Nicaragua

Reliable chicken bus
Reliable chicken bus

Our bus stops roughly a kilometer before the border. From this point onward we have to walk. It is raining and it is already dark. Barely visible deep holes on the road are filled with water. Border area after dark is dangerous, but we have to leave Honduras in some way. Perhaps we should have divided the entire travel leg for two days to cross the border during the day. Particularly bearing in mind that the Central American border crossings are typically closed in the evening. Completely soaked we approach the only visible border post. Not a single soul there. A little further we see another booth. This time we see an officer to get our passports stamped. Once in Nicaragua we grab the last bus to the south heading Chinadega. Due to the not uncommon robberies and kidnappings carried out by local criminal groups, travel by night is rather to be avoided. We have no choice.

Jul

2009

El Salvador

Delicious pupusas at a street stand in San Salvador. Made of spicy sauerkraut, flour and beans
Pupusas at stall in San Salvador

El Salvador (Spanish: El Salvador) is a country often bypassed by tourists, definitely not lying on beaten itineraries going through Central America. So is the decision to deviate from the typical route and visit the mysterious el Salvador. The road leading from Honduras has numerous passes and green valleys with a view of distant volcanoes. The bus driver and his assistant constantly scream and whistle with great passion and commitment to get more people along the way to the capital. Many times I get the impression that the bus has no more capacity and not a single extra person would fit. I'm wrong, as with a specific arrangement of hands, legs and spines we mange to host more fellow passengers.

Jul

2009

Honduras

The hot and cold water mixed together forming natural sauna on the top, Aquas Calientes, Honduras
Natural sauna in Aguas Calientes, Honduras

Copán is neat and peaceful town. Large variations in elevation, steep streets and plentiful palm trees make an orientation easier. Urban transport is carried out by red rickshaws ubiquitous on cobbled streets. After a long search we finally find a place resembling a bus stop. An additional difficulty to leave the city is completely random non-existent timetable. Luckily after some time we find the bus which would take us to Aguas Calientes.

Jul

2009

Guatemala

Early morning at Laguna Lachua
Early morning at Laguna Lachua

Our minibus is runs into a deep pool of lime dirt. The vehicle gets dark inside and driving visibility is reduced to zero. We stop to wash the windshield. A few more hours on a bumpy road towards Flores, the town located in northern Guatemala. Passing the colorful buildings and narrow cobbled streets we find hostel Los Amigos. It comes out to be a pleasant and relaxing place, crowded with people from around the world, hammocks attached to the posts, cheap drinks, desserts and licuados de frutas.

Jul

2009

Belize

Beach bar on the island of Caye Caulker
Beach bar on the island of Caye Caulker

The flight from Miami approaches the Yucatan peninsula. We land at the airport located half an hour from Belize City. Terminal looks quite unusual, more like a bus station back in the 80's rather than a modern establishment. People queue up waiting to be handed in their luggage. I fill out the form at the immigration check and after a short conversation with a Black security officer I got my passport stamped.