"A new adventure"

"15/07/2011"

I've thoroughly enjoyed the Central America journey, and my next adventure awaits as I head off to Tanzania - Australia and South America on a round the world trip.

In Tanzania I'm going to be running a volunteering project as part of the internship I've been involved in, in my final year, with the charity Read International www.readinternational.org.uk
Read International collects disused, but still good quality textbooks and fiction books, fundraises and sends these out to schools in East Africa. In just 6 years they have managed to send out 1 million books. We send out books that are relevant to the curriculum, so books that are political, or language books such as french can still be donated to the charity, as we are able to recycle or re-sell them through our partnerships and the funds also go to us. Books that get sent to East Africa are things like contemporary geography, English, maths, science, business studies, ICT, Classic novels.

In Tanzania I will be helping distribute the books in the region of Kagera, by Lake Victoria. In addition to this, I'll also be helping refurbish a library, a massive bonus for the region.

My Tanzania project ends on September 14th, and I fly to Darwin in Australia. I'm backpacking in the Northern territory for a while, before heading to Melbourne for a few days, and Sydney for a week(ish).
October 11th, I fly to Buenos Aires, journeying across to Chile, and northbound into Bolivia stopping via San Pedro de Atacama and Uyuni where the Salt Flats are. From Bolivia, I shall visit the rainforest and then travel into Peru, spending a large amount of time in Peru, also heading to Macchu Picchu. I also aim to link up with a contact from the charity Actionaid whilst in Lima.
November 15th I fly from Lima to Iguazzu Falls, Brazil and travel along the Brazilian coast around Ilha Grande en route to Rio de Janeiro. I fly home from Rio on November 29th arriving in Heathrow on November 30th. I am so excited!

"Adios!"

"12/07/2010"

Early start? Yep, of course...we had an early morning taxi, which we booked in perfect Spanish. (actually the hotel manager did it for us...), necessito un taxi por favor!
The flight was uneventful, compared with our outbound journey, although the odd awkward moment like not being allowed to take water on board the flight having bought it post security seemed a little anal.

The British Airways flight back to the UK was extremely long, and our great plans to not get jet-lag, sleep at the correct hours etc, were very ambitious as neither of us managed to sleep; the seats were stupidly uncomfortable. Never mind, travelling isn't meant to be a comfy ride as I'm sure the last month of blogs has demonstrated.

"Last Day in Central America"

"11/07/2010"

This was the longest day ever, and pretty boring. The only thing we did was tried our hardest to check in for our flight, and unsuccessfully, because there was something messed up with the online check-in system. (great, we'd end up with an aisle seat for the really long flight back grrrrrrh).

We actually didn't do much else, except watch TV, and took another trip to that lovely cafe.

"Downtown"

"10/07/2010"

Doing the sights of Guatemala doesn't exactly compare to doing the sights of Managua. In fact, it made Managua look fairly touristy in comparison.
We've seen a number of "Parque Centrals", to get to Guatemala City's equivalent meant trampling through the homeless' camping park, to what at night is inevitably their exchange central. Not pleasant.

The financial and business centre is at least slightly promising, displaying architectural and cultural significance, with the buildings decorated in Quetzalas, the sacred Mayan bird, and that which the currency is called.
Having come to an end of our tourist tour we settled for a spot of shopping, and stumbled across an amazing vegetarian cafe, which was unbelievably cheap. (some of the places you find by mistake!)

Our new room had a really bad array of TV channels, but we made do, with the realisation that there really was nothing to do in Guatemala for our last day, and we should definitely have stayed in Antigua an extra day.

"En route Guatemala"

"09/07/2010"

We spent today meandering around Antigua and trying to keep our costs as low as possible.
Antigua's cobbled streets and pretty houses are somewhat reminiscent of the love affair we had with Copan, although the place is a lot bigger, and in a way a lot more touristy.
Having spent the previous couple of days exploring further afield, we decided to visit the main sights in the city; cathedrals, churches and monuments. As usual, the weather did not oblige, and we were quickly seeking cover (in the vegetarian restaurant) as we waited for the storm to pass.

We had an evening bus back to Guatemala city, just an hours journey, but a bus ride that neither of us were looking forward to, judging by the previous minibus journey's we'd encountered. We were also extremely aware that we were travelling in the evening (i.e. it would be dark, there'd be more traffic, and there was a greater chance of rain).
Complete with the ever traffic and road dodging manoevres, we made it safely into Guatemala City, although the area that the minibus left us was exceptionally run down, and was one that we'd definitely not walked at the start of our trip.

