Out of all the countries I've visited on this trip, Honduras has surprised me the most. First of all, the drivers are absolutely insane. I've never been passed at such high speed around blind corners before...and the vehicles passing me are semi-trucks. It was quite the thrilling experience and one I hope to avoid repeating.
Honduras wasn't extremely exciting, but it was extremely pleasant. Our one adventure came when we tried to find the first microbrewery ever opened in Honduras and we ended up driving on poorly-lit (but well paved) Honduran roads at night while it rained.
The ruins of Copan were very cool. The carvings were by far the best preserved of any of the Mayan sites we've seen so far. I'll try and do a whole entry concerning Copan in the near future.
I'll go more in-depth about Honduras soon. I'm beat. By the way, I'm writing this from Nicaragua and it's just about time to get some major beach action in.
Chuck
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Hustlin' in Honduras
Another day, another country - or so it can seem. Today we left Guatemala and entered Honduras. The border crossing was one of the smoothest. This contrasts with what I heard last night from a fellow Cedar Rapidian(!) who mentioned that he was robbed by border guards 5 or so years ago. He did mention he was by himself and that he crossed over at a remote northern border crossing. Our advantage is in numbers - if one of us is held up, we all stop.
Honduras seems cool so far. We're staying in the town of Copan Ruinas. This means Copan Ruins, which is interesting because the actual ruins of Copan are about a 1 kilometer away. This appears to be a nice way to force you to wander through the city instead of heading directly to the ruins. The town is actually pretty nice - it's a solid mix of Hondurans and foreign tourists.
We're heading to Copan tomorrow around 8 and staying until lunch until we hit the road again. Due to the driving distance and the supposed difficulty of bringing vehicles into El Salvador, we're going to abandon that plan and spend extra time in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. While we won't get to "touch 'em all" (visit every country) we will get to spend more time on the beach.
Chuck
Honduras seems cool so far. We're staying in the town of Copan Ruinas. This means Copan Ruins, which is interesting because the actual ruins of Copan are about a 1 kilometer away. This appears to be a nice way to force you to wander through the city instead of heading directly to the ruins. The town is actually pretty nice - it's a solid mix of Hondurans and foreign tourists.
We're heading to Copan tomorrow around 8 and staying until lunch until we hit the road again. Due to the driving distance and the supposed difficulty of bringing vehicles into El Salvador, we're going to abandon that plan and spend extra time in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. While we won't get to "touch 'em all" (visit every country) we will get to spend more time on the beach.
Chuck
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Blog goofiness
For some reason, my post "Last Day in Guatemala" was posted before "Jungle Fever Part 2". It should be the other way around. Odd.
Jungle Fever Pt. 2
The next morning we had the opportunity to explore the Mayan City of Nakum. This city is still being actively excavated and renovated. The buildings are beautiful - they look much more authentic then what we had seen before. Many of the reconstructions we have seen were done in the ‘60s and ‘70s and use modern cement and building techniques, which takes away from their overall look. Scientists have been able to reconstruct the recipe of Mayan cement and this is being used to restore Nakum.
The archeologists have done a fantastic job excavating the structures as well - the site looks much more natural then many of the others we’ve seen. There’s still plenty more to find - there are dozens of mounds which are actually buried Mayan buildings littering the site. We encountered a very nice Spanish team of architects and chatted with them for a few minutes.
Then it was time to load up the trucks and head into the jungle for some overlanding. I had a fantastic time plowing through muddy trails and scraping through narrow spots. The other Jeep got stuck and we did get to break out our winching gear for a quick rescue session.
The turn-off onto the trail was totally overgrown. We actually drove right past the entrance because it was so overgrown. In hindsight, we should have known that this would be the exception rather then the norm.
As soon as we hit the trail, we knew things were going to get a little interesting. The pace was slow as vegetation had to be hacked away and trees were blocking the road regularly. I initially sat in the truck with my Dad and really had no idea what was going on up ahead. After an hour or two I decided to go offer some help to Scott, James, and Cyril who were attempting to clear the vegetation from our path.
It was hot, sweaty, hard work. I was mostly support at first - Scott and James would swing machetes and clear minor vegetation while Cyril would carry the chainsaw in case we came to any fallen trees. We went on like this for hours. I was able to shoot some footage for Scott as he guided a Jeep through a tight spot. I even got the chance to swing a machete for a while. These things take some experience before one becomes proficient at swinging it. I soon discovered that the key to using a machete effectively was efficiency - swing only at what’s important or you will quickly tire out your arm.
This continued until about 9:00 PM. I became a flashlight caddy for one of our expedition members as he hiked ahead to clear minor vegetation. It’s quite an experience to have only a dying Maglite and a headlamp for illumination in the pitch-black jungle. Night time in the jungle is also incredibly noisy - you have insects, birds, and nocturnal mammals all becoming active. I have to admit I was a little nervous at first but quickly became used to it.
We were ravenous by the time we reached camp. Cyril came to the rescue - he had brought his gaucho (basically an Argentinean cowboy) grill and ten pounds of Argentinean meat. We feasted.
