Fri, 28 Jan.
whew ! what a day !
woke up to rain ... you all know how that pleases me :( but i did notice this beautiful orchid hanging on the tree .... small pleasures ! i took this photo for you, mom!
so today, the first leg of my journey is leaving the very southern city of Punta Gorda, Belize via ferry to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala.
i asked where the dock was to catch the ferry ... 'just up the road' .... about a 15min walk ... well, not with MY bags. can i get a taxi? well, it seems the taxis are not answering their phones. i guess i will walk the 15min ... up hill, dragging my bags. it's drizzling and it's humid; i get there, and still need to go up the hill further, to buy my ticket. then back down again to go through immigration. same as last year; the immigration officals in Belize are the most unfriendly bunch i've ever encountered. they all seem to be on some kind of a 'power trip', and don't even seem to be enjoying it! the 'ferry' leaves at 9:30am. i use that term loosely .... it's a small open boat, with a canvas top, that seats 9. it's still drizzling, but at least the seas are relatively calm. i am prepared to get wet and have everything wrapped in plastic bags, .... including myself! it wasn't too bad actually. we arrived in about an hour.
this is a photo of my first glimpse of Guatemala while we were still on the boat, ....mountainous, and yes, you guessed it ... rainy.
the next leg(s) of my journey is to take busES from Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, (a BIG scary city), then to LaCeiba, Honduras, (a medium scary city). from LaCeiba i will take a ferry to the island of Utila, off the coast of Honduras. to get this started, you have to go through immigration to get into Guatemala, then again to get out of Guatemala; then immigration to get into Honduras. this all takes place within about a 15 mile stretch. but it's all spread out ... and confusing as to whether you take a private taxi, a cooperative taxi, a local bus, or a big bus. so, i still didn't know what to do when we got to the dock. but the taxi drivers are relentless and before i know it, my bag has been picked up and put in the back of a van. i actually was happy to have someone else drag my bag for me, so i didn't object. in Spanish, he seemed to say he would take me to San Pedro Sula for 200 Quetzales (B$50) (25USD). he said he could get me there, in time to catch a bus to LaCeiba, in time to catch the 4pm ferry out to Utila. this would be more expensive than the bus, but faster, and i wouldn't have to stay overnight in LaCeiba, which would save me $ on a place to stay. ok ... i agreed... my bag was already in his van. we stopped at Guatemalan entrance immigration, where he picked up 3 Mennonites? or Amish? from Tennessee; a woman, an older man and a little older woman that wanted to talk!
he drove us about 30min to the Guatemalan exit border where we went through exit immigration. i climbed back into the van, feeling pretty good about the fact that i would be arriving in Utila a day ahead of schedule! :) about that time, he came to the van and told us to get OUT, and get on the BUS which would take us to San Pedro Sula ... same thing, he says. i am sure now, that he had no intention of personally taking us all the way to San Pedro Sula. he also knew that i would not get there in time to catch my ferry! he did pay our way onto the bus ... but, it wasn't the 'same thing'. we sat and waited for another 30min ... i was not happy. precious time wasted. we drove another 10 min and had to stop at the Honduras entrance immigration border to check in ... everyone had to get off the bus AGAIN and go through immigration, and we waited another 30min. two policia came on the bus and left with a young girl ... she returned ... and for the next 30min, guys got on and off the bus several times. ... i'm growing more furious and realizing that we'd been had and that i'd never make the ferry to Utila today. i really wish i would have brought some Xanax with me!
i made a 'friend' of a Spanish woman, who was on the ferry. she spoke no English, and me, no Spanish. she was in the van when Roberto 'conned me' into riding with him. when we were 'sold' to the bus, she motioned for me to sit with her. after awhile, i started smelling dirty diapers ... really ... there was a couple with a child, who obviously needed tending to ... but was not. when i got back on the bus after it stopped for immigration into Honduras, my friend was sitting in a different seat, towards the front of the bus. she motioned to me, making a face to the rear of the bus, and holding her nose, signaling me to sit with her. it was kinda cute. we couldn't speak, but we could communicate. it was a grueling 3hr bus ride, with several loud-mouthed men blah-blah-blahing, loudly, in Spanish all the way. i was ready to start just talking really loud in English, saying nothing, or whatever i wanted, since no one would understand anyway. it would have only been fair :) do i sound like a cranky old lady? PLUS, it was FREEZING on the bus. i had a sweatshirt, and jacket, and blankets. (i was prepared to be wet and cold when i got off that ferry.) however, my 'friend' had a sleeveless top on. i offered her one of my blankets and she gladly accepted. at this point i dug into my backpack and took out the bottle of rum that i had poured into my Gatorade bottle. :) it rained the entire 3 hrs to San Pedro Sula.
