BLACKTOP TO GRAVEL: To Honduras We Ride

To Honduras We Ride

The distance from San Salvador to La Ceiba, (the coastal city where we would take the ferry to the island of Roatan) is a little too far for one day worth of riding so we decided to break it up and spend a night in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. We hit the road early, although not as early as we would have liked due to the fact that we made four peanut butter and cream cheese bagels (not mixed) and loaded up on food before we took off. After more hugs, thanks yous and good byes to Ligia, we made our way out of the city and after a few hours found ourselves approaching the border to Honduras. Here we go, another border crossing. Not knowing completely what to expect we were pleasantly surprised by the more or less relaxed atmosphere, worlds apart from the Mexico- Guatemala border where it was just chaos. Leaving El Salvador was going smoothly, moving along nicely and we were in good spirits thinking we'd be on our way shortly. Of course that's when the whole process slowed down, the lines got longer, officials went on lunch breaks and more than a hand full of copies had to be made. Finally, after almost three hours we were cleared to pass and once again we found ourselves riding in a new country. With in a half an hour the landscape changed and we headed into the mountains as the noon day sun lit up our new world. Wow, Honduras was nothing like I expected. It was so beautiful, full of incredible mountains, new types of trees, rolling hills and big sky. We rode for hours over mountains and into valleys, stopping along the way to take in the views and capture them on film. The air was fresh and the roads were, well, the roads were full of the biggest pot holes I've ever seen. Honduras really is the land of incredible views and even more incredible holes in the road. We avoided the mine field as best we could and soaked in the sights as we covered kilometer after kilometer. As the afternoon sun began to sink low in the sky we were still a couple of hours from San Pedro but we decided to push on and go for it. Soon the city lights were in view and we made our way to the meeting spot, a McDonalds which by the way was more like a club than a fast food restaurant playing bass filled top 40 jams while people found their seats, trays piled high with ice cream and burgers. Most fast food spots in central america have wifi so we hoped on line and reached out to our contact, a friend of a friend and before too long we were once again meeting new people and being taken care of. Ivan, our host, had family in town so instead he put us up in a nice hotel which we gladly accepted. Yo, check it out, we have hot showers! The first in many weeks. Refreshed and clean we thought about going to explore the city but I quickly found myself passed out on my bed. I slept sound, knowing my bike was being watched over by an armed guard patrolling the parking lot all night.
After an average complimentary breakfast we loaded up and hit the road to La Ceiba. On the way we took a dirt road towards the ocean where there was supposed to be a wildlife reserve but after about 30 minutes of riding it dead ended into a marsh land. It was a beautiful place, but our search ended and we decided to continue on. My excitement grew as I could tell the Caribbean was getting closer by the kilometer. I thought for sure I'd be able to catch a sparkle of the water as we crested a hill, but alas, it never showed it's self. We pulled into La Ceiba in the late afternoon and met up with our contact there. Again, he was a friend of a friend and before we knew it the doors to a strangers home were being opened for us. After getting cleaned up we headed out for dinner with a great group of friends. Applebees? Sounds amazing actually, yes, we'd love to go! Sometimes after being away from home for months at a time all you're craving is a nice blue cheese burger and a beer. To our surprise the Applebees in Honduras was set up almost exactly the same as the one in our college town of Richmond, even down to the american music that was playing. After a smoothie in the mall (made with amazingly delicious fresh fruit) we walked around a bit and got some local street food. The rain moved in so we said our goodbyes and headed home for the night, excited about the morning ferry ride to Roatan. From the Pacific to the Caribbean in two days, let the adventure continue.