By “It’s dangerous there, you shouldn’t visit at all!” The warning a few of my friends gave me after I replied to a text of where I’d be heading to next: Honduras & El Salvador.
Any place in the world can be a dangerous one, even your own backyard. It’s a known reputation that both of these countries are the murder capitals of the world outside of an active war zone, but if you know me well enough you know I’m going regardless! With my sense of adventure churning on all cylinders I decided against all warnings and yeeted myself into my next escapade.
Getting from Guatemala to Honduras I enlisted the service of a rather very peculiar transport company to facilitate my border crossing. To say it was hellraising was putting it lightly. To start they almost departed without me after an agreed upon location in the most suspect part of town. Not to mention our driver was of no help whatsoever, and his lack of patience for other travelers he picked up along the way was inherently obvious. I will say they did run on schedule, their own schedule, never had I wanted to be dropped off so quickly.
A shitty few hours later, a couple of dollars paid to the very well dressed Honduran customs agent I arrived in La Ceiba at my hostel. I decided to spend the night here where I would wait for my ferry in the morning to Utila Island. Sometimes you are reminded that traveling on a budget isn’t glamorous. There’s not much to La Ceiba other than it being a hub to get to the islands. I ventured out at night to grab food and all I could find open was a Pizza Hut. You bet I ordered a pizza to myself. Hopefully from here on out it would be smooooooth sailing.
I decided to spend my short stay in Honduras in one of two places, Utila and Coban. Utila for their scuba and of course Copan for their Mayan ruins. On Utila, smaller of the two with Roatan being the larger more yuppy like island, you’ll find it a bit more laid back, hosting the majority of the backpackers who came to stay, I was no different.
To leave the mainland heading for either Utila or Roatan you need to book a ticket through the Utila Dream Ferry. About $32 (to Utila) one way at time of writing and it’s pretty much the only option of getting to either islands. One upside is they’re quick, 45 minutes to, and you can check your luggage! Make sure you don’t miss your departure time as they only run the ferry at most twice a day.
With my bags dropped at La Hamaca Hostel I ventured out on the tiny island in search of baleadas and a surf shop to do some diving. Neither were in short supply, choosing one over another proved to be the hardest thing that week on the island. For baleadas I recommend Baleadas Mama Rosa (AMAZING shop) or La Casita right next door. The former boasts a more robust menu, the latter hosts amazing frozen drinks. I frequented either location more than I dare mention during this post, at less than $1 a visit, it was hard to say no.
For more on the food of Honduras and what I ate check out this post on why I travel!
Scuba shops are a dime a dozen on the island. Boasting fun dives all the way to every accredited dive course you want to take. Needless to say they were not in short supply. Eventually I swung the door open at Utila Dive Center where the aircon greeted my sweaty, sticky body. Relieved of the heat I was greeted with a smile from one of the lads who worked there and we got to talking shop. I inquired about a couple of fun dives ($38.50 per tank + $3 reef fee per day you dive) as well as a refresher course since it’s been over a year since my last dive. Arguably not the most expensive of the lot but not the cheapest in my experience either. There has been sightings of whale sharks in these waters the week I arrived, so my excitement levels were near peak!
The next day I geared up for both my refresher course and a two tank fun dive. As we were taken out on the boat that morning, the skies incredibly gray and gloomy, my hopes for visibility underwater dwindled with each passing minute. Who dives during a rainstorm? Did it matter if it was raining above the water? Will it be extra cold? These were the questions running through my mind in a constant loop, with no sunshine in sight.
Next thing I knew our boat captain was shouting that there’s been a whale shark sighting from a nearby boat! Everyone’s ears perked up, blood was pumping through the veins, pupils were widened to their extreme. We even forgot all about the rainfall, almost. The once saddened boat due to inclement weather burst with new life at the notion of a majestic animal nearby.
Flippers, goggles, GoPros at the ready and with a whole lot of anticipation we sat at the end of the boat in rows of threes. Everyone stayed quiet, so quiet you can hear the raindrops break the ocean’s surface, We looked everywhere but up, focused between the two posts that would be our escape route into the ocean once the go was given. I swear I’ve never been more anxious and excited in my entire life.
GET IN THE WATER NOW!
