Frankspinz
Adventurer
:26_7_2: Thumbs up all the way. I truly enjoy reading of your travels !
Salutations from Canada !
Salutations from Canada !
unURBAN Adventures - Alaska to Argentina to AFRICA!
- Thread starter unURBAN
- Start date
Belize - Cayo District
Our timing for Belize was good, we got there in time for the orange harvest. Driving the Hummingbird Highway we drove through orange orchard after orange orchard and trucks were driving fully loaded with oranges to the factories where they made orange juice. In one of these orchards the German, Swiss and Norwegian caravan saw a white Swiss Land Rover Defender, the drivers were out taking photos of the orange trees. The caravan stopped and we had a nice chat with Jolanda and Marco (www.lavidapura.ch). They are also on their way to Argentina. Since they were also heading to the Cayo district this day they joined our caravan.
In the Cayo district we drove past several Mennonites farms and horse and carriages transporting people and their harvest. It was a slight difference between their transportation and our Patrol. We took off from the Chiquibul Road and on to an even smaller dirt road towards Barton Creek Outpost were we planned to spend a couple of nights. Lotti was having a tough time on the rough road, but she did well when she was going slow.
Short before the Outpost we had to cross a river, and even Lotti made it with style!
The four overland vehicles set up camp at the parking area at Barton Creek Outpost surrounded by orange trees. Our host told us to pick as many as we wanted and use their mechanic press to make our own fresh orange juice.
It is the best orange juice we had so far on this trip…
From Barton Creek we had an early start and did a full day of sightseeing to the Maya ruins at Caracol with several stops along the way. Lotti was left behind and Isabelle and Franc got a lift with the other vehicles. Previously there had been some problems with robberies along the road to Caracol so now tourist could drive behind a ranger car in a convoy from Douglas de Silva to Caracol. The convoy was leaving at 09.30. We showed up a bit too early so we had just enough time to make a detour to Rio Frio Cave.
It was an amazing and huge cave with a small river flowing through it and along the river was even a small beach. Standing in the middle of the cave, you could look out at the entrance on each side of the mountain. Then it was time to join the ranger caravan. Arriving in Caracol we were discussing if there was actually a need to be escorted by the rangers since they were driving at a speed that none of the tourist cars could, or at least not would, keep up with. After a while they were gone and we saw them again at the archeological site. On the way back all the organized tour groups left before the rangers, and we decided to do the same.
At Caracols peak between 650 – 700 AD it is assumed that 150,000 people lived in the city and so far 36,000 structures have been marked. Today tourists can visit some of the main structures, but compared to the size of the city it is not so much we were able to see as most of the city is still covered in jungle.
Caana – Sky Palace is the tallest building in Caracol with 42 meters and it is still the highest building in Belize….
On the way back we stopped to cool down in the Río On Pools witch was an excellent end to a great day.
Then it was time to say goodbye to our friends again. Lotti, Vally and the Land Rover was all heading to Guatemala within a few days and we were on our way to Cancun to meet some family that was coming over from Norway for a warm winter holiday.
E&M
Our timing for Belize was good, we got there in time for the orange harvest. Driving the Hummingbird Highway we drove through orange orchard after orange orchard and trucks were driving fully loaded with oranges to the factories where they made orange juice. In one of these orchards the German, Swiss and Norwegian caravan saw a white Swiss Land Rover Defender, the drivers were out taking photos of the orange trees. The caravan stopped and we had a nice chat with Jolanda and Marco (www.lavidapura.ch). They are also on their way to Argentina. Since they were also heading to the Cayo district this day they joined our caravan.
In the Cayo district we drove past several Mennonites farms and horse and carriages transporting people and their harvest. It was a slight difference between their transportation and our Patrol. We took off from the Chiquibul Road and on to an even smaller dirt road towards Barton Creek Outpost were we planned to spend a couple of nights. Lotti was having a tough time on the rough road, but she did well when she was going slow.
Short before the Outpost we had to cross a river, and even Lotti made it with style!
The four overland vehicles set up camp at the parking area at Barton Creek Outpost surrounded by orange trees. Our host told us to pick as many as we wanted and use their mechanic press to make our own fresh orange juice.
