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Plaza, Copan Ruinas

The next day I went to visit the ruins. They were the most difficult to infiltrate. Not as physically demanding but requiring more patience and stealth. I managed it however, it took me one and a half hours. When I got inside I was glad I hadn´t paid US$10. I was really disappointed. The stelae were impressing, as was the hieroglyphic stairway but the main buildings were either in a state of disrepair or covered in tarpaulin or corrugated iron. Nice. Also the site was much smaller than I imagined.  I only spent about another hour and a half wandering around before heading back to town to feast on a lunch of Baleadas, a Honduran favourite, soft tortillas folded over beans, cheese and sometimes eggs or meat.

This concluded my time in Western Honduras and I was now heading to the Caribbean coast. As in Belize the population is more mixed up here with a distinct island influence. My first stop (after another series of buses and a delicious breakfast of beans, rice, eggs and cream all mixed up with tortillas) was Omoa. Unfortunately I arrived at the start of Easter week, the biggest celebration in Central America and therefore the beach was full of holidaying Hondurans. Picture the scene - hot dogs, candy floss and donuts, just like Great Yarmouth! I did find a secluded beach, still as full of rubbish as the others, next to the main gas pipelines, and sunbathed for a day. I slept in a hammock by night for the second time on this trip, I am getting used to it.

Looking for improvement I moved along the coast, intending to stop in Tela. The bus however flew right by so I decided to go straight to the Bay Islands instead. I got to La Ceiba, shared a cab to the port and waited around for the packed (800 Hondurans and me) ferry to Roatan. I got into Coxen Hole at about 7:30 at night as the ferry was delayed and the crossing was choppy. I descended into the maelstrom of the port. Hundreds of people scurrying about, bags being thrown of the boat in a chain, and the crowd shouting and waving their coloured tickets amidst a smell of the sea, sewers and an acrid whiff of vomit. I eventually got my bag and not wanting to get a mega expensive cab to the resort decided to try my luck in town. A local spoke to me and after wandering around town, up and down alleys and in and out of houses, found me a room for 150 L. Not cheap but good enough in this situation. In the end I stayed there four nights, using the minibuses to get to and from the beach and eating from the supermarket in the town which was almost as cheap as the mainland. The beach was beautiful, not quite on the Perhentian standards but probably almost Phi Phi. Again however it was packed, though being more up market than Omoa (the ferry costs over 12 dollars each way!) I saw no donuts or candy floss and only a couple of hot dog stalls! Also, for the first time on this trip my room had cable TV and I sat at night watching films (Holes, Star Wars Episode 2, K19, etc), and football (Arsenal vs Liverpool, Chelsea vs Boro).

I only intended to stay for three nights and got up on the third morning intending to leave. Unfortunately this was also nearing the end of Easter so everyone was trying to leave and the ferry left without most of us. I could of got a ticket for the afternoon boat but decided I would rather leave in the morning so waited until tomorrow and spent the day in my room, eating biscuits and cakes and watching CNN. The next day I still couldn't get a ticket for the morning but a nice woman behind the counter who I had chatted to the day before (such a relief to hear English spoken again)spotted me and sorted me out one for the afternoon boat, much to the chagrin of the other people who had been waiting with me since 4 am to get a ticket.

West Bay beach, Roatan

Unfortunately this meant I got back to the mainland at around 4:30. I had intended to go back to Tela but Roatan had predictably eaten up too much money (I had spent an average of $7-8 dollars per day up to then) so i went straight through to San Pedro Sula, Honduras second largest city and full of western brands and shiny building, more so in fact than the capital. I got there about 8 o´clock at night and quickly shifted through the deserted streets (it was Easter Sunday and everyone was in church!) and found a hotel.

The next morning I got up, had a quick look at industrial and uninteresting San Pedro and, after a 45 min walk, got a bus to the old capital of Comayagua from the station just a block and a half from my hotel. Once again the bus sped past before I had a chance to get up, let alone get off, and also the girl next to me had just given me a sweet so I was pre-occupied! I stayed on a rode into the capital, saving myself almost a dollar in a free ride.

So here I am, Tegucigalpa, a nice enough city. I am staying over on the Comayaguela side, which is supposed to be incredibly dangerous, DON´T EVER GO IN THE MARKET AREA AT NIGHT!, advises the Lonely Planet, well if you don´t how are you supposed to eat for a reasonable cost? I wandered around it last night and it was fine, I am not being macho or stupid, I am just fed up with being told where not to go by scare-mongers. If you don´t go to the nasty places how do you know what somewhere is really like? What else can you do?

Right that's it. I can hear you breathing sighs of relief at the brevity of this mail. I am off to wandering around Tegucigalpa a bit more and eat some food.