Honduras - Under, Over & Around

After my whirlwind sprint through Belize, I was glad to have a little more time for exploration in the country just across the aptly named 'Golfo de Honduras'. During my two weeks in Honduras, I squeezed in three main stops: diving under the water on Utila, traipsing over the mountains in Gracias, and wandering around the ruins at Copan. The former and the latter are very popular tourist stops - well worth the visit, but overrun by foreigners - which is why I also endeavoured to get off the beaten track with a trip to the tiny, colonial town of Gracias in between.

Captain Morgan's dive dock

Honduras is a country of contrasts; especially considering the tourist hubs of Utila and Copan. Both have attracted vast numbers of travellers for many years and, as such, have become noticeably westernised - English is spoken everywhere, there are no shortage of hotels, restaurants and bars and everything is pricier than elsewhere in the country. Many visitors don't explore outside these two hotspots, which is a real shame because they won't experience anything authentically Honduran, but this also means that those who do want to find the 'real' country don't have to venture too far afield to do so.

Some people are also put off travelling extensively around Honduras because of its bad reputation in terms of crime. This is a reputation that's not completely undeserved - the main cities can be very 'sketchy' (even by general Central American standards) and hotel owners in San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba were quick to insist that I didn't take local buses (because of the alarming frequency of armed robberies) and suggested that it's not really a good idea to go anywhere with any form of transport after dark. However, the smaller towns - like Gracias - are perfectly safe and friendly, but highly under-visited and unappreciated by the majority of travellers in the country; largely, I believe, due to the horror stories that people hear about the bigger cities, and end up extrapolating this to cover the entire country.

Preparing to dive

First port of call for me was a week of underwater adventures on the Bay Islands. There are three landmasses that come under the Bay Islands banner: Utila, Roatan and Guanaja. Guanaja is more of an exclusive resort, package holiday place, and therefore way out of my budget range. Roatan is the biggest island, with a highly developed infrastructure, great beaches and a popular destination for cruise ships. Utila is a lot smaller - only about 5km long - but by no means quaint; the cheaper price of food and lodging has created quite a backpacker scene and you never have to look far to find a party. All things considered, I opted for Utila as the location for my introduction to scuba diving. The second part of the decision-making process was even harder; once on the island, there are literally scores of diving schools to choose from. After much deliberation, I went with 'Captain Morgan's Dive School' - a decision I became more pleased with at every stage of my three day course. One of the primary factors that dictated my choice of school was the unique location of CM's dive school and hotel. All the other schools are situated along the main strip on Utila - cramped, noisy, mosquito-filled and next to the main road that used to be tranquil and pedestrianised, but now play hosts to never-ending moped and quad bike races. Captain Morgans, on the other hand, is hidden away from the main island - just off the southwest coast, on the tiny 'Jewel Cay'; no traffic, no other tourists, and best of all, no mosquitos!

Boats on Jewel Cay

Jewel Cay definitely isn't party central but I figured it might be a good idea to abstain a little during the first couple of days of my course, and then return to the main island for as much drinking and debauchery as was required once I was qualified. Furthermore, the dive school/hotel is in an outstandingly beautiful location - floating above the ever-perfect Caribbean on the edge of the Cay. The few locals who run small businesses on the island are incredibly friendly and welcoming and there was a great group of other students and instructors living in the hotel.

There aren't enough superlatives to describe just how incredible those three days were. Scuba diving is, without doubt, something that has to be experienced to be believed. Just the sensation of breathing underwater is enough to blow your mind - completely unnatural and a very strange feeling at the start. Once your confused brain realises that you're not drowning, a whole new world of possibilities are opened up. By day two I was down to 12m, and by the final afternoon I was happily gliding around at 18m.

Instructors

Not only is Utila one of the cheapest places in the world to learn to dive, it's also conveniently perched above the second biggest barrier reef in the world. This, combined with the teeming marine life and pristine clear waters, means that the quality of diving here is unsurpassed at all but a handful of other dive sites around the globe. Each day we were treated to never-ending walls of coral - as far as the underwater eye can see - bursting with colour and home to an astonishing array of aquatic creatures. Without wanting to stumble into cliche, it was a life-changing three days - in terms of the underwater world that was previously off-limits but which I am now free to explore - and one of the most rewarding pursuits I've ever pursued. I'm now seriously considering taking an advanced course at some point later in my trip.

On returning to Utila proper, I was greeted by a tropical storm warning and the cancellation of all ferries back to the mainland for the next couple of days. This wasn't too much of a hindrance as I was planning to stay for another couple of days anyway and, to be completely honest, the prospect of experiencing my first tropical storm was a little exciting (without casualties or destruction of homes and livelihoods, of course). It turned out to be disappointingly tame, though - the weather system only just brushed past us, resulting in something that resembled more of an average autumnal storm in the UK rather than the apocalyptic sheets of driving rain, crashing thunder and rakes of lightning that I was expecting. (Of course, I now realise that this was probably all for the best).

Gracias

Once back on the mainland, I had a rather convoluted journey to Gracias - one ferry, two taxis and two buses, with extended waiting periods in between. This is largely because Gracias is not somewhere that flags up on most traveller's itineraries - it definitely wasn't somewhere I had intended to visit and I wasn't even aware of its existence until a local girl on Utila recommended it to me. After a little reading and research, I decided it would be a good idea to head somewhere a little more 'Honduran' in between my planned visits to the islands and the ruins.