It is the best orange juice we had so far on this trip…
From Barton Creek we had an early start and did a full day of sightseeing to the Maya ruins at Caracol with several stops along the way. Lotti was left behind and Isabelle and Franc got a lift with the other vehicles. Previously there had been some problems with robberies along the road to Caracol so now tourist could drive behind a ranger car in a convoy from Douglas de Silva to Caracol. The convoy was leaving at 09.30. We showed up a bit too early so we had just enough time to make a detour to Rio Frio Cave.
It was an amazing and huge cave with a small river flowing through it and along the river was even a small beach. Standing in the middle of the cave, you could look out at the entrance on each side of the mountain. Then it was time to join the ranger caravan. Arriving in Caracol we were discussing if there was actually a need to be escorted by the rangers since they were driving at a speed that none of the tourist cars could, or at least not would, keep up with. After a while they were gone and we saw them again at the archeological site. On the way back all the organized tour groups left before the rangers, and we decided to do the same.
At Caracols peak between 650 – 700 AD it is assumed that 150,000 people lived in the city and so far 36,000 structures have been marked. Today tourists can visit some of the main structures, but compared to the size of the city it is not so much we were able to see as most of the city is still covered in jungle.
Caana – Sky Palace is the tallest building in Caracol with 42 meters and it is still the highest building in Belize….
On the way back we stopped to cool down in the Río On Pools witch was an excellent end to a great day.
Then it was time to say goodbye to our friends again. Lotti, Vally and the Land Rover was all heading to Guatemala within a few days and we were on our way to Cancun to meet some family that was coming over from Norway for a warm winter holiday.
E&M
suntinez
Explorer
Your thread has become one of my favorite reads, and the pics - wow!
Weezerbot and I were just talking about you last weekend, how you manage to find some of the coolest spots no matter where you are. Nice to have a flexible plan, and find like-minded folks to aim you toward the hidden gems.
Your delight in the journey shows through in your words, much respect
Weezerbot and I were just talking about you last weekend, how you manage to find some of the coolest spots no matter where you are. Nice to have a flexible plan, and find like-minded folks to aim you toward the hidden gems.
Your delight in the journey shows through in your words, much respect
RMP&O
Expedition Leader
Just checked your tread, and you have already passed us!?!?!? D##m, you're fast!
We feel inspired and hope to go from Yucatan to Nicaragua in 6-7-8 days.
Hope that our paths cross another time (and hopefully in Patrols!!!).
E&M
Yea Espin, I had hoped we could share a Latin beer or two but I really didn't have time for detours from the PanAm. When I saw you were in Antigua I thought we might be able to hook up but I see it just was not very likely.
BTW, Guatemala is FREE to enter and exit for you and the fee for the truck is about $7.50usd. Nicaragua is $12usd to enter and about $2usd to exit. I don't recall if or what the fee is for your truck. I have found a lot of the fees change from day to day and from crossing to crossing. If you follow the PanAm expect a nasty crossing at El Amitillo aka El Salvador to Honduras. A porter named "Rony" is very trust worthy, all the rest run scams of all sorts. Also on the PanAM from Honduras to Nicaragua a porter named "Bruno" is very good and trustworthy and so is "Tony" but you don't really need their help if you speak a little Spanish.
Good luck on your journey, stay safe and most all of all have FUN!!
PM me if you end up going to Santa Catalina in Panama, I can help you with much info there.
X2 !!!!! I love seeing a group like you equipped well and making the right choices not to speak some awesome choices on cool things to see. Smart folks!!! :wings:Your thread has become one of my favorite reads, and the pics - wow!
Weezerbot and I were just talking about you last weekend, how you manage to find some of the coolest spots no matter where you are. Nice to have a flexible plan, and find like-minded folks to aim you toward the hidden gems.
Your delight in the journey shows through in your words, much respect
Family time on Yucatan
The flight landed on schedule and our family got through the crowd of taxi drivers eagerly waiting by the arrivals exit. A small Dodge (with some suspicious Kia logos here and there) was collected from Hertz across the street, and off we went into the Mexican night. Around nine PM we drove into the parking lot at Acamaya Reef just south of Cancun. My younger brother with wife and two kids checked in to a small cabaña, my father got our roof top tent, and Malin and I pitched our mountain tent down on the beach.
It was great to wake up the next morning and walk 30 meters (100 ft) for a morning swim, especially for the folks coming over from Norway where the temperatures are still around 0 degrees C (32 F). Stayed on the beach for the full day (trying the get the other Norwegians acclimatized..), and then drove south the next day to find the house we rented over the internet. Exiting!