We had a hostel/hotel booked for this leg of the trip, but as had been discovered on numerous points, a booking reference didn't necessarily mean that the hostel actually still existed.
We were releaved to find that the hostel (it was more of a hotel really), materialised and was really quite upmarket considering some of the places we'd been in.
The downside was, that we failed to highlight our low budget and were put in a high end room on the first night, with two double beds - a gorgeous room, and one we would have dearly loved throughout the stay in Guatemala. Having splashed out on this room, we had to make do with the low budget options for the remaining couple of days. It was a good nights sleep, and a lovely lie-in.

"Lake Atilan"

"08/07/2010"

I'm aware of how near it is to the end and till we fly home - I've really enjoyed this trip, but I can't wait to get back home to see my family. There are so many lovely photos and stories; none more so than from today, from the crater lake which is nestled between a cluster of Mayan villages and the volcanoes of Antigua. The waters are so clear and in the sides of the lakes, lagoons and natural spas are formed. Although it was fairly chilly (the heat from Managua seems so long ago now!) it was so picturesque.

It was also great for shopping and I managed to buy a "Dong", which is a typical Mayan instrument.

We went on a boat trip across the lake to visit a Mayan village. As well as absorbing the lush scenary, I was taken aback by the Mayan weavers and their beautiful handmade clothes. Their lifestyle is so simple and so clever at the same time, with skills which we just don't have anymore (like weaving).

Yet again, we managed to avoid the rain, experiencing it only whilst on our crazy bus journey and just making it later on when walking back to our hostel...funny thing that!!!

"Pacaya"

"07/07/2010"

The pattern continues as we left at 6am for another excitement, a volcano hike of Pacaya, which erupted a month before we arrived in Central America!
In the villages approaching Pacaya, you could see the damage that had been done as a result and how much ash and rock had been deposited from the eruption. It had spread for miles! Fingers crossed for no eruption while we're here.

Arriving at the volcano we were greeted by a mist of cloud looming over cooling molten rock. In the background, Pacaya loomed large, it was sheer awesomeness.

The hike was more like a walk (I'm glad we opted for this one - I've heard other options were bad) and took us to see recent lava flows. We didn't actually see any flowing lava, but the rock cooling was very recent and in the distance you could see molten lava about to form a new flow.

The volcano was just a wonderful experience, showing beauty and awe.
In the afternoon we visited the Rainbow Cafe for an amazing vegetarian meal and witnessed Spain defeating the Germans. YAY!!! :)

"Crazy Bus Driver"

"06/07/2010"

Another early morning en route to Antigua. This was a journey which took far longer than necessary as the driver kept pulling over for toilet breaks. It will also be remembered for the insane driving, as he tried to overtake a long train of lorries which were halting our journey progress...but overtaking on the wrong side of the road at full speed, several times. My heart was in my mouth.

We wandered around Antigua in the afternoon and explored a market. Antigua is the most touristy place, bar Roatan that we've been to, and prices definitely reflect this.

"Hola!"

"05/07/2010"

So, we ended up staying an extra night in Copan as we couldn't depart for Antigua until the 6th. At least Viavia had become available again, which meant cool rooms and a double bed. Yay :)

We visited a bird sanctuary today; "Macaw Mountain". In order to get there we had to take one of the three wheel taxi things that go at like 2mph!
Over the Copan cobbled stones and up the steep sloping hills; it's a wonder how these "taxis" manage to get around.

Macaw Mountain was full of parrots of all kinds, from all over Latin America. Even from the visitor's Centre we were greeted (In Spanish) by a friendly parrot! The sanctuary is lovely with lots of space for the birds to fly around freely and native plants from their homeland. Some of the cages you are able to walk through, like that of the Scarlett Macaws.
The birds are such a wonderful array of colours, for example the Toucan with its rainbow beak. Also the parrots that were able to chat kept us entertained for quite some time!!!