After hearing those words nothing else mattered, nothing else was in focus. It was just rows of after rows of us all jumping in. Elbows and flippers were all I saw. Chaos, true utter chaos. I didn’t know what was up or down, or if this was when I declared my swimming abilities in the middle of the ocean unassisted by my rented BCD to be less than adequate. Was I going to drown by gulping in so much seawater from my snorkel, or get knocked out by a flailing arm from the Swiss tourist?
What felt like an eternity in a sandbox with really aggressive kids and their pails dumping sand in your face was over in 30 seconds. The water cleared through my goggles and the calm set in. As it stilled we all looked down beneath our flippers and there it was — THE MOST AMAZING CREATURE I’VE EVER SEEN. Full stop.
I cherished that moment more than I want to admit because this animal is the reason I got into diving in the first place. I’ve chased it all over the world on trips where I could squeeze a dive in and never once was able to make it happen. I’d be too early, or have gotten to there too late, but not this time. It was Goldilocks and her perfect porridge moment. I’ve many adventures under my belt, but this ranks in the top echelon, I can’t even describe it in words, it’s all emotions, exactly like how these moments should make you feel, present and alive.
Oh yea, let me talk about the actual diving for a moment. After being so long out of the water my first tank went by rather quickly. I was sucking down air like Joey Chestnut at this past 4th of July Nathan’s hot dog eating contest. One tank of air for me, 62 hot dog and buns for the Chestnut. The corals around the island were beautiful, but due to the lack of visibility it took away some of the charm, as weather plays a big role when it comes to diving. The destination we went to were much better than my last dives in the Dominican Republic, but not as great as SE Asia. Utila nestles right at the in-between. With prices not TOO crazy it makes a good day trip to have some adventure to split up your adventures. The lion fish are killer there though, don’t be surprised if your instructors kill one or two, or five.
After swimming with the whale shark I will be honest that the diving thereafter was not going to top that moment!
The rest of my time on the island was spent eating, sipping cold coffee from atop café balconies, and catching some of the best sunsets I’ve seen in a while. With a one way ticket back to the mainland I was ready to head to my next destination in Honduras: Copan. This portion of my trip I wasn’t too keen on hopping to quickly, mainly because I’d have to take a shuttle towards San Pedro Sula before another to Copan.
What makes this a hairy trip? Well San Pedro Sula for one hasn’t been know to be very safe for locals let alone tourists. But then again, this is what I’ve been told my entire life, or the two months at least. In the back of my mind I knew I should keep my wits about me and be aware of my surroundings. Bad things can still happen, but you should do everything you can to mitigate the risks. By the end of the day I ended up in Copan with the tale getting pulled over by their national police and my unwillingness to hand over my passport because my driver decided to fly down the mountain roads to get some wind through our hair. I did end the night with a lot of pupusas though.
The trek to Copan Ruins wasn’t nearly as long as to Tikal back in Guatemala. A mere 20 minutes from my stay at Iguana Azul Hostel compared to that almost two hour ride in Guate. Entry in to this Mayan ruin site was only $15 and you’ll surely be greeted with macaws, toucans, and maybe even a white breasted hawk!
You have the option of coming with a tour guide or walking the grounds at your own leisure. I chose the latter to explore at my own pace, catching shade whenever I can. The structures are quite impressive albeit smaller than the last site I visited. Another featured animal here are the ever present jaguars. Worshipped by the Mayans and thought to be the sun disguised at night when it swept into the underworld, symbolized strength, ferocity, and courage in their culture.
It doesn’t take long to traverse this ancient site, but the plethora of information and insight to a lost civilization cannot be denied. They are still excavating at the site, research still ongoing, and groups of school children visit to learn about their culture and past. Seeing this continue warms my heart as the past isn’t lost among the present of smartphones, AI, and algorithms. I would without a doubt recommend a visit to Copan Ruins if for nothing but pure education.
I spent a few more days in Copan starting up conversations with people coming and going from my hostel and eating cake. One thing I noticed is that in Latin America you will never find a shortage of cake shops. They love their sweets here, as do I. Copan itself is a very cute little town. There isn’t much hustle and bustle here as other parts I’ve been to during my adventures up until this point. It reminded me of home in some aspects, maybe that was due to being there around Christmas time with festivities and decorations going full force.
With this short adventure in Honduras coming to a close I can say I’ve visited Aztec, Mayan and Incan empire throughout Latin America, swam with whale sharks (finally!), and ate my till full on stuffed baleadas. A private hire car booked it was time to make my escape from Honduras. Next up: El Salvador!
theroamingnoodle 