The road going south from Cancun is pretty boring. Fortunately we were lucky enough to have a few situations to break up the monotony… My brother in the rental car got pulled over by two cops on motorbikes that wanted to give him a ticket for driving on red at a light. We saw what happened in the rear view mirror, and I got out and ran back to explain to the guys that dollars was out of the question. They gave up after a little while when they realized that this wasn’t going to be easy money. It is kind of funny that they don’t seem to be interested in giving you a “proper” ticket at all. Could this be too much work for them, or what is the deal? Well, anyway, if you guys ever go to Mexico, please don’t have a twenty “ready”. This just makes the problem with corrupt police worse. It is actually really easy, just tell them “NO”! If you haven’t done anything wrong, that is….
We also had a flat on the rental car on our way south, but I guess this hardly qualifies for any excitement. At least we finally got to test out our new tire repair kit. First flat we’ve had in about 90 000 kilometers! And it wasn’t even on our car…
In Mahahual, almost at the border to Belize, we were approaching our rented home for the next 10 days. There was definitely some excitement in the air as we drove south along the coast from Mahahual. The house should be exactly 8,5 kilometers out of town. It looked promising. And we hit bull’s eye! “Casa del Cielo de las Estrellas” was fantastic!!
http://mahahualbeachhouse.com/
During our stay we had some trips into town for supplies and some restaurant visits. One evening we ran straight into the town's Carnival! A great experience!
Leaving Mahahual after the 10 days in the beach house was really sad. We’d had a really nice time there. Still, the sad part was quickly forgotten as new places and experiences came and went. In Bacalar we visited an old Spanish fort from the 17th century that was built in order to protect the city against pirates. In the old days it had been possible to sail from the ocean and all the way into the lagoon and to the town, but in later years storms have closed the opening so that it now is a crystal clear fresh water lagoon!
From Bacalar we drove north to Tulum and more beaches. The camp was set at Mariachi Beach, now with my brother and his wife in the roof top tent, the kids on a mattress in the back of the Patrol (with open back doors, mosquito net, and the annex in place), and then my father and us in two tents on the beach. It is actually possible to camp seven people out of a Nissan Patrol! (Even if it is some stress finding things as everything gets shuffled around all the time).
Overlander's lunch
Alex, our eight year old nephew, had read up on the Chichen Itza ruins, and after all of us picking up a nasty sunburn in Tulum we headed north. Along the way we stopped at a cenote for a swim. It was kind of different to climb down into a cave before jumping in the water. Really cool place! I’ll try to find a photo and post.
Chichen Itza has some great ruins, and is one of the nicest restored maya ruins in the area. Unfortunately it is also packed with tourists as it is so close to Cancun. Prices are ridiculous and there are people all over the place trying to sell you plastic souvenirs.
Ahead of the crowds….
The last night before our family was flying home we were back in Cancun. Here we reorganized luggage and tried to get unused gear and stuff back to Norway. I think they took almost 60 kilos of our stuff back home.
The plane wasn’t leaving until eight thirty in the evening, so we jumped on a boat going out to Isla Mujeres for a few more hours on the beach.
We had a really nice time with our family on Yucatan. It has been a while now without seeing friends or family so this was a real treat. The camp was almost uncomfortably quiet the night they left…
And now it is again time to head south! Can we do 5 countries within one week???
E&M
The flight landed on schedule and our family got through the crowd of taxi drivers eagerly waiting by the arrivals exit. A small Dodge (with some suspicious Kia logos here and there) was collected from Hertz across the street, and off we went into the Mexican night. Around nine PM we drove into the parking lot at Acamaya Reef just south of Cancun. My younger brother with wife and two kids checked in to a small cabaña, my father got our roof top tent, and Malin and I pitched our mountain tent down on the beach.
It was great to wake up the next morning and walk 30 meters (100 ft) for a morning swim, especially for the folks coming over from Norway where the temperatures are still around 0 degrees C (32 F). Stayed on the beach for the full day (trying the get the other Norwegians acclimatized..), and then drove south the next day to find the house we rented over the internet. Exiting!