we finally arrived in San Pedro Sula bus depot. it's actually quite an impressive facility. it was fully enclosed, air conditioned, and like Crossroads Mall, complete with stores AND with a Food Court. i followed my friend to a bus company that has an express bus that goes direct to LaCeiba and bought our tickets. while in there, she went to the 'snack counter' and bought me a bag of ritz crackers and some pork rinds! that was so sweet of her. it was 3pm and the bus left at 4pm.
while waiting i met 2 girls backpacking from Canada, (lots of Canadians travelling) Jenny and Michele, who would be spending the night in LaCeiba also. i told them i was with them! we would be arriving in the dark, in the rain, and 3 girls sounded safer than 1 girl. PLUS Michele spoke Spanish ... we are in Honduras now. they went for a walk down the terminal and came back with pizza from PIZZA HUT! i was starving and hadn't had pizza since leaving home; i ran down the terminal to get some for the ride to LaCeiba. it was awesome!
We boarded the bus in a pouring rain storm for our 3 hr 'express-direct' bus ride to LaCeiba, that took over 4 hrs and stopped every 2 miles once we got close to LaCeiba. i swear it took every passenger to their front door. by the time we got to the terminal, we were almost the only ones left on the bus ... weird! it was STILL pouring so of course we got drenched getting our luggage and getting a taxi. the girls chose a hostel named Banana Republic. they had dormitory rooms US$8 for the night; the price was right. there were 7 beds in the room we were in.
here is mine.
we also found out that the shower was only a trickle. i passed on the 'shower', since i had enough water for the day. it was fine. i worked on my blog and fell fast asleep. we needed to catch an 8am taxi to the dock for the ferry to Utila in the morning.
i was pleased to see a large catamaran fully enclosed.
the Utila Princess.
we boarded, the seas were really rough. the guy was passing out plastic bags to people who thought they might be sick. it was like a roller coaster ... i realized that the catamaran was enclosed for a very good reason. i loved it, actually took a little nap. i am lucky i don't get motion sickness. the island of Utila is 11 miles from LaCeiba, it was a 1 hr ride .... my destination!!!!!!!!!!!!! yeahhhhh. and by the time we arrived, the sun was shining. three nights and two+ days of travel, and i've finally arrived, and i'm happy now! and come to think of it, why not travel while it is raining?
Trish met me at the dock and we took a little golf cart taxi to my new home for the next month. i will be volunteering for BICA; you can check out their web page at www.bicautila.org.
The Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1991 by the people living in the Bay Islands in order to initiate and coordinate efforts in protecting the Islands’ fragile natural resources. BICA’s operation and projects are funded through the support of local individuals, businesses and national and international agencies. BICA Utila has been instrumental in initiating many conservation projects: management of the Turtle Harbour Wildlife Refuge and Marine Reserve; protection of sea turtles; protection of coral reefs through installation of buoys; first garbage collection on the island; beach cleaning; environmental education in local schools; developing codes of conduct for divers; monitoring whale sharks. but, BICA’s main job is, and has always been, to work with the local community to protect their small piece of paradise so that future generations will be able to enjoy it and make a living from its resources.
this is a picture of the Visitor Center, the home of BICA, and my new home.
side view, our dormitory building is around back.
front of the house. nice, huh?
here are some photos of my room with ONLY 3 beds; and at the moment i am alone.
shared bath, with nice tile. and, oh in case you were wondering ... no hot water here either :)
and the kitchen that is shared with another room for 2 people.
this building was just finished in the late summer of 2010. it's really nice, screens on the windows and ceiling fans. i haven't put up my 'safety net' yet, not really a way to put it up, and since the walls are in such pristine condition, i wouldn't dare pound a nail into them!
and the best part of my new home is: ..... Gato Gordo ...spanish for large cat !
Trish said the only thing he loves more than attention, is food. that is obvious! he is a lover and a cuddler ... i'm in heaven! has a strong resemblance to Mango and Munchkins from Madi's.