The centre rescues many birds from awful circumsatnces and nurses them back to health. Some birds were learning how to fly again and in others you witnessed damaged and missing wings. The centre is a wonderful project for these spectacular birds.

http://www.macawmountain.com/

"Adios Roatan"

"04/07/2010"

The trip back to La Ceiba was effortless compared with the outward journey. We cut through the calm ocean at a very quick rate. Fortunately our taxi driver was on a mission and we were able to secure the last seats on the bus to Copan, albeit an extra $5.

We spent the day on the bus - it seems that rain has hit mainland, causing quite a few landslides along the way. I love Copan, but I'll feel a little safer when I'm back in Guatemala.

"Banks"

"03/07/2010"

The problem was NOT fixed by the morning and we even tried the bank just out of town and there were issues there. They said that we needed to go to Coxen Hole and that it would be fine there, but not wanting to take any chances with our lack of cash, we hitched all the way to Coxen Hole.
Rather than opting for the long queue outside Banco Atlantico, we opted for HSBC who aside from speaking a distinct lack of English on an English owned island, were most unhelpful and couldn't transfer money even with account details. There was nothing they could/wanted to do to make anything easier or less stressful for us. And I was very stressed by this point.

Banks were closing and a very helpful man offered to open an account in his name as a way of getting some money. Problem was it would have been Monday.
As a last resort, we tried a Western Union, which would have worked had it not been for the time zone issues and the banks in the UK being shut. Depressed we walked back to try the card machine that we had some faith in and after all this, it actually worked.

After paying off our debts, we decided to enjoy ourselves, splashing out on food, a snorkling encounter and a good time.
The snorkling was a bit crazy as the guy dropped us into deep water. I found it really difficult to swim in currents that strong, and my mask really didn't fit me. I wish I could have had a practice first. We did see some awesome starfish and a brief glimpse of dolphins.

The evening was topped off by another visit to Cannibal Cafe, and a delicious burrito.

"Finding Nemo"

"02/07/2010"

It was lovely to be woken up by the birds singing in the trees this morning.
Today we took a water taxi across to West Bay, which is supposed to be the most beautiful beach on the island. Like most of Roatan it didn't disappoint, with a postcard picture of a beach; white sand, coconut palm trees along the shore and the beautiful clear waters.
It was a shame that neither of us had brought ID with us, meaning we couldn't snorkel there. :(
The beach was so divine to lie on and in the end we decided to take a glass bottom boat tour, mid-afternoon so we did at least see some of the island that day.
Unlike the boats in Oz, these were submerged beneath the sea, so you were surrounded by fish and got a really good view of the coral. A camera cannot depict the amazing things we saw, but sadly we didn't find Nemo. Another day, perhaps.

Paying for the boat tour had just about cleaned us out of cash, but we were about to encounter a "typical Roatan issue". The ATMS had stopped working due to an internet fault with mainland and the additional ones connected in a different way had run out of cash. In the knowledge that we were going back to mainland soon, things were very tight and no-where would accept card.

We decided to eat out at the Lighthouse restaurant as the owner was happy to run a tab - we were hoping the situation would improve the next day. I was concerned as it was a Saturday. If only it were a Monday or mid-week, or something, it would be fixed. Grrrh.
It was a very stressful end to what had been a lovely day.

"In Paradise"

"01/07/2010"

Another early start (yet again!) as we set off in the early morning, blistering heat for the ferry.
You could tell that today was going to be an absolute scorcher.
We'd been told by some strange Aussie that the ferrys almost always sell out; even overbook and that we should get there much earlier than necessary. I'm one for being early, but he suggested a whole hour for our 9.30am ferry. He was also seriously pessimistic about our travel plans.

I guess I'm used to Aussies being upbeat all the time...oh well.
Talking of downbeat, the ferry journey started off as a rollercoaster ride, but turned into a crazy joyride. Not fun.
I was made to regret sitting in the sunshine, by catching my shoulders and neck and burning.
I definitely got a headache, making me feel really nausious. I thought I was going to hold off, but Roatan seemed much to far away.

Arrival on my tropical island was not that picture/video moment or screensaver shot as I was trying my very best not to throw up again. When I did look up and the ferry ordeal was over this haven of wonder greeted me. Beautiful blue waters, greenery, jungle areas and warm sun. All I wanted to do was jump into a bikini and enjoy the perfect setting.