The road going south from Cancun is pretty boring. Fortunately we were lucky enough to have a few situations to break up the monotony… My brother in the rental car got pulled over by two cops on motorbikes that wanted to give him a ticket for driving on red at a light. We saw what happened in the rear view mirror, and I got out and ran back to explain to the guys that dollars was out of the question. They gave up after a little while when they realized that this wasn’t going to be easy money. It is kind of funny that they don’t seem to be interested in giving you a “proper” ticket at all. Could this be too much work for them, or what is the deal? Well, anyway, if you guys ever go to Mexico, please don’t have a twenty “ready”. This just makes the problem with corrupt police worse. It is actually really easy, just tell them “NO”!
If you haven’t done anything wrong, that is….We also had a flat on the rental car on our way south, but I guess this hardly qualifies for any excitement. At least we finally got to test out our new tire repair kit. First flat we’ve had in about 90 000 kilometers! And it wasn’t even on our car…
In Mahahual, almost at the border to Belize, we were approaching our rented home for the next 10 days. There was definitely some excitement in the air as we drove south along the coast from Mahahual. The house should be exactly 8,5 kilometers out of town. It looked promising. And we hit bull’s eye! “Casa del Cielo de las Estrellas” was fantastic!!
http://mahahualbeachhouse.com/
During our stay we had some trips into town for supplies and some restaurant visits. One evening we ran straight into the town's Carnival! A great experience!
Leaving Mahahual after the 10 days in the beach house was really sad. We’d had a really nice time there. Still, the sad part was quickly forgotten as new places and experiences came and went. In Bacalar we visited an old Spanish fort from the 17th century that was built in order to protect the city against pirates. In the old days it had been possible to sail from the ocean and all the way into the lagoon and to the town, but in later years storms have closed the opening so that it now is a crystal clear fresh water lagoon!
From Bacalar we drove north to Tulum and more beaches. The camp was set at Mariachi Beach, now with my brother and his wife in the roof top tent, the kids on a mattress in the back of the Patrol (with open back doors, mosquito net, and the annex in place), and then my father and us in two tents on the beach. It is actually possible to camp seven people out of a Nissan Patrol! (Even if it is some stress finding things as everything gets shuffled around all the time).
Overlander's lunch
Alex, our eight year old nephew, had read up on the Chichen Itza ruins, and after all of us picking up a nasty sunburn in Tulum we headed north. Along the way we stopped at a cenote for a swim. It was kind of different to climb down into a cave before jumping in the water. Really cool place! I’ll try to find a photo and post.
Chichen Itza has some great ruins, and is one of the nicest restored maya ruins in the area. Unfortunately it is also packed with tourists as it is so close to Cancun. Prices are ridiculous and there are people all over the place trying to sell you plastic souvenirs.
Ahead of the crowds….
The last night before our family was flying home we were back in Cancun. Here we reorganized luggage and tried to get unused gear and stuff back to Norway. I think they took almost 60 kilos of our stuff back home.
The plane wasn’t leaving until eight thirty in the evening, so we jumped on a boat going out to Isla Mujeres for a few more hours on the beach.
We had a really nice time with our family on Yucatan. It has been a while now without seeing friends or family so this was a real treat. The camp was almost uncomfortably quiet the night they left…
And now it is again time to head south! Can we do 5 countries within one week???
E&M
Mexico to Honduras in three days
After having the family to visit on Yucatan for three weeks it was time to head south again. One Sunday afternoon was spent driving south from Cancun. We stopped in Tulum for one final dinner at El Camelo.
We wonder how someone came up with the name El Camelo for a fish restaurant in Tulum? It is a really popular place for Mexicans and tourists, and we had to wait in line for a free table for about 15 minutes. Our final stop and camp before the border was at Laguna Azul at the north end of Laguna Bacalar and about 70 km north of the border crossing.
Since we already had dinner we went to the bar for a beer. One beer turned into two, three and four while we enjoyed the great conversation with the people in the bar. The roof top tent was put up at 01.30 at night so the early start we had talked about was out of the question. After filling up with propane and diesel for the car, we were at the Mexican – Belize border at 11 o`clock the next morning.
The borders feel easier and easier as we are now starting to get some practice. You exit, first yourself, then the vehicle, and then entry on the other side, first yourself and then the vehicle. We were in through in less than an hour.