I should discuss our campsite. We camped in what was the main plaza of the Mayan town of Holmul. The thing was, our campsite was almost completely unexcavated. There were two enormous mounds which were actually temples to either side of us.
When morning hit, the group spent some time poking around the ruins before we hit the trail. It was supposed to be 5 hours until we were back to our starting point, but it turned out to be more like 10 hours. We didn’t emerge from the jungle until 4 or 5 at night. By the time we reached Flores it was 7:30 PM.
There’s nothing like eating at a Guatemalan PIzza Hut after driving through the jungle all day. I nearly ate an entire large thin crust Pepperoni pizza myself. It was much too late to try to find a campsite so we decided a hotel was our best option.
Thus ended our jungle adventure.
The archeologists have done a fantastic job excavating the structures as well - the site looks much more natural then many of the others we’ve seen. There’s still plenty more to find - there are dozens of mounds which are actually buried Mayan buildings littering the site. We encountered a very nice Spanish team of architects and chatted with them for a few minutes.
Then it was time to load up the trucks and head into the jungle for some overlanding. I had a fantastic time plowing through muddy trails and scraping through narrow spots. The other Jeep got stuck and we did get to break out our winching gear for a quick rescue session.
The turn-off onto the trail was totally overgrown. We actually drove right past the entrance because it was so overgrown. In hindsight, we should have known that this would be the exception rather then the norm.
As soon as we hit the trail, we knew things were going to get a little interesting. The pace was slow as vegetation had to be hacked away and trees were blocking the road regularly. I initially sat in the truck with my Dad and really had no idea what was going on up ahead. After an hour or two I decided to go offer some help to Scott, James, and Cyril who were attempting to clear the vegetation from our path.
It was hot, sweaty, hard work. I was mostly support at first - Scott and James would swing machetes and clear minor vegetation while Cyril would carry the chainsaw in case we came to any fallen trees. We went on like this for hours. I was able to shoot some footage for Scott as he guided a Jeep through a tight spot. I even got the chance to swing a machete for a while. These things take some experience before one becomes proficient at swinging it. I soon discovered that the key to using a machete effectively was efficiency - swing only at what’s important or you will quickly tire out your arm.
This continued until about 9:00 PM. I became a flashlight caddy for one of our expedition members as he hiked ahead to clear minor vegetation. It’s quite an experience to have only a dying Maglite and a headlamp for illumination in the pitch-black jungle. Night time in the jungle is also incredibly noisy - you have insects, birds, and nocturnal mammals all becoming active. I have to admit I was a little nervous at first but quickly became used to it.
We were ravenous by the time we reached camp. Cyril came to the rescue - he had brought his gaucho (basically an Argentinean cowboy) grill and ten pounds of Argentinean meat. We feasted.
I should discuss our campsite. We camped in what was the main plaza of the Mayan town of Holmul. The thing was, our campsite was almost completely unexcavated. There were two enormous mounds which were actually temples to either side of us.
When morning hit, the group spent some time poking around the ruins before we hit the trail. It was supposed to be 5 hours until we were back to our starting point, but it turned out to be more like 10 hours. We didn’t emerge from the jungle until 4 or 5 at night. By the time we reached Flores it was 7:30 PM.
There’s nothing like eating at a Guatemalan PIzza Hut after driving through the jungle all day. I nearly ate an entire large thin crust Pepperoni pizza myself. It was much too late to try to find a campsite so we decided a hotel was our best option.
Thus ended our jungle adventure.
Last day in Guatemala
It's been a relaxing couple of days. Yesterday, we were supposed to drive to the town of Antigua but after spending all morning power-washing our vehicles, it was decided we didn't need to have another 8 hour driving day. I certainly wasn't in a mood to drive after spending 3.5 hours watching our vehicles at the car wash. This wasn't an ordinary car wash though, it specialized in cleaning vehicles that have spent time in the jungle. Manuel (the owner) and his crew spent over an hour on each vehicle - I've never seen a cleaner Jeep.
Serendipity is an interesting thing. I was getting ready to head back to our hotel and pack up when we met a Belizean man named Neal at the car wash. He turned out to own a lodge that has been frequented by overlanders in the past. With our day rapidly being eaten up by errands, the executive decision was made to call it a day and spend another night in Flores - and we would stay at Neal's lodge.
Well, we made the right choice. The lodge was awesome. The coolest feature is a restaurant with a deck that overlooks Lake Peten and has an absolutely stunning view. He let us drive our vehicles onto his property and guests can stay in some nice bungalows he has built. The name is escaping me, but I'll post when I recall it.
Tonight we're staying at a placed called Bruno's near the Honduran border. The drive today was simple and only took a couple of hours which was very nice. Tomorrow we're camping near the Mayan city of Copan. Big photo updates coming soon!
Charlie
Serendipity is an interesting thing. I was getting ready to head back to our hotel and pack up when we met a Belizean man named Neal at the car wash. He turned out to own a lodge that has been frequented by overlanders in the past. With our day rapidly being eaten up by errands, the executive decision was made to call it a day and spend another night in Flores - and we would stay at Neal's lodge.
