My First Intro to Honduras (Sucked)
People often travel for adventure, no? We’ve had a couple of small “adventures” during our current journey, but none have had me wondering about my decision to give up “normal” life and make this journey like our trip from beautiful, tranquil, Flores, Guatemala to the Bay Islands of Honduras. I know others have had worse experiences, and really in hindsight it wasn’t that bad, but that’s the advantage of hindsight. In the middle of it. . . well, I was saying a lot of choice words in my head.
It began easily enough. Like always I researched our options for travel before settling on our final choice. We could take a bus to Livingston/Rio Dulce, then a boat to Puerto Barrios, then a ferry to Puerto Cortes, Honduras, and then hop a bus to San Pedro Sula (SPS), hop another bus to La Ceiba, stay overnight, and then catch a ferry to Utila. Basically plan on 1-1/2 to 2 days depending on when you depart and schedules. I was so happy when I discovered there was a direct bus going from Flores to SPS! That would cut our traveling down to just under 1-1/2 days. Score!
At least that’s what I thought until we boarded the bus at 6 AM. When I bought my tickets I made sure to ask a series of questions multiple times to different people. Unfortunately, they were all “in” on the subterfuge. “This bus is direct, right? It won’t stop for passengers along the way?” Of course. It only makes 3 stops at actual stations. No stopping for extra passengers like the chicken buses. “There are bathrooms on board?” (It’s a 9-hour ride.) Oh yes, it’s first class. “A/C?” (If I’m paying good money, I want A/C dammit). Yes, yes! It’s first class. Bathroom, movie, direct bus. “And it’s a 9-hour ride? No switching buses?” Correct. It’s 9 hours, no switching buses. The chicken bus wasn’t that much cheaper and added another 4 hours, so I opted to pay a higher rate. And discovered everything but our arrival at SPS was a bold-faced lie. It did stop for anyone who flagged it down. There were no bathrooms, no A/C. It didn’t stop for a meal break at Rio Dulce as we were told it would, and we had to switch buses (which turned out to be a bit better as it was slightly more comfortable). Tigger and I survived off of sodas and small snacks I had packed in my daypack until we arrived almost 12 hours later in SPS. Yeah, the trip took a lot longer than 9 hours.
By the time we finally arrived at SPS I was in a sour mood. The relatively cheap tickets to our next destination made things more pleasant, but I was still fighting being overly grumpy. By the time we arrived in La Ceiba, we had been traveling for about 15 hours, most of that on buses. I was exhausted, surly, and still had to work for a couple of hours. Our taxi took us to a place he assured me was safe. The owner spoke perfect American English and obviously was either American or had spent a lot of time there. That explained the higher price than other hotels I had checked on in the area, but they had WiFi and A/C, and I was exhausted. Our closet, er, room did have an A/C unit, but it wouldn’t have cooled down a matchbox much less our closet. The bathroom faced the street and, to my surprise, had no drapes or covering for the window so anyone on the street was going to get a treat they probably wouldn’t enjoy. They brought in a 2nd fan, though, so that helped a bit. I did my work and then passed out.
After getting up early and getting ready to meet our taxi to the ferry, the hotel owner asked if we wanted breakfast. Sure, I said. It was decent enough until he informed me afterward it was $10. Umm, I could’ve gotten a MUCH better breakfast on the street for easily half of that! No time to argue as taxi driver was there and pacing. I handed the owner some money. He handed me the change, and since we were in a rush I just stuffed the bills in my pocket. On the way to the ferry I counted the bills and discovered I had been short changed by about L.50 (only about $2.50, but still). Now I was really grumbling under my breath. It didn’t help when the taxi driver informed me our agreed-upon rate was per person. Now I was close to saying all the words floating around in my head for the last 24 hours. Discovering the ferry’s listed prices on their website were before taxes, and had also recently gone up, had me almost banging my head against the wall since it added quite a bit more to the fare than I had planned.