Detailed description of the border procedures on unURBAN.no
unURBAN lunch along the road in Belize.... (on the side of the road that is. mostly nice paved roads through Belize.)
This time we just wanted to drive through Belize and it took us only four hours, but because of our late start in the morning we decided to camp just before the border to Guatemala and cross the next morning. We camped at Trek Shop in San José Succotz, a really nice place. During the night we had a pretty heavy rainfall, and Since it is no good packing up a wet tent that will be on the top of the roof in 28 degrees (Celsius) for a full day, we slept inn. The tent was nice and dry by the time we packed it up.
On the border between Belize and Guatemala we go through the same steps. However, here we didn’t have to get new vehicle papers as we were able to keep the permit form our first entry into Guatemala about seven weeks earlier.
Full write up on the border crossing on unURBAN.no
Should have stopped for both, but we saw it too late....
It was not much time we allowed ourselves in Guatemala this time. First stop was a shopping mall outside Flores to get some more Quetzales (Guatemalan money), and there we had lunch in the parking lot. We stopped overnight in Poptún at Finca Ixobel. The afternoon was spent in the hammock eating homemade cinnamon rolls and planning our drive in Honduras. For dinner we spoiled ourselves to their “all you can eat” dinner buffet that was really good. At dinner we talked to an American woman that was 76 years old and travelled by herself. Every winter she travelled for several months in Mexico and Guatemala and she had done it for years. I really hope we will still be able (and motivated!) to travel when we get to her age.
In the morning we said goodbye to Finca Ixobel, and this guy that looked like he really would like to get out and come with us. The drive continued south on Petén and we crossed the bridge at Rio Dulce. It was a really green landscape to drive through, but the further we drove away from the coast the warmer and dryer it got.
Arriving at the El Florido border crossing at 16.00 it was pretty full of trucks and it seemed like some of them had been there for quite a while since two of the drivers had put up their hammocks underneath the truck. We got to work on the papers, and after quite a bit of waiting (all the customs officers was busy trying to get some of the trucks through as they were literally blocking the border), we got our vehicle permit to Honduras. What you need to bring and where you need to go is posted on unURBAN.no
This border is about 10 kilometers from the Copan ruins, and that is where we are going in our next post!
E&M
After having the family to visit on Yucatan for three weeks it was time to head south again. One Sunday afternoon was spent driving south from Cancun. We stopped in Tulum for one final dinner at El Camelo.
We wonder how someone came up with the name El Camelo for a fish restaurant in Tulum? It is a really popular place for Mexicans and tourists, and we had to wait in line for a free table for about 15 minutes. Our final stop and camp before the border was at Laguna Azul at the north end of Laguna Bacalar and about 70 km north of the border crossing.
Since we already had dinner we went to the bar for a beer. One beer turned into two, three and four while we enjoyed the great conversation with the people in the bar. The roof top tent was put up at 01.30 at night so the early start we had talked about was out of the question. After filling up with propane and diesel for the car, we were at the Mexican – Belize border at 11 o`clock the next morning.
The borders feel easier and easier as we are now starting to get some practice. You exit, first yourself, then the vehicle, and then entry on the other side, first yourself and then the vehicle. We were in through in less than an hour.
Detailed description of the border procedures on unURBAN.no
unURBAN lunch along the road in Belize.... (on the side of the road that is. mostly nice paved roads through Belize.)
This time we just wanted to drive through Belize and it took us only four hours, but because of our late start in the morning we decided to camp just before the border to Guatemala and cross the next morning. We camped at Trek Shop in San José Succotz, a really nice place. During the night we had a pretty heavy rainfall, and Since it is no good packing up a wet tent that will be on the top of the roof in 28 degrees (Celsius) for a full day, we slept inn. The tent was nice and dry by the time we packed it up.
On the border between Belize and Guatemala we go through the same steps. However, here we didn’t have to get new vehicle papers as we were able to keep the permit form our first entry into Guatemala about seven weeks earlier.
Full write up on the border crossing on unURBAN.no
Should have stopped for both, but we saw it too late....
It was not much time we allowed ourselves in Guatemala this time. First stop was a shopping mall outside Flores to get some more Quetzales (Guatemalan money), and there we had lunch in the parking lot. We stopped overnight in Poptún at Finca Ixobel. The afternoon was spent in the hammock eating homemade cinnamon rolls and planning our drive in Honduras. For dinner we spoiled ourselves to their “all you can eat” dinner buffet that was really good. At dinner we talked to an American woman that was 76 years old and travelled by herself. Every winter she travelled for several months in Mexico and Guatemala and she had done it for years. I really hope we will still be able (and motivated!) to travel when we get to her age.