Gracias hasn't always been so unnoticed - it was actually the Spaniards chosen capital for the whole of Central America in the mid 1500's. That title was soon moved to bigger cities in Guatemala, though, and the importance of Gracias has waned since. However, its short time in the Spanish spotlight was enough to result in quaint, cobbled streets, a beautiful town square and a number of impressive colonial houses and churches. Even with these architectural attractions, the real highlight for me was the surrounding landscape - high up in the mountains, next to a natural park and with views of the highest peak in Honduras. It's also only a 20 minute tuk-tuk ride to the nearby hot springs. I decided to walk the couple of kilometres instead - along the near-deserted highway, with phenomenal views over the lush, green highland surrounds. The springs themselves were a welcome relief after my sticky jaunt - three steaming pools of turquoise-coloured, bath-temperature, freshwater. Reminiscent of Fuentes Georginas in Xela (mentioned in this blog), but I preferred the Honduran option for their more secluded location and lack of other bathers.

Walking to Hot Springs

After bidding 'Adios' to Gracias, I headed back to tourist territory for my final stop in the country - Copan Ruinas. The fact that the town has been christened 'Copan Ruins' (as well as the actual ruins themselves) reveals the extent to which this place is primarily focused on the promotion of the nearby Maya structures.

As I'm sure has gradually become clear over the course of this blog, my obsession for ancient ruins is on a par with my penchant for volcano-climbing, monkey-spotting, and close-up insect photography. Despite this love for old piles of stones, I did feel like I'd already seen Muchas Maya ruins and did think twice about whether it was worth going slightly out my way to visit another site.

Copan

The ruins at Copan are nowhere near the scale of Calakmul, Tikal or Chichen Itza, but instead offer more subtle rewards that are only revealed upon closer inspection, rather than hitting you between the eyes from afar. One of the most dominant and cultured Maya civilisations was based here during the Classic Maya Period (250-900AD), with a surplus of highly skilled craftsmen and sculptors among their number. As a result, the Copan site is covered in intricately carved stelae, statues and temples - including the center-piece attraction, 'Hieroglyphic Stairway'; 63 steep stone steps covered in thousands of detailed glyphs, telling the story of the royal dynasty that ruled Copan during its powerful heyday. The rich abundance of wildlife - vividly-coloured macaws, howler monkeys and giant spiders - completed the experience for me and justified my decision to visit just 'one more ruin'.

Leaving Copan, I had to head back to San Pedro Sula (one of the dodgy big cities that not only boasts a serious gang problem, but can also claim the title of No.1 AIDS capital in Central America - lovely!) for one night in order to be in town for the early morning Nicaragua-bound bus departure the following day. I was a little nervous about doing the trip alone, but I knew there was one direct bus at 2pm every afternoon, and this would get me into SPS comfortably before dark. However, on arrival at the bus terminal, I was told "No hay bus. Bus es malo", while gesturing to the coach in the corner of the park. That would be the coach with only two wheels. Cursing my luck, I waited for the only other indirect local bus instead, and prepared for another extended journey.

After multiple stops and another vehicle switch in a nameless town, we pulled into a deserted SPS bus terminal way after dark. Never a fun place to be during the night, but especially humourless when you're a slightly confused Westerner and obviously carrying everything you currently own. Luckily, one of the instructors on Utila had put me in touch with a local guy who ran his own hotel. I borrowed a mobile phone from the girl sitting next to me on the bus and dialled his number. Ten minutes later, 'Luis' pulled up outside the bus station, drove me directly to his house/hotel, introduced me to his lovely family and showed me my private room (with AC and cable TV - a very exciting first for me!). In the morning, he woke up at 3.30am, drove me to the international terminal, helped to sort out my ticket to Nicaragua and saw me onto the bus. His services and hospitality cost just $20, but his assistance was truly priceless. This was another hugely comforting encounter with a life-saving local at a time and in a place where it was most appreciated. Very similar to my old man encounter in Belize City (mentioned in my last blog) and a further example of the wonderful kindness of strangers and how much of a difference this can make while travelling.

I survived the 14 hour trip into Nicaragua and have been in the country for the last couple of weeks. It's one of my favourite nations so far and I plan to stay for another week or two, before continuing down and through the final two Central American countries: Costa Rica and Panama.

Until next time.....

(LOTS more photos below - click any photo to enlarge)

Jewel Cay

Jewel Cay

Isolated fisherman near Jewel Cay

Coffee break on Jewel Cay

Sunset on Jewel Cay

Sunset on Jewel Cay

Sunset on Jewel Cay

Dive boat coming into Jewel Cay

Me, in my natural state (being an idiot...)

Deserted island near Jewel Cay

Captain Morgan's Dive School

Gracias

Walking to Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Spider!!

Picturesque graveyard near Gracias

Giant Grasshopper!!

White Fort near Gracias

White Fort near Gracias

Local lads in Gracias

Macaw at Copan

Copan

Copan

Copan

Copan

Copan

Copan

Copan

Big Spider (eating a moth and with baby spider!)

Macaws at Copan

Macaws at Copan

Photoshoot in Copan town

Photoshoot in Copan town

Photoshoot in Copan town