After being sealed inside the catamaran to take us to Utila, I discovered the air conditioning units on the boat were a freakin joke. We had no fresh air and were seated inside a floating tin can in Caribbean heat and humidity for a 45-minute bumpy ride on choppy water. My one consolation upon arriving on the island was going to be someone waiting to pick us up. They didn’t show up. Then when we arrived at our alternate lodging, a Couchsurfing place, I discovered our host wasn’t there, wouldn’t be there for 2 days, and apparently no one got that they were supposed to give us a room. Honduras was beyond getting on my nerves at this point. If the ferry hadn’t already left the terminal, I would’ve been tempted to get back right on it and head back to Guatemala.
Now that we’ve been here for several days, have my feelings changed? I’m trying not to let a bunch of poor situations color my opinion of an entire country. Also, I don’t feel I can make a decision about how I feel about Honduras based on our stay on Utila. The islands are definitely a different world from the mainland, and in this case even more so. Most locals are of British descent, and the common language resembles Patois (aka Creole on Caye Caulker). Utila is mostly international. The island “flavor” is still here, but it isn’t really typical Latin America. So I will hold my opinion for when we return to the mainland and begin exploring there more. Even if that means another round in the steam bath tin can known as the Utila Princess.
Words to the wise: If you’re coming here from Guatemala and not going to fly, try taking the Linea Dorada bus if you want to avoid the chicken bus type of travel. It’s a LONG ride, and in the end you won’t save a ton more money by taking the cheaper local buses. Even a lot of locals take Linea Dorada. The down side, however, is they don’t go straight through to SPS. You’ll have to catch another bus from Rio Dulce, but that’s a town worth checking out more anyway. If you’re super tired when you get to SPS, you may want to pay extra for the Hedman Alas buses. It’s about a 4-hour ride to La Ceiba, and if you’ve been on the road for 2 days or so, you may find it worth your money. Otherwise Diana Express is the most recommended local-style bus, and it costs about $5 per person. You don’t need to make advance reservations, and their buses make frequent trips to La Ceiba. When you arrive in La Ceiba, I would strongly recommend avoiding Hotel El Estadio at all costs. The Banana Republic Guesthouse is a much better bet, is safe, comfortable, and inexpensive. There are plenty of other reasonable choices in downtown La Ceiba, though.
August 2, 2013
I every time used to read post in news papers but now as I am a
user of web so from now I am using net for content, thanks
to web.
November 12, 2012
Interesting report – it makes traveling in Thailand seem quite civilized!
I’m curious – you mentioned “work”. How do you fund your travels? Do work remotely or something? I guess you also get paid as a diving instructor too – is that your main source of income?
Interested in how you generate income as that seems to be the biggest challenge to me.
November 12, 2012
I think there’s some confusion. This article is about traveling in Honduras which is quite different from traveling in Thailand.
As for funding my travels, sometimes I work as a dive instructor. Otherwise, I mostly earn it through writing and medical transcription.
November 13, 2012
Hi Talon,
Thanks for that. No it was my bad attempt at a joke. It sounded like you had a rough time of it, so I was saying, by comparison, traveling in Thailand seems a lot easier – traveling in Thailand can be challenging – but I didn’t have any experiences quite as bad as yours there in Honduras.
Interesting how you fund your travels – sounds like you have a multiple income stream thing going on there – good idea.
All the best,
Tony
November 13, 2012
OH! LOL I had a string of spam before your post so I was thinking oh come on dude! 🙂 We took several other trips while there and didn’t have this kind of luck again, so that was a relief. Then again I paid a little extra for the nice buses. Makes all the difference in the world. Worth every stinking penny. LOL
I’m trying to move a bit further away from transcription and just focus on writing, but I’ve definitely seen the value of having a diverse income flow. So important, especially when you’re doing this kind of life!
July 26, 2011
Sorry to hear about the crappy experience. Those really do sound like a series of unfortunate experiences.
July 26, 2011
Gotta happen once in a while, right?
July 25, 2011
I hate when I am mislead about travel arrangements. They’d do and say anything to get your money. Not fair!
