After a fairly long and uneventful journey from Guatemala, the shuttle bus crossed the border and entered Honduras. We stopped off briefly to grab some incredible Honduras breakfast. While it was still the classic Central American combination of eggs and beans, it was served in a flour homemade tortilla which was divine. It is a speciality here.
On arriving at our destination, named La Ceiba, my couch surfing hosts were waiting for me. We went back to their flat in the centre, which was lovely. It had two massive balconies, comfortable rooms and fast WiFi.
That afternoon I got a tour of the great town La Ceiba. First we walked past shopping malls, chain stores and a nice, tranquil suburbia area. It felt completely safe. I got shown a beautiful park, which housed an old steam train. I learnt that, the trains were used from 1989 to transport bananas around the globe. The company Good Fruit owns the majority of infrastructure in La Ceiba, they built the roads, school and stadium, amongst other buildings. It was fascinating to learn about this huge company which monopolised Honduras.
Next, we walked to downtown, it was super busy people walking here there and everywhere. Shops were lively, busy and popular.
From here we walked to the marina. It was very built up. There was a watch tower, benches and a pier. Previous hurricanes had destroyed buildings, one remained unfixed, others had been rebuilt and so looked very new. Walking along the pier, it was refreshing to see the wide everlasting ocean. People sat on the edge fishing, watching birds and chatting with friends. The town had such a pleasant feel to it.
Walking back we passed the market, all kinds of tropical fruit and vegetables were sold. I bought a few I had never tried, let alone knew the names of. My host (a great cook) prepared this strange looking vegetable for us. She made it into chips – they were great.
Later that evening I was lucky enough to join my two hosts for a social gathering. Their friend had a beach house, so we went along, sat around watching the stars and the ocean crash in. We strolled along the beach to a fun typical Honduras Bar. The music was called Pointa and the girls dancing were amazing, some tried to teach me the local dance, which was good fun.
The next day, my host took me out for a day trip. In the car we passed gigantic pineapple plantations. They felt never ending. All owned by the Good Fruit company. Pineapple plans grow from the ground. They had been sewn in huge rows.
First we visited his mother and daughter. They live in a beautiful farm, growing enough produce to feed themselves, being totally sustainable. It was fantastic, I tried home grown bananas (so sweet and tasty) and furry lychee (also very sweet and juicy). They had chickens, a couple of pigs and coconut trees too. I was so impressed with all the delicious fruit and stunning surrounding scenery.
About 15 minutes from them was a national park we visited. I was in awe at this place. The drive in through the bumpy road was magical. Palm trees surrounded us and the mountains could be seen in the near distance. Getting out the car, we were in the jungle, high up in the mountains. Bright red flowers blossomed from sturdy green stemmed plants (named ginger). Trees towered over us, providing shelter from the rain pelting down. Water could be heard gushing down cascades near us. We visited my hosts Canadian friend – who was about 60 and had set up a serious of cabins in the depths of the jungle. We walked around through the vegetation, hearing crickets, birds and rustling trees. The owner has set up a dam to provide the cabins with electricity. Everything he cooked for his guests was found in the jungle. He had a pond for fish, fruit trees nearby. The business was so sustainable, it was super.
After the walk in the forest, I got to swim in the cabin’s swimming pool. It was so cool and refreshing. Laying on my back I could see the grand trees branch over me about 70 metres high.
Hummingbirds swooped by the restaurant where numerous bird feeder were hung. The birds were a shiny purple, with long beaks. It was incredible to see.
I am so glad I decided to come through Honduras on my way to Nicaragua. There were lots of mixed reviews about it here. So far I have leant a lot about the history, which is fascinating, I have seen stunning scenery and tried delicious food.
We are going on a bear hunt 
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