In the morning we said goodbye to Finca Ixobel, and this guy that looked like he really would like to get out and come with us. The drive continued south on Petén and we crossed the bridge at Rio Dulce. It was a really green landscape to drive through, but the further we drove away from the coast the warmer and dryer it got.
Arriving at the El Florido border crossing at 16.00 it was pretty full of trucks and it seemed like some of them had been there for quite a while since two of the drivers had put up their hammocks underneath the truck. We got to work on the papers, and after quite a bit of waiting (all the customs officers was busy trying to get some of the trucks through as they were literally blocking the border), we got our vehicle permit to Honduras. What you need to bring and where you need to go is posted on unURBAN.no
This border is about 10 kilometers from the Copan ruins, and that is where we are going in our next post!
E&M
Honduras
We are probably having as much time as we ever are going to have in this life to do what we want, but we still feel we are short on time…. It started in North America since we spent a bit more time traveling up north than we had planned, but there is so much to see and do. It is hard to make choices on where to travel, and it is hard to skip places like Grand Canyon when we almost driving by there anyway. Next was that we underestimated the size of Mexico, it is huge and so much to see there too. So to be able to get to Panama by latest mid Mai and ship the vehicle before the rainy season starts we have to get through some countries. Our decision was therefor to skip El Salvador and just use a few days to get through Honduras.
After crossing at the El Florido border crossing between Guatemala and Honduras our first stop was Copán and the Mayan Ruins just a few kilometers from the border. Copán had its peak time at 7-800 AD and at the most about 20,000 people lived in the city. Compared to other Mayan ruins we had been to Copán was really well decorated with stone carvings and hieroglyphics.
Like this piece that was on display in the Museum that is carved out of one piece of rock. Archeologists have dug up to 4 kilometers of tunnels under some of the ruins to see what is there. It has been a tradition to build temples on top of other older temples and under this one they found an older more decorated intact temple.
This is a full size replica of this temple that you can see in the Museum. Most of the tunnels have been closed off for tourists because of safety, but it is possible to visit a short distance in a couple but that cost another 15 USD on top of the entry fee that is also 15 USD. No tunnels for us since we thought that it all got a bit too expensive.
Hieroglyphic Stairway with is 63 steps is a remarkable structure where all the rocks facing out on all the steps are full of hieroglyphics and is telling a story. Only the lover fifteen steps were intact when it was found and archeologist have tried to put together the rest, but it is not possible the read the rest of the story that the stairs used to tell. In front of the steps is sculpture of the 15th ruler that build this stairs and to honor his forefathers there is a sculpture of the 14th ruler behind him, higher up in the stairs are ruler number 12th, 11th, 10th, 9th and so on. One tourist next to me asked his guide what had happened to number 13 since there was only a hole where it was supposed to be. The guide said that it had been “donated” together with other sculptures from Copan for some money in the 1980’s to a Museum in USA. It is sad to see this amazing stairs with a big gap in them after the missing sculpture. We “wealthy” tourists might be able to see the sculpture one day if we choose to, but for most Hondurans they will never be able to see it.
From Copán we drove about 140 kilometers south east to Gracias. Along the road we drove through five police check points, three just waved us through, one asked us where we were going and one asked to see our papers. But no problems and they all seemed friendly.
We camped in Gracias and strolled around town in the afternoon. Driving out of town the next day we stop by some developed hot springs that was a few kilometers south of Gracias.
It was great to soak in hot water for one hour after many days of driving. The road took us up in the highlands and through some small villages and finally the Patrol got some gravel under its tires again.
When we get into new countries we try to notice if there are any differences in the country we got to compared to the one we left. In Honduras men used more cowboy hats than in Guatemala, houses had roof tiles compared to sheet metal roofs, and people were walking around with dogs on a leash. Since crossing the border from USA to Mexico and driving south I cannot really remember seeing anybody walking around with a dog on a leash, I think that is something we do in the western world. When talking to some US Peace Corps workers that had lived in Honduras for a year we had to ask them if there were any laws in Honduras for this. They did not know about any laws like that and they had couldn’t even remember seeing any dogs on a leash either. So I guess we had just driven through a strange area of the country… Driving along the roads in Central America we see every day kids and adults carrying big loads of firewood on their head or back. From the houses we can see smoke coming through a chimney or just though the walls or roof, and I do not think it is because they are freezing in + 30 degrees Celsius.