I soon figured it was not going to be so easy as in order to get to the West End (this place exists in Roatan) we would have to pay a taxi fare of $5 per person as allegedly there was no bus. We ended up negotiating a taxi to Coxen Hole in what was a very squashed affair- us two, an Austraian and two French people and then wondered whether we could catch the so-called bus to the West End; its service could rival London's. The bus didn't materialise or rather we weren't patient enough to wait for it. Also we did have doubts on the location of our cash-strapped taxi driver had left us, so we hitched a ride all the way, costing us nothing, but a bumpy ride, and a few stares.

Roatan gets better and better as you discover more of it and West End did not disappoint. Crystal blue waters and coral awaited us in a busy town full of Westerners. When we found Chillis (our hostel), it was just set back from the beach in a tropical wilderness full of flowers, birds and butterflies. The log cabins were perfect for the location and we were definitely not concerned about being too warm as the fan was lovely and cool.

We spent the afternoon at the beach enjoying the heat of the sun and the beautiful sea and setting. In the evening we watched the sun set over the ocean, whilst sipping cocktails on the beach. Something that I've noticed about Roatan is how pristine it is and how they are trying to keep it this way. The alcohol licenses are only for the beach bars and you are only permitted to take bottles to specific areas. Likewise, the hostels all maintain an eco-friendly attitude. Such a wonderful mentality.

On the contrary, we ate at Cannibal Cafe...after sunset, enjoying delicious fajitas and a lovely cocktail. What a wonderful day.

"La Ceiba"

"30/06/2010"

We went back to the Baleada place for breakfast...it was so delicious...hehehe.
Today was spent exploring La Ceiba and essentially shopping. Like most of Central America, La Ceiba is on its way up, but could really compete if it made some key changes in development, like building hotels near the sea front, and really building up the coastline into a resort. The amount of money they could earn with tourists travelling to and from the Bay Islands or simply those who can't afford the Bay Islands.

I chose my birthday present today. Have a lovely hammock and a gorgeous sundress. The dress is a bit tight to get on, but fits beautifully, and is sea colours.
Guess what we had for tea??? More baleadas!

"Another bus journey"

"28/06/2010"

Today was fairly uneventful, as we left Managua at 5am to hit Tegus again. I am so fed up with Ticabus and their ridiculous reclining seats that recline all the way back into your own personal space. Grrrh. Make normal seats for normal sized people.

We had plenty of stoppages along the way which either was the result of illegal immigrants or drug smuggling. This added at least an hour of hassle to our journey.

Tegus was as busy as ever and it appeared that there had been riots that day too. Tropical storm Alex (has not hit us yet, thank God) was bringing bad weather and torrential rain was hitting Tegus, adding to the chaos of the city. I definitely hadn't missed those bus horns one bit.


---
"29/06/2010"

Another epic bus day. At least we were in the comfort of Hedman Alas once more. Finally leaving Tegus - bye bye Tegus, to head off for beautiful Caribbean sunshine in La Ceiba and Roatan.
I love staring out the window and watching the world go by. There is so much to see, espeically on epically long journeys like this one. If you are sleeping or watching the stupid chick flic they'd put on, you're definitely missing out on places you'll never see again. There are photo opportunities that are out of this world. You could pay tens of dollars to visit a national park, or you could watch it all from your window and remember it for a lifetime.

We arrived at the Banana Republic Guesthouse by late evening and got chatting to our other room mates; Emily and Alex. Emily was from L.A. and was basically an American version of me - she'd even been to Ghana! It was loads of fun reminiscing about Ghanian times and chatting about places we'd discovered in the world.

She is travelling solo and it has given me plenty of confidence that I can do the same on a RTW. I'm going to need to do some insane planning, but it is sounding more and more viable. YAY :)
Emily took us to a local foodstore which sole Baleadas, a bit like tortillas. These were amazing - spicy things, but absolutely delicious. I reckon the meat ones would probably taste best, but my veggie option was fantastic.

"Football's going home"

"27/06/2010"

Early start again after a restless night in Granada, as we set off on a TV hunt to see the football. It seemed as though there was one place in the whole of Granada showing it, and it was full of Germans!

Our defense was shocking, as were the decisions that went against us. It should have been 2-2. We played fantastically well and it could have been a different game. Stupid refs.
The weather was much better today, so we were able to explore more of Granada. We didn't have enough time to climb the volcano, but we did have enough time for a spot of shopping.

Travelling back was eventful with the bus breaking down. We had to cram onto another bus with all our luggage in the pouring rain (yes it was raining again!). Arrived back in Managua at the lovely hostel.

