Hello from La Ceiba

We finally left D&D...it was really tough to leave but we were beginning to feel like if we didnt leave soon, we were never going to leave.  If anyone reading this is planning a trip to Honduras, Lago de Yojoa is probably not on your radar since its not the Bay Islands or Copan Ruins but it really should not be missed.  The lake is gorgeous, the entire area is chock-full-o birds and flowers and even the little town that the brewery is in is friendly and safe.

Today was a long travel day for us.  We took the bus to San Pedro Sula and then caught a different bus for La Ceiba.  The second bus took forever...it was technically a "direct" bus but I think it took well over an hour just to get out of the San Pedro Sula city limits.

There were a few memorable moments today, though.  On the bus from the lake to San Pedro, 2 young clowns boarded the bus...not obnoxious kids but actually a girl and boy about 13 or 14 years old with faces painted and baggy clothes.  They did a little shtick and then asked for money.  It took some guts and we considered donating but the bus was also full of other kids their age in school uniforms and we decided that these kids should be in school and we shouldnt encourage begging over education.  The girl clown was really cute, though, and I could tell that she was uncomfortable with all of the other kids being on the bus, laughing and joking with each other.

The other wierd thing that we saw was at a rest stop restaurant just outside of San Pedro Sula.  The buses tend to stop at at least 1 of these restaurants since the drivers get free food for stopping.  On the way to the bathroom, we saw that they had some cages with local but exotic animals on display...a big iguana, some scarlet macaws, some really interesting looking ducks.  Then I noticed that one of the cages had chickens in it.  While that would be interesting in the States, here in Central America, chickens are everywhere and are certainly not exotic.  Every single family has at least a few and they wander the streets like stray dogs.

Other than that, we are just happy that we didnt have to spend another night in San Pedro Sula.  So far La Ceiba doesnt seem too bad.  We are staying at a hostel called Banana Republic and it is very hostely.  Hostels arent usually our favorite but are good for a night or 2.  Since La Ceiba is the jumping off point for the Bay Islands, this one is totally full.  We were lucky to get a private room since it is mostly dorms and from what I can tell, the average age here is about 21.  The shower was cold but very welcome after a full day of buses.

Tomorrow we will hit the stores to stock up on as much as we can think of before heading for our big month on Roatan.  The island is expensive so as much as we can get on the mainland and bring with us will be helpful for our budget.  We are both feeling a little weird about spending such a long time in one place but I think that it will be a welcome break from our travels and will also answer a lot of our questions about living on Roatan and how possible it is or even if it is something we would want someday at all.  Maybe we will spend 2 nights here or maybe we will catch the afternoon ferry tomorrow.  Right now I'm leaning on 2 nights here since I kind of want to see what this town is all about.