Today I was supposed to catch the 6:20 am ferry bound for La Ceiba. Instead, I ended up taking the afternoon ferry thanks to a torrential downpour in the morning that prevented me from wanting to leave my bed. It didn’t help that the streets were flooded. So I stayed in bed, waited for the rain to abate and then embarked for Captain Morgan’s again to use their internet.
One of the dive masters, Bogdan, was kind enough to offer me some guidance on how to reach Nicaragua. He gave me a contact in San Pedro Sula, somewhere I could stay for the night and who would arrange transportation for myself to and from the bus terminal as well. However as my plan had changed I needed to contact Luis and ask him if he could still pick me up in the evening. The fly in the ointment was that he needed to pick someone up from the airport, so he said he wasn’t available from 7:15 to 9:00 pm. Right when I should have arrived. But he did inform me of what a taxi should cost, L80.
I spent the afternoon just hanging out in the Dive Shop. Just before I headed to buy my ticket I saw a friend from Antigua walk by. I managed to stop him and chat for a bit. He had been on the island for about two weeks and was volunteering at the Iguana Station. I had just enough time to go see it before catching the ferry. It was about a 10 minute walk away from the center of Utila and it was through a nice part of the island.
When I got there I was shown the boa constrictors, small geckos, and the iguanas. My favourite part was when I saw the iguanas in the open pen run away and scurry up a tree. One even appeared to run on water. So after my quick tour, he walked me back toward the ferry. I had to pass on a visit up a hill to see the amazing vistas of the island. I still had a ticket to buy.
I said my final farewell and departed to buy my ticket. However I still had about 30 minutes to wait for the ferry to arrive. I ended up talking to Udi, one of the dive masters I had dived with here in Utila. I asked him about what brought him here and he mentioned that back in Spain he would have been forced to pay for the debt of others who didn’t pay their taxes. It was a burden he felt he didn’t need to bare. He has been in Utila for six months and hopes in a few years time to open up a dive shop in Myanmar.
Before long I was on the ferry and finally bound for La Ceiba. The ferry was a little bit late, but hey it’s Honduras! I ended up sitting with my stuff this time and sat next to a fellow Canadian who also happens to be headed for Isla de Ometepe. Both of us are solo travelers and opted to join together for the journey to Ometepe. It’s a nice feeling knowing that you are never alone when you travel.
Upon our arrival in La Ceiba, the taxi drivers again tried to drive up the price to L50. It should be L40 for the tourists, but frankly they all present a hard line when they all say they’ll only take L50. When we made it to the bus terminal in La Ceiba, we went and bought our tickets and even managed to find some food to eat. I had an entertaining time trying to ask the women for rice and beans--no carne, no queso!
Once on the bus, it was a mere five hour drive to make it to San Pedro Sula. I have no idea why it took so long, however it was raining and these buses are not known for being in great working condition. However the bus was comfortable enough and I spent the good majority of my time halfway between sleep and awake.
It was 8:50 pm when we arrived in San Pedro Sula (we caught the bus at 4:30 pm) and I wanted nothing more than to call Luis and get to the hostel. However I soon found out that none of the phones work at the station. I asked a security guard who said that we could use one of the taxi drivers cell phones. There were six of us trying to figure out lodgings. The Canadian girl had a friend of a friend who lived in San Pedro and there were another four people traveling with me. After making some calls, I finally talked to Luis. He was on his way to pick us up.
It was a beautiful moment when I saw Luis pull up in his white van and about 15 minutes later we arrived at Dos Molinos. Frankly I would highly suggest you stay here for the sheer fact that Luis was so agreeable and that he comes to pick you up and drops you back off where you need to go. I am definitely thankful for him tonight.
Tomorrow is an early start with a 5:00 am bus ride, but a 3:30 am wake up call to get to the station in time for my Managua bound bus.
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