29 May 2011 (552 km) – Lago Yojoa (Camp) After crossing the border from Nicaragua (details previous post) I rode with the Renato and Edson til Tegucigalpa where we split ways and I headed further on to try and find the D & D Brewery. I didn’t quite make it, nor did I know where to go so asked to camp at a hotel at the southern end of the lago (lake). I rode a few hundred metres down the road and had a delicious, meal in a cosy roadside shack, before returning to camp under the electrically lit night sky (I managed to setup tent underneath a shelter!).
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| Hostel hunting... |
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| Direcciones por favor! |
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| Riding through some nice country with Renato and Edson, the Brazilian BMW riders. |
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| Here we split...Hooroo lads! |
30 May 2011 (30 km) – Los Naranjos (Camp @ D & D Brewery)
I woke in the morning to a worker asking me to pay him, but I insisted I would pay the lady on my exit! Cheeky bugger! I found the D & D Brewery eventually and opted to camp inside one of their camping rooms (50 lempiras/night)! I met ‘George of the Jungle’ Andreadis at brekky with his temporary travel companion Kimbers. George was riding a GS1200 so we setoff to check out the Pulhapanzak waterfall nearby and do the “waterfall tour”. We walked down to near the base of the waterfall where a locked gate blocked us and we met a local guy Carlos there who guides you into the caves, around and behind the waterfall! It was unreal! Definitely worth it! Team BMW had planned on leaving at lunch but a chat and a beer convinced them to hang for one more night...
A group of us ventured into the village to buy dinner at a small, local, family owned restaurant. We had an unreal meal and some BYO beers to top it. George, Kimbers and I got left behind when ducked into a small building with pool tables and locals inside! These are the moments where you know you’re travelling and its beautiful. We stayed for hours playing pool with the locals, talking spanglish and laughing hysterically. We eventually stumbled home full to the brim with beer and happiness!
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| Pulhapanzak falls |
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| Behind the falls |
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| George of the Jungle and Kimbers |
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| Gday mate! |
31 May 2011 (0 km) Los Naranjos (Camp @ D & D Brewery)
I woke at 0600h and called out to ‘Ralph’ and ‘Huey’ as the beers from the night before took their toll. It was strange as I never get sick from drinking but indeed it was time again. For the next few hours, I drank water, ate mango, slept and spewed. I farewelled team BMW and they took off for El Salvador! It was a nice quiet day for me, reading later on and walking around the village. I returned back to the nice restaurant in the village solo to try a little something else for tea! Great tucker here!
1 June 2011 ( km) – Copan Ruinas (Manzana Verde hostel)
I finally left the D & D and headed off towards Copan Ruinas on the Guatemala border. I missed a turn and went the long way via San Pedro de Sula. I was happy it was an uneventful ride though, as I’d been told by some overlanders in a Sprinter that they had trouble at a service station with a youngster drug gang, drunk with guns. They were just delayed a little and had to be very cautious!
I checked in it a nice hostel called Manzana Verde (green apple) with bike parking inside and headed off to check out the Copan ruins. This one is famous for its sculptures and engravings, with many stelas (stone shafts) and a GREAT museum with a life size replica of an underground building. It was breathtaking all in all.
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| These guys pack their bananas a little different than I've seen back home...it works! |
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| Beautiful art/inscriptions at Copan |
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| This 'Rose Temple' is inside the temple in the picture below. This however, was only a lifesize replica in the museum. |
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| Local wildlife... |
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| Birdy 69 |
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| Unreal stelas! |
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| This is the site where the used to play an ancient ball game. Sometimes, in the big important games, the losing person would be sacrificed to the gods. It involved a heavy ball and trying to hit the stumps in the 2 opposite sloping walls. |
2 June 2011 ( km) – Lanquin (Camp at caves)
BORDER CROSSING (Hond > Guatemala @ Copan Ruinas)
The border at Copan Ruinas to Guatemala was mostly a breeze. The normal checkout procedure was quick and in a new flashy building! The immigration stamped me into Guatemala no worries and then it was onto the waiting line for the bike at the aduana office. This was the long part as I was behind a bunch of truckers. Eventually I got processed, paid the $22 bike temp import fee at the bank office around the corner. The aduana guys were great and took care of most of my photocopying, however...one guy screwed up the motor number. I knew everything was ready but they were playing at something and about 45 mins later the boss came out saying, once again (happened in Panama) “you have 2 chances”. Which were to go on and hope for the best, or wait 2 hours to get it fixed. The VIN is more important so I fled and left Honduras in the past!
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| The new Honduran immigrations complex! |