Well, we made the right choice. The lodge was awesome. The coolest feature is a restaurant with a deck that overlooks Lake Peten and has an absolutely stunning view. He let us drive our vehicles onto his property and guests can stay in some nice bungalows he has built. The name is escaping me, but I'll post when I recall it.
Tonight we're staying at a placed called Bruno's near the Honduran border. The drive today was simple and only took a couple of hours which was very nice. Tomorrow we're camping near the Mayan city of Copan. Big photo updates coming soon!
Charlie
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Jungle Fever
Part 1.
After a solid night of sleep after our jungle adventure, I think I’m rested enough to describe our trip.
We left Belize on Saturday and crossed into Guatemala. Border crossings are all similar and involve two things: lines and paperwork. This was no exception. We actually have to import and export our vehicles upon entering/exiting so this can take a couple of hours. My dad installed a printer in his truck and it’s really been helpful (photocopies, scanning, etc).
The main “highway” from our border crossing to the town of Flores was a dusty, potholed road that nearly shook my fillings out. Massive craters littered the road and it was almost like driving through a slalom course with all the swerving one had to do. After hitting Flores we enjoyed some Guatemalan chinese food and waited for our guide, Cyril to show up.
Cyril is a Frenchman residing in Guatemala who happens to have corresponded with Scott and agreed to be to lead the expedition. He also has a beautiful mint Range Rover. Europeans travel in style.
After finally getting everything together and soon after leaving we hit the jungle. This road was real deal - it was muddy, narrow, and enclosed by vegetation. Apparently once the dry season hits, they grade the road and 18-wheelers barrel through to do logging. I wouldn’t want to run into one of those on the road.
We didn’t make it into camp until nearly 10:30 that night. Progress was a bit slow and driving through the dark in the jungle is quite the experience. Cyril has been leaving here in Central America for quite some time so he has learned to drive like a local - extremely fast. This even extends to trail driving. Unfortunately for him, we couldn’t quite keep up.
By the time we hit camp, we were all exhausted. Dinner was a few beers and some peanut butter on crackers. I had a good time picking Cyril’s brain about various facts about the jungle. Right after he described the difference between cattle mutilated by a puma and cattle mutilated by a jaguar we started hearing a horrific noise off in the distance. We didn’t find this out until morning, but the cause of the ruckus was howler monkeys. These things are louder then you can imagine. I just found out that they are the loudest animal on land.
The next day is when we started encountering real action. The morning was a lot of fun and I got to hit some serious mud in my truck. After lunch, everything changed.The trail we hit had been abandoned for a year.
After a solid night of sleep after our jungle adventure, I think I’m rested enough to describe our trip.
We left Belize on Saturday and crossed into Guatemala. Border crossings are all similar and involve two things: lines and paperwork. This was no exception. We actually have to import and export our vehicles upon entering/exiting so this can take a couple of hours. My dad installed a printer in his truck and it’s really been helpful (photocopies, scanning, etc).
The main “highway” from our border crossing to the town of Flores was a dusty, potholed road that nearly shook my fillings out. Massive craters littered the road and it was almost like driving through a slalom course with all the swerving one had to do. After hitting Flores we enjoyed some Guatemalan chinese food and waited for our guide, Cyril to show up.
Cyril is a Frenchman residing in Guatemala who happens to have corresponded with Scott and agreed to be to lead the expedition. He also has a beautiful mint Range Rover. Europeans travel in style.
After finally getting everything together and soon after leaving we hit the jungle. This road was real deal - it was muddy, narrow, and enclosed by vegetation. Apparently once the dry season hits, they grade the road and 18-wheelers barrel through to do logging. I wouldn’t want to run into one of those on the road.
We didn’t make it into camp until nearly 10:30 that night. Progress was a bit slow and driving through the dark in the jungle is quite the experience. Cyril has been leaving here in Central America for quite some time so he has learned to drive like a local - extremely fast. This even extends to trail driving. Unfortunately for him, we couldn’t quite keep up.
By the time we hit camp, we were all exhausted. Dinner was a few beers and some peanut butter on crackers. I had a good time picking Cyril’s brain about various facts about the jungle. Right after he described the difference between cattle mutilated by a puma and cattle mutilated by a jaguar we started hearing a horrific noise off in the distance. We didn’t find this out until morning, but the cause of the ruckus was howler monkeys. These things are louder then you can imagine. I just found out that they are the loudest animal on land.
The next day is when we started encountering real action. The morning was a lot of fun and I got to hit some serious mud in my truck. After lunch, everything changed.The trail we hit had been abandoned for a year.
Monday, March 2, 2009
After three long days we’re finally out of the jungle. It was an incredible experience but an extremely tiring one. We spent spent yesterday hacking our way through an overgrown path that hadn’t been touched in over a year. This was honest-to-god bushwacking - we used two machetes and a chainsaw. It took us all day, but we finally got to our camp at about 9:30 last night. Today wasn’t as physically exhausting but it was long so I’m going to keep this entry short and I’ll detail the full experience tomorrow.
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