"Rain, Rain, Rain"

"26/06/2010"

We took it easy as we headed off for Granada, having a bit of a lie-in, before getting on another air-conditioned bus to Granada. The hassle at the bus terminal is very reminiscent of the tro-park experience in Ghana and indeed listening to the "mates" screaming out destinations took me back to the days of "circ, circ, circ, circle!!!" and "thirty sev". Good times :)

It hadn't rained during the night, but it certainly made up for it this morning, chucking it down all the way to Granada.
Arrival in Granada, the rain decided to lift, so we went in search of the hostel I'd booked online. This turned out to be a wild goose chase as it had closed down (thank you hostelworld), so we ended up at La Libertad. It looked really funky, the sort of interior I'd opt for, but as soon as we saw the room, I wished for somewhere else. The whitewashed walls were so dirty, with some sort blanket for a roof. Bugs and mozzies could easily crawl in and the toilets and showers were horrible. It was so dirty.

Neither of us could be bothered to trawl further with our rucksacks as the sun was finally out.
We meandered around the bussling Parque Central, somewhere that was becoming very reminiscent of a European capital, especially as there were far more backpackers here than anywhere else along our trail. For lunch we went to a lovely Mexican restaurant with what was the best food I've had on the trip. I had a veggie burrito and the vegetables definitely felt good after days of snacking.

After lunch we took a boat trip on the lake to visit the islands that have formed as a result of previous volcanic eruptions. The rich have built summer properties on these isalnds, worth millions of dollars. The tour also tooks us to see monkeys and there were plenty of pictoresque views of the volcano which slowly, but surely clouded over more so as the storm brewed.
I should highlight that we are sitting on the edge of a tropical so the rain and poor weather may hit us over the next few days. Fingers crossed it will miss us.

We got caught in the rain once on land - I wish we hadn't left our waterproofs behind. The rest of the day was chilled out, checking the internet and relaxing.

"Leon"

"25/06/2010"

A very early start after a disturbed nights sleep - stupid rain. Grrh. We started out walking to the other side of town to catch the bus to Leon. In the end the walk proved far too long and complicated so we ended up taxi-ing it.

The bus was lovely and air-coned, but we had a rude arrival in a hassled second city in their market. In a town that still uses horse and carts as a mode if transport there were flies everywhere.

We spent the day looking at churches and an art gallery. Outside the cathedral were Nicaraguan artisans which have now given me an idea for what I want to take home with me! hehehehe
I also finally got a proper veggie meal at a lovely cafe. Yes! it has taken this long - since viavia! I'm not sure if I've had a meal since then...just snacks.

Leon was a lot more touristy, I'm looking forward to Granada tomorrow.

"Managua"

"24/06/2010"

The hostel, which we booked into in Managua was really lovely. The kind of interior I envisage in my house one day.

Managua is so so so hot! I think we figured this on arrival at border control, but the fan in our room was a massive relief in the 40oC heat.
Last night there was a massive thunderstorm, which yet again we managed to just about miss. The rain absolutely pelted it down, yet by the time we awoke in the morning (ready for a day of sightseeing in Managua) it had all dried up!

We set off to explore the capital around 10 and it was already boiling hot. We stumbled across the Plaza, a modern shopping centre - the aircon was very welcome, as was the food break.
Managua was destroyed about 30 years ago in a massive earthquake and the majority of the city has never been rebuilt. The old cathedral hangs in ruins and looters have attacked what was once a stunning building. Various other iconic figures in Managua's monumental path include tributes to war heroes and dictators of the past. One also cannot forget the bitter civil war to which the "Arms Monument" pays homage to this. All arms were burned in what now stands as a derelict mass of land - even graffiti fails to etch on this area, a conflict where so many died.

We visited the museum of history and were fortunate to be given a guided tour by an English speaker. The tour helped piece together the Nicaraguan political, historical that my ignorant mind was in, as well as inform me on other fascinating details. The main discovery was on the differences between Mayan and Inca cultures. I now have a hypothesis on the musics and the spread of the Nueva Cancion movement as this would be relevant to the two groups.

"En Route Managua"

"23/06/2010"

After a slow start to the day - the bus was late - we spent a whole day travelling to Managua. We learnt that both England and the USA had qualified for the knock out stages of the world cup, fortunate as we were on a bus packed full of the yanks...with a few nuns.

