about our lives. Thus it was particularly nice to pay them a longer visit in a more relaxed manner with sufficient time to my disposal. It is fascinating to observe how people evolve, change and progress over the years while other characteristics remain unchanged. It was wonderful to reconnect with an old friend after so many years and get a glimpse into their everyday life, hobbies and interests. Fortunately, neither Kate nor Troy have to work excessive hours at their school, which left us with plenty of free time to discover the surroundings (like the Garifuna beach town of Tela) or to simply lay back in a hammock slipping on a Cuba Libre while listening to live guitar music.


View Kate’s BLOG and web site:
http://katekedley.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/katekedley

Rio Dulce, Guatemala

View all photos from Rio Dulce, Guatemala: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcNmzVq5YsWLEHg

After countless travellers had recommended the Rio Dulce region as a Guatemala highlight, I decided to make the 6 hour journey from Copán, Honduras before subsequently continuing my travels south. The praises and recommendations did not disappoint. The Rio Dulce area (between El Estor and Puertos Barrios) is tropical lowland featuring Guatemala’s biggest lake (Lago de Izabal), thick green jungle, swamps and banana plantations.

I lodged at the beautiful Casa Perico – a hostel run by 4 Swiss men surrounded by jungle and only accessible by boat spending my time swinging in one of the hammocks, listening to the sounds of the jungle (time here indeed passes slower), kayaking, swimming or conversing over candle light with some charismatic travellers (I met two fascinating people travelling for 6 and 2 years each with a repertoire of stories to fill many nights).

A definite highlight of the region is the Finca El Paraíso, a beautiful location in the jungle were a cold water river merges with a waterfall of natural hot springs. You can sit underneath the waterfall and enjoy hot water crashing down onto you massaging your shoulders or sitting behind the waterfall in a small cave forming a natural sauna heated by the water rushing by. This spectacular display is surrounded by lush green jungle and butterflies kissing your cheeks.

The Ruins of Copán, Honduras

View all photos from Copán, Honduras: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcNmzVq5YsWLD5g

My (first) experience of Honduras was short lived lasting less than 3 days before the charms of Guatemala would embrace me, one more time. I entered the country on its north-west at El Poy, El Salvador continuing to La Entrada (spending the night as the bus service concludes at about 7pm) on the way to the Copán Ruins the next day. The lengthy bus ride (the first half of which was spent standing in the isle due to over-crowdedness) with a group of illegal Honduran immigrants. They had left Honduras one week earlier in hopes of reaching the USA. After making it through Guatemala they were caught in Mexico and deported back to Honduras. The group seemed in good spirits. At least they were all safe and healthy. In another week they would leave again, they tell me (typically the fee paid to the coyote is contingent on arrival to the USA so if they are sent back they do not have to pay).

The ruins of Copán are impressive but in their own unique way. While Chizen Itza is renowned for the size of its pyramids, Palenque for the jungle setting, Tulum for the spectacular ocean view, Tikal for its size and the atmosphere amplified by surrounding howler monkeys, Copán displays sculptures with amazing detail and design. The site is much smaller and less spectacular but what gives it its appeal are the many faces, hieroglyphs and symbols hammered into the rock well preserved over the centuries.

The morning after I cross the border 15km away on my way to Rio Dulce, Guatemala.

Adios El Salvador

View all photos from El Salvador: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcNmzVq5YsWLDxA

Although my stay in this beautiful country (great things come in small packages) was only 10 days I am leaving filled with impressions, adventures and stories. My initial sense that El Salvador would be distinctly different from Guatemala was confirmed with each passing day. Another observation that El Salvador remains undiscovered by tourism also held true: as I am leaving the country I have counted 3 other travellers. I was fortunate enough to visit toward the end of the rainy season leaving the entire country bright green and millions of red coffee beans awaiting harvest.

I entered the country on the Pan-Americana highway at La Hachadura and spent the first 2 days at the tiny ocean village Los Cóbanos. Los Cóbanos was both simple and charming in the sense that it seemed completely untouched from western tourism and one can still watch fishermen go about their business or women preparing the ubiquitous Pupusas without a pushy salesperson destroying the moment.

From Los Cóbanos I continued north along the Ruta de Flores (Flower Route) – yet there are no flowers to be seen. What is impressive about the route is the small mountain villages that lie along the way: small, charming and unspectacular but genuinely El Salvador. I make my way from Sonsonate to Nahuizalco, to Juayúa – where I spend another night. From there on to Apaneca, Ataco and Ahyuachapan where the flower route ends. My next stop is the small town of Tacuba where I spent 3 days filled with spectacular outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, swimming in natural hot springs and jumping off waterfalls and do not forget about holding a poisonous snake that we caught in the jungle. From Tacuba I continued north-east to Santa Ana, the second biggest city of El Salvador. There I spent another 3 days in the hostel of Javier (Casa Frolaz). Javier turns out to be the friendliest hostel owner I have ever met. Not only is he funny and smart but has vast amounts of free time on his hands. He is single and a coffee plantation owner and is so lucky to employ an excellent manager to take care of all day to day business so he only stops by every few weeks (sounds like a very nice life). One day Javier invited me to show me around his coffee plantation, another we visit his family’s house on the beautiful lake Coatepeque. The two peaks of the Cerro Verde (2000m) and Volcán Izalco (1900m) capture my interest and I decide to climb them. Finally I head north to Metapan and from there embark on the 3 ½ hour bus ride (about 30km) along the slow windy unpaved mountain road to the Honduras border at El Poy.

In retrospect, what made El Salvador so special were the people: open, interested, outspoken, helpful and funny. Although El Salvador is a tiny country (and most people would have trouble locating it on a map) it is definitely worth a trip (quite possibly exactly because there is no tourism).

El Impossible. Tacuba, El Salvador

El Impossible is the name of a national park in northern El Salvador (located just a few kilometres from the Guatemalan border and within sight of the Pacific Ocean). It is a park cover by tropical jungle, mountains covered in green, wild rivers and astonishing wildlife, in other words the perfect place for an expedition. The local guide Manolo does not have a difficult time convincing me that his excursion will be amazing – and it was.

We take a 4x4 Jeep down a dirt road for 1 hour (by now we are far into the jungle and beyond human settlement). The hike leads down a mountain ridge offering spectacular panoramic views until we reach the bottom of a canyon washed out over the centuries by a river. This river would mark our path to the other side of the gorge. At first the shores of the river are wide enough to walk but as we progress the canyon gets steeper and thinner. The shores disappear and we begin wading through the river. Then the path ends on the edge of a 5 meter waterfall and the only way forward is an adrenaline filled jump. And so the journey continues walking, swimming, climbing along the canyon until the next water fall offering another exciting jump. After about 7 jumps we reach the finale: a 50 meter high water fall. We climb down the side of it until it is safe to jump (about 8 meters high). Our screams of fun are swallowed by the thundering of the water.

After a quick lunch (cut short by an approaching tropical rain storm) we make our way back through the forest on the other side of the mountain. Several (very poisonous) snakes cross our path up the luscious green jungle hill. Soaked by the tropical rain storm we return to the car. On the way home we are rewarded by a cup of fresh organic coffee at a small coffee plantation. With every sip I can taste the beauty of these mountains on which it has grown.