Honduras

Hola Honduras 

This morning was a 5 am departure to try to beat the traffic around Guatemala City. Today we would be crossing the border from Guatemala into Honduras and would take about 8 hours total. I slept for the first few hours and then watched through the window the rest. 

One thing I love about traveling overland is seeing life outside the cities and main spots. Stand littered the road selling fruits here and there. The occasional cow were be walking down the side of the road. Life here is most definitely more simple. 

Crossing the border was simple... maybe too simple? Passports and 20 quetzals each were collected on the bus. Fernando got off the bus and in a few minutes came back and said we were ready to go. We never had to get off, no guard ever looked at who we were, and no one stamped our passport out of Guatemala or into Honduras. After enduring hour long border patrols at time I was surprised and a little concerned. My happiness to not have to wait outweighed the concern.

We arrived to the hilly town of Copán earlier than expected. Walking around we found a delicious spot to eat lunch for a dollar each! I can not remember the name but it had the largest avocados wrapped in a tortilla with a bunch of meet. Yum!

The town itself was adorable and bright. Our hotel was situated at the top of a steep hill. Tuk Tuks zoomed up and down the cobble stone streets and men sat in parks all wearing cowboy hats. I can honestly say that Central America has not disappointed. I feel as if I am walking around in a textbook or a film. 

Nearby is a rescue bird center named Macaw mountain. Four of us got in a local tuk tuk for a 2km ride up and down the bumpy roads. Honestly, I think there is a three person safety limit but in this country anything goes when it comes to transportation. The ride was ridiculously fun. Isabela hung out of the front holding on for dear life.

Macaw mountain itself was a nice visit. They center rescues birds from owners who realize they can not take care of them or are injured. The center then works to release them in the wild. If the bird can not be rehabilitated then they keep them there to take care of for the rest of their life. I’m not going to lie I was so excited to get up close and personal with some gorgeous Macaws.

That evening we took a packed van ride about 45 minutes outside of the city into the jungle to a hot spring place. As we got further in I noticed less and less houses and more and more plants. Once we arrived we had to walk across a bride and through a tunnel. Then we got to the different types of springs. The higher up you go the hotter they get. The highest pool was so hot that you would get burned by touching it. 

We relaxed for ever in the pools! I loved sitting under a waterfall that massages your neck. The sun set and the jungle came alive with colored lamps. 

After that the locals cooked us a delicious barbecue. During dinner a chicken sat in a fence nearby trying to jump off. It became a joke because Robert from Finland wanted him to jump off so bad and even cheered him on. In the end he actually made the chicken get off the fence.

Tomorrow we will be seeing the ruins and I hope to get a T-Rex picture!