This had been a bit of a trend, travelling with nuns - "nuns on tour".

Waiting at border control was interesting as Ticabus had collected all of our passports. We were kept waiting for ages, not knowing what was going on. On the plus side, I had a long chat to my mum and caught up with the London gossip. Apparently an epic was taking place between Mahut and Isner in Wimbledon. The end of the second day had closed at 59 ALL. Longest ever tennis match. I also discovered that I'd got onto my Africa module! YAAAAY! :)

"Cloud Forest"

"22/06/2010"

We woke up early to catch the bus to one of Honduras' National Parks. Our efforts were wasted when the bus the guide book recommended that went direct to the park, appeared to be non-existent. We ended up taking a taxi for what seemed to be an epically long journey.

The cloud forest is set up in the mountains and well away from Tegus. The height we were driving meant that we were quite literally up in the clouds. It is quite a serene place, but if it is to prove a successful tourist trap it requires better public transport links to and from Tegus, as backpackers don't all have $20 to part with for a taxi fare.

There are several different walking routes around the park all graded in difficulty. We deduced the difficulty in the length of walk and effort of uphill climb (having walked a black line, deemed very difficult). We were recommended the reasonable route towards La Cascada - a very pictoresque waterfall. Had we had more time, we could have explored other scenic routes taking us through epic flora and fauna. There is wildlife, but it is unlikely to appear on a tourist track.

We returned just in time to beat the oncoming storm :) and hear of France's humiliating exit from the world cup. Apparently the French Federation refused to pay for their flights back home, so it was economy all the way!!!

"Relaxation"

"21/06/2010"

We weren't able to visit the Parque National today as it was closed due to it being a Monday. It seemed like everywhere took to the streets for Market Day Monday - literally, the city was sprawling.
We hunted for a few more sights, which we'd missed, but the main bulk of the day was catching glimpses of the Honduras / Spain match in the capital and eating the best homemade chips ever...at a little cafe, set away from the hussle and bussle of the city. We were gutted to discover that Honduras lost and had been eliminated from the world cup.

"Santa Lucia"

"20/06/2010"

It was a hot disturbed night's sleep, with the bell ringing constantly. I wish our fan wasn't so noisy- I couldn't sleep with/without it. Grrrrh. Today we decided to visit Valle de Angeles, a touristy town, similar to Copan - but in the end went with Santa Lucia, because it was just one bus ride away.

I was glad we'd walked the city the day before, because it made navigation today far easier. En route to the bus stop we also found a megasupermarket! Was awesome.
The bus took us up some winding hills with beautiful coloured houses set into the hillside. The views were so wonderful and I should add that we finally braved the local "chicken bus".

Santa Lucia was a lovely colonial town with a boating lake set into the hills. We amused ourselves in this relaxed setting until the usual rainstorm gathered and we made a quick dash back home!

"Discovering Tegus"

"19/06/2010"

We were rudely awoken early by the loud beeping of horns and sterios pumping Latino music of all kinds. Our plan today, to explore the sights of the city. We hit the streets to find ourselves in the middle of Saturday's market...
Curving our way through the chaos we held our money bags close till we hit the bridge. This was the bridge over the River Choluteca, which literally carried the entire cities sewage to goodness knows where. It was disgusting. We were totally daunted by the rundown appearance of our neighbourhood. Buildings were derelect, yet people somehow managed to live in them.

The day was spent on a slight detour, walking up a lengthy hill where we overlooked the city - a fantastic view, but not the part of the town we intended. Andy was also feeling unwell.
We managed to see the cathedral and Presidential Palace (if you can really call it a Palace), but everything else we left, because Andy really wasn't well.

The afternoon was spent chilling in front of the TV in our room. We had a laugh at the Americans on Fox News and some other weird channel; hilarious and slightly concerning at the same time.
Teguciagalpa is a noisy city and very run down, so we decided to head for somewhere more tranquil on day 7.

"TEGUS...Finally"

"18/06/2010"

As we'd booked our bus for the afternoon we had the morning to enjoy Copan. We decided to explore the beautiful cobbled streets and quaint houses a little further. The village is really serene and its no surprise that travellers stay here up to a month. There is a really lovely atmosphere about this place.