It is still common to cook food on wood fires, because propane or electricity is expensive compared to the firewood they find around their homes. Still it is kind of strange to see people cook on wood fires and in the next moment turn around and answer their cellphone.
After a long day of driving we got to Peña Blanca at Lago de Yojoa there we tried to find our way to D & D Brew, a guesthouse that had been recommended to us. On our second time through town we saw a car we first had seen up in Yukon and then again in Mexico, it was Alex and Monica from Switzerland. They are also on their way to Argentina, but this afternoon they were also looking for the same guesthouse as us. We found it and spent to nights camping in their parking lot. The day was a full day with “office work”, catching up on emails and blogs, and in the evening drinking the beer brewed at the D&D Micro Brewery. Since leaving USA this is the first time we have been able to drink the water coming out of the tap, and didn’t even have to shower with our mouth closed. Because of the brewery all the water into the property is filtered and purified. At home in Norway we take it for granted that we can drink the tap water and even flush our toilets with drinking water… Visiting other countries we learn that drinking water is something many people has to buy.
While staying at D&D we learnt that it was a teacher strike going on in Honduras. The strikers had taking up blocking roads going in and out to Teguciagalpa, the capital, that we had to drive past to get to the Las Manos border crossing into Nicaragua.
Luckily for us they only strike during their working hours so we used the opportunity to drive on a Sunday. We did not have any problems and got to Danlí, a town close to the border, the same day. Next day we crossed the border to Nicaragua without any problems. When we got to the border there was a huge line up of trucks on each side of the road. While Espen was taking care of the vehicle permit I talked to one of the money changers and asked if it was normal with so many trucks, and the answer was YES. He said that crossing the border from Honduras to Nicaragua took the truck drivers one day, and crossing from Nicaragua to Honduras took them three days to get all the paperwork done. So I guess we should not really complain when both the Norwegian and Swiss car was ready to cross the border after about one and a half hours.
Time for a new country and to see if we can notice any differences between Honduras and Nicaragua.
We are probably having as much time as we ever are going to have in this life to do what we want, but we still feel we are short on time…. It started in North America since we spent a bit more time traveling up north than we had planned, but there is so much to see and do. It is hard to make choices on where to travel, and it is hard to skip places like Grand Canyon when we almost driving by there anyway. Next was that we underestimated the size of Mexico, it is huge and so much to see there too. So to be able to get to Panama by latest mid Mai and ship the vehicle before the rainy season starts we have to get through some countries. Our decision was therefor to skip El Salvador and just use a few days to get through Honduras.
After crossing at the El Florido border crossing between Guatemala and Honduras our first stop was Copán and the Mayan Ruins just a few kilometers from the border. Copán had its peak time at 7-800 AD and at the most about 20,000 people lived in the city. Compared to other Mayan ruins we had been to Copán was really well decorated with stone carvings and hieroglyphics.
Like this piece that was on display in the Museum that is carved out of one piece of rock. Archeologists have dug up to 4 kilometers of tunnels under some of the ruins to see what is there. It has been a tradition to build temples on top of other older temples and under this one they found an older more decorated intact temple.
This is a full size replica of this temple that you can see in the Museum. Most of the tunnels have been closed off for tourists because of safety, but it is possible to visit a short distance in a couple but that cost another 15 USD on top of the entry fee that is also 15 USD. No tunnels for us since we thought that it all got a bit too expensive.
Hieroglyphic Stairway with is 63 steps is a remarkable structure where all the rocks facing out on all the steps are full of hieroglyphics and is telling a story. Only the lover fifteen steps were intact when it was found and archeologist have tried to put together the rest, but it is not possible the read the rest of the story that the stairs used to tell. In front of the steps is sculpture of the 15th ruler that build this stairs and to honor his forefathers there is a sculpture of the 14th ruler behind him, higher up in the stairs are ruler number 12th, 11th, 10th, 9th and so on. One tourist next to me asked his guide what had happened to number 13 since there was only a hole where it was supposed to be. The guide said that it had been “donated” together with other sculptures from Copan for some money in the 1980’s to a Museum in USA. It is sad to see this amazing stairs with a big gap in them after the missing sculpture. We “wealthy” tourists might be able to see the sculpture one day if we choose to, but for most Hondurans they will never be able to see it.