July 25, 2011
Yes, it sure puts a damper on things.
July 25, 2011
Sheesh! What a shoddy introduction to Honduras. I had a similarly crappy experience when I first got to Fiji last year and it threatened to ruin my whole day. I can definitely appreciate your state of mind.
July 25, 2011
Definitely was not joyful by any means! Even though I’m enjoying Utila, I’m still a bit gun-shy of when it’s time to leave and visit the mainland. LOL
July 22, 2011
This experience is going to make the good days seem so much better! I’m pulling for things to turn around for you!
July 22, 2011
They turned around pretty quick. It was just enough of an experience to hang around for a day or 2, though. J
July 21, 2011
Right, so how many beers do you want money for?! Jeez. I had a similar experience in Thailand and man on man did it put me in a bad mood for days! I feel your pain. Keep on trucking…we’re all here for you!
July 21, 2011
Well, it helped that I got to go diving pretty fast and could find cheap accommodations. Otherwise, I would’ve been surly for quite some time I’m afraid. LOL
July 21, 2011
What a long bus ride! I can understand the mixed feelings about Honduras. Interested to see how you like the rest of the country – Honduras didn’t impress us very much. We liked that we were the only tourists in most places (except for Copan of course!) but there were times when we were pretty scared (Tegucigalpa).
July 21, 2011
I’m curious what I’ll think as well. Only saw SPS and La Ceiba briefly. Definitely missing Guatemala! LOL We shall see.
July 21, 2011
ouch. That is one hell of a string of events. Hope you are making it through okay and things are starting to look up!
July 21, 2011
Definitely. Can’t let stuff keep you down. 🙂
July 21, 2011
Ok that just sounds like one misadventure after another. I think you’d need room upgrades, free cocktails and 40m visibility to overcome a journey like that.
We’ve had a few of those ‘direct bus/boat’ misadventures ourselves. A 6hr boat ride that took 14 on a boat that looked nothing like the pictures, with no food stop for over 9 hours. A two hour mini bus ride that turned into 4 different types of transport, lots of waiting around and a total 6hr journey time. Those days suck! But you had day after day of it … then again you could be home opening that unexpected car registration bill on the same day that the electricity account is due. A journey to hell is still better …isn’t it? Some days I wonder but most days I think it is.
July 21, 2011
Hmm. I’m not so sure which is worse in that scenario. Lol
July 21, 2011
it was real hell in my opinion. I hope you never go through such a sequence of events.
Vacation rental net
July 21, 2011
You had almost a journey to hell, from what I read. I hope you enjoyed your little journey at least a little. 🙂 good luck.
July 21, 2011
I can’t say I enjoyed too much of it; however, the scenery was at least enjoyable. LOL
July 21, 2011
Interesting that you chose Utila (vs. the more common isle, Roatan) as few folks seem to go there. The most distinctive thing I remember of Utila was that the locals speak a most unique… kind of Scottish brogue! All most charming, but seemed so very out of place in Central America. I never did learn why…
July 21, 2011
That’s one of the main reasons I chose Utila over Roatan. J Yes, the accent is very unique for sure.
July 21, 2011
I think you officially topped our worst travel story by far – and we didn’t even post ours. 😛 Good lord man – go have a beer. You need it.
July 21, 2011
I need something stiffer than a beer. LOL Make sure when you board the ferry that you sit right where the A/C breeze is. It gets HOT in that box. There are some cheaper, and possibly better, alternatives popping up now. When you’re getting close, let me know and I can get you their hours and such.
July 21, 2011
Oh that sucks Talon. How was Tigger with all this? I hate it when people try to rip me off, it really can ruin your time when you are constantly being taken advantage of.
July 21, 2011
He actually did much better than I had anticipated. That’s a LONG time trapped on a bus, especially considering he had lost his Nintendo DS so had no electronic entertainment to rely on, there were no bathrooms, and we didn’t have a whole lot of food on us. And he had left the travel games in his backpack which was underneath the bus. LOL He was oblivious to most of the other stuff that got me grinding my teeth.