We meandered back to the Ruins to chill in the park, only to have our peace disturbed by the mozzies. I've failed to add that I've been completely attacked by mosquitos since arriving here, it looks like I've got chicken pox. We left the park for some delicious fresh fruit juices and were submitted to a diabolical performance from the England football team against Algeria, before finally heading back to board the bus.

The bus journey was long, with the first hour exceptionally bumpy as we curved through the mountains. Even though I felt ill, it was impossible to take my eyes away from the beautiful scenery outside and the ever developing clouds, which promised rain.
Coming into San Pedro Sula, my eyes were drawn to the slums on the outskirts, which were literally made from cardboard. This severe poverty reminded me of the desolate conditions the majority of people on this continent live in.

We reached Tegus around 11.30pm, exhausted and concerned that no-one would be awake in our hotel. Fortunately, continuous ringing of the bell proved successful and we were able to crash for a nights sleep.

"A Day on the bus"

"17/06/2010"

Another very early start as we headed off, bound for the Honduran capital, Teguciagalpa. Problem was, we got 10 minutes into the journey and stalled. We weren't going any further...the rain from the previous night had caused a massive landslide which was blocking the entire road. We were told that it should be cleared within an hour or so, so we wandered back to Copan to get some breakfast.

7.30am came and went and by 10am it was clear we were not going ANYWHERE! We started chatting to the other passengers on the bus; 3 Americans who had spent the last month in Honduras on a project. They were great company, and very helpful translating for us. The time for clearing the blockage got later and later and it became likely that if we ever got out of Copan, we might be stuck in San Pedro, with no-where to stay...nice.

We made the decision to exchange our ticket for the following day, using our broken Spanish (I think our Hedman Alas friend was slightly fed up with us). Very relieved, we booked into a private double at ViaVia and spent the evening relaxing. It was a nice end to a stressful day.

"Copan Ruins"

"16/06/2010"

Another very early start as we boarded our bus (it makes megabus look very bad!) at 5.15am bound for the Copan Ruins. The route was beautiful with (what we thought were volcanoes) mountains, and cloud forests decorating the skyline. Passport control at the Honduran border proved interesting, but a Spanish traveler was very helpful in translation. Within minutes we arrived in Copan. Having checked into our $5 per night hostel (it was really nice considering how cheap it was). We headed off to see the Copan Ruins. The day was insanely hot, but the Ruins were really rewarding, making Stonehenge look very inferior. The Mayans were so clever, my tan definitely started today! hehehehe




We decided to make friends with David Attenborough and do the 30 minute nature trail only 10 minutes in we thought we heard rain and pegged it back. It hadn't started yet, but the sky became very dark. On returning back to the hostel, we discovered that we'd BOTH left our waterproofs on the bus :( and it had just started to pelt it down. It rains like this about 4pm EVERY DAY and then the heat evaporates in the morning gathering as clouds only to come down again in the next day. Eventually, the rain relaxed and we were able to head out to a restaurant "Via Via" for food. A lovely day.

"Guatemala City"

"15/06/2010"

An early start to the day as we left the Hilton (I wish we could have stayed longer.....for free of course!) on bound for our flight to Guatemala. This time our short flight landed successfully in Guatemala. Our first impressions of Guatemala Airport were great with this clean airport a great deal better than Miami's scummy disorganised base.

Passport control and baggage reclaim was far more simple, the first difficulty came when exchanging money, and navigating the entrance of the bureau de change. It seemed that no-one spoke English.
We embarked on our journey towards our hostel heading into unfamiliar grounds. Having no address or number for the hostel proved a massive challenge and with a language barrierwe couldn't make ourselves understood. It seemed that the driver had never heard of Hostel Casa Santorini.
After making a few calls on his mobile (I hate it when drivers do this on the go) we eventually arrived at this creepy boarded up place. Stepping inside, it still looked a little creepy, but it was still a bed for the night. We collapsed to chill out for a while, still completely exhausted from the previous day. Then the panic set in. I freaked out about the language barrier, over how complicated everything was going to be - I wanted to go home - I wanted my mum.

We left to head out for town and the hostel looked completely different, and like the one I booked online. We headed off to explore Guatemala City and with the intention of booking our transport for the next destination; Copan. As we started walking, it became very clear that a dark cloud loomed over G.C.. Looks like AA wouldn't be landing here AGAIN tonight. We hit town just as it started to chuck it down with rain - lucky we brought our waterproofs. Hedman Alas bus booked for the next day (yes we managed to book something in Spanish!). We pegged it to a restaurant as the rain lashed down. By now the road was turning into a river and avoiding getting drenched was a challenge.

