We have completed our time in Honduras and are currently in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. We will be in Nicaragua for two and a half weeks and then in Costa Rica for about five days to finish off our trip.
We were in Gracias, Honduras from Monday, June 27th to Friday, July 1st. Gracias is a pretty small town, maybe around 9,000 people and a pretty poor town. The city was the recommended base for climbing the tallest mountain in Honduras.
On Wednesday, June 29th we started our hike in Parque Nacional Celaque. This particular hike does not require a guide, so we decided to do it on our own. We hiked for five hours the first day, up to a "campsite" - a couple of logs holding up a tin roof. About an hour after setting up our tent it started to pour. We were thankful for that little shelter, since the tent that we rented from a store in Gracias was not of the best quality. As we were couped up in the little tent while it rained, we decided that it was a really good decision to not hire a guide, as it would have made for a pretty awkward, rainy afternoon. The hike up was tiring, but overall not too bad, except for the last hour and a half which was pretty steep. Only one bad thing happened on the hike up - we saw a snake off to the side of the trail.
We woke up early, after a restless night in the tent, to hike up the rest of the way to the top of the mountain. It took about an hour and half to reach the very top, which was quite the accomplishment, however the view was a little disappointing. We were up so high that we were above the clouds, so we couldn´t see too much. After having a celebratory apple at the top, we started our hike back down the mountain. Although the hike down was less exhausting, it was certainly more painful on the knees, feet and legs. Once we were back in Gracias we celebrated by going to a bar/restaurant for a delicous pizza and even more delicious frozen mojitos!
On Friday, July 1st we decided to go to the hot springs early in the morning to let our aching bodies soak in warm water. Oh yes, I should mention that the shower at our hotel in Gracias was ice cold, so the hot springs were a nice treat. After the hot springs we packed up and tried to figure out how to get to Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. I felt like I was on Amazing Race for this trip. We first had to take a bus from Gracias to San Juan, then get on a different bus to La Esperanza. The bus to La Experanza was built to comfortably fit about 25 people. There were about 45 people on the bus. It rained the entire way, which was fine for a day of traveling, except that our bags were strapped to the top of the bus. Now, the roads in Honduras were not always in the best condition, and the rain made them considerably worse. The bus with 45 people on it got stuck in the mud. Just when I thought we would need to all get off the bus to lighten the load and/or push, the locals started jumping up and down inside the bus. Nick and I joined in, and after about two minutes the bus was on its way. It was quite the experience. After arriving in La Esperanza we had to transfer again to get to Tegucigalpa. This final bus started taking off as we were still walking to a seat. If there is one thing I have learned from this trip, it is that you just have to trust things will work out.
The only reason for going to Tegucigalpa was to get a bus to Nicaragua. After spending the night in Tegucigalpa, two taxi rides, four buses, and 11 hours later we arrived at our hotel in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. We will be here for a couple more days before heading to some small villages.
Happy 4th of July to everyone back home. We will spend the 4th at a chocolate factory in Nicaragua!
Since you guys "discovered" the ruins in Copan, shouldn't this post include Nick wrestling a huge 100 ft snake so that you could safely make your way up the mountain???
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