From Copán we drove about 140 kilometers south east to Gracias. Along the road we drove through five police check points, three just waved us through, one asked us where we were going and one asked to see our papers. But no problems and they all seemed friendly.
We camped in Gracias and strolled around town in the afternoon. Driving out of town the next day we stop by some developed hot springs that was a few kilometers south of Gracias.
It was great to soak in hot water for one hour after many days of driving. The road took us up in the highlands and through some small villages and finally the Patrol got some gravel under its tires again.
When we get into new countries we try to notice if there are any differences in the country we got to compared to the one we left. In Honduras men used more cowboy hats than in Guatemala, houses had roof tiles compared to sheet metal roofs, and people were walking around with dogs on a leash. Since crossing the border from USA to Mexico and driving south I cannot really remember seeing anybody walking around with a dog on a leash, I think that is something we do in the western world. When talking to some US Peace Corps workers that had lived in Honduras for a year we had to ask them if there were any laws in Honduras for this. They did not know about any laws like that and they had couldn’t even remember seeing any dogs on a leash either. So I guess we had just driven through a strange area of the country… Driving along the roads in Central America we see every day kids and adults carrying big loads of firewood on their head or back. From the houses we can see smoke coming through a chimney or just though the walls or roof, and I do not think it is because they are freezing in + 30 degrees Celsius.
It is still common to cook food on wood fires, because propane or electricity is expensive compared to the firewood they find around their homes. Still it is kind of strange to see people cook on wood fires and in the next moment turn around and answer their cellphone.
After a long day of driving we got to Peña Blanca at Lago de Yojoa there we tried to find our way to D & D Brew, a guesthouse that had been recommended to us. On our second time through town we saw a car we first had seen up in Yukon and then again in Mexico, it was Alex and Monica from Switzerland. They are also on their way to Argentina, but this afternoon they were also looking for the same guesthouse as us. We found it and spent to nights camping in their parking lot. The day was a full day with “office work”, catching up on emails and blogs, and in the evening drinking the beer brewed at the D&D Micro Brewery. Since leaving USA this is the first time we have been able to drink the water coming out of the tap, and didn’t even have to shower with our mouth closed. Because of the brewery all the water into the property is filtered and purified. At home in Norway we take it for granted that we can drink the tap water and even flush our toilets with drinking water… Visiting other countries we learn that drinking water is something many people has to buy.
While staying at D&D we learnt that it was a teacher strike going on in Honduras. The strikers had taking up blocking roads going in and out to Teguciagalpa, the capital, that we had to drive past to get to the Las Manos border crossing into Nicaragua.
Luckily for us they only strike during their working hours so we used the opportunity to drive on a Sunday. We did not have any problems and got to Danlí, a town close to the border, the same day. Next day we crossed the border to Nicaragua without any problems. When we got to the border there was a huge line up of trucks on each side of the road. While Espen was taking care of the vehicle permit I talked to one of the money changers and asked if it was normal with so many trucks, and the answer was YES. He said that crossing the border from Honduras to Nicaragua took the truck drivers one day, and crossing from Nicaragua to Honduras took them three days to get all the paperwork done. So I guess we should not really complain when both the Norwegian and Swiss car was ready to cross the border after about one and a half hours.
Time for a new country and to see if we can notice any differences between Honduras and Nicaragua.
Bergum
Adventurer
Tulum is also home to an awesome seafood restaurant. El Camelo (the Camel - names after its Egyptian owner, as opposed to the abundance of camels in the Yucatan)
Read more: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/peteandcai/1/1288635638/tpod.html#ixzz1JFIJOeTS
My God....You make me feel as if I wasted my youth....altho I explored the Southwestern USA including all of Colorado and a few midwestern states....most of western USA really, a bit of Canada and Mexico, some of Baja.....much of the Northwest, but as I read your adventure it makes mine pale. Good on you!!!!! Youth well spent!!!! And very intelligently spent I might add. :victory::coffeedrink:
I look forward to reading more....you have fun, okay!