Full and warm, we braved the water - its easy to see how this country has suffered such horrendous flooding. And waited for our taxi home. A successful "wet" day.

"Terminal"

"14/06/2010"

Early start to the day as the frantic panic set in to ensure that I had everything for my trip. I always have a massive panic that I've forgotte basic essentials and I did pack everything at the last minute the previous night.
Leaving for the airport and I'm feeling emotional. I'm not going to see my mum for the next 5 weeks. As I say goodbye a lump comes to my throat. I've had worries about this trip. It is very ambitious and with the recent flooding in Guatemala anything could happen.

We arrived in Miami Airport around lunchtime and having neogiated the ill-signposted airport and highlight complex passport control, wondered what to do with the rest of our time...we ended up stepping out of the air-conditioned airport and into the heat of Miami. We were actually in Miami!!! We headed along the Hway joking about yellow car as numerous taxis past us. Having discovered that the actual city of Miami would take 45 minutes to get to, we decided to satisfy ourselves with the storm clouds, the view and the airport waiting room. We chilled outside in the heat for a while, people watching. A minibus full of Brits pulled up. Topless, rowdy and as Andy put it "lads on tour, misbehaving". We Brits never put on a good show overseas. Later we saw another minibus pull up with "The Hilton" on it. Again, Andy joked about Paris Hilton being spoilt and about the success of the companies.

Waiting in Miami was hard going. There was very little to do execpt and eat, and that was very expensive. Both of us were feeling very tired from the early start, so the wait between connections seemed mindlessly long. When we finally were ready to board we had difficulties understanding the Spanish/American at the boarding gate. Whether they were communicating in English we couldn't tell. Eventually, however we'd boarded the American Airlines' "tacky" plane bound for Guatemala. I was exhausted and could not wait to reach the hostel.

We soon realised that this was not to be a smooth journey, as we flew into the storm clouds looming over Miami. There was extreme turbulence in some parts, as the tropical storm clouds that had caused such devastation in Guatemala only a week ago continued to gather across the Central American sub-continent.

Gazing out of the window we watched the sun set onto the sea - the red glow created absolute beauty, but also reminded me if the volcanic eruption of Pacaya in the previous week. As darkness fell, the turbulence increased and we realised that it was going to be stormy in Guatemala. The pilot circled for ages around Guatemala City, before beginning the descent. We were about to land when the plane jerked up again. The pilot said he couldn't see the runway and that he was going to try the North runway or head to El Salvador for more fuel. Unfortunately, the storm continued to grip the entire city and so the plane was bound for El Salvador. I was very anxious by this point. What if the plane didn't have enough fuel to get to El Salvador? It's not that far from Guatemala, why would the weather be any different there?

Fortunately the journey to El Salvador was a mere 25 minutes and we were landing by the time we were up in the air. We were grounded, and as soon as we landed we began the long LONG wait for fuel. Apparently we had to wait for one other plane to refuel before we could, so I reckoned we'd be grounded about an hour - maybe more.
About an hour later, the pilot announced that they'd reached their scheduled time of working hours and so we'd be staying in El Salvador, but AA would but us up in a hotel for the night. The chaos in the airport was immense as two flights waited for their accommodation to be sorted. I was desperate for my bag as I needed to take my medication, which I'd stupidly put in my bag. The two of us hadn't a clue what was going on as everything was in Spanish. We were very dehydrated and absolutely exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep.

I did find it slightly comforting that two other English girls had been in the exact same boat as us with their lengthy flight from Heathrow. No-one else it seemed had been up 20 hours. After about an hour, I finally had my bag and the buses had arrived to take us to find our accommodation for the night. I could not WAIT! Another passport stamp and we hit San Salvador road, trying to stay awake enough to enjoy it. Eventually, the minibus pulled up at non-other than the Hilton! Having joked about it earlier in the day, it seemed slightly surreal to be pulling into a top class Hotel...for free. The buffet was less to be desired, perhaps because we were keener to get to our room. The two double beds guaranteed what was to be the best nights sleep of our whole trip. The bed was so comfortable, a lovely end to an exhausting day!