Leaving Honduras

After three nights in Roatan, we took a ferry back to the Honduran mainland to make our way cross country to Nicaragua. Due to the quality of the roads and the nature of the country's geography, it was necessary that we first head to the city of Comayagua for an overnight stop.

After landing in La Ceiba, we drove past Pico Bonito National Park, a vast park of rainforest around Pico Bonito mountain. Looking out the window of our minivan, the scenery was truly majestic; lush rainforest sitting at the foot of a huge mountain range. The park has a blossoming eco-tourism program, which I think is fantastic and hope to one day come back and visit.

Pico Bonito National Park, Honduras

We stopped near the National Park for breakfast at a small open air restaurant with great views of the surrounding nature. So far I've failed to mention one of my favourite things about Honduras: Baleadas. Baleadas are a typical breakfast food of Honduras originating from this region, consisting of a hot tortilla filled with fried beans, cheese and often also scrambled eggs and avocado. Absolutely delicious!

This day ended up being quite a long one, with a lot of time spent retracing the route we had taken to get to Roatan from Copan. Still, the view from the minivan was fantastic. I think the landscape and environment of Honduras have to be its best feature and it was one of the most naturally beautiful countries I visited in Latin America.

Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the city of Comayagua. The sun was setting by the time we arrived and as soon as we pulled into the city, the general consensus was one of disappointment; disappointment that we had driven all day only to arrive to this. The town looked quite worn and seedy and walking the streets later that night to get dinner, there was palpable tension amongst the group. The city did not feel welcoming to outsiders, not overtly so, but still it caused a heightened degree of caution. We were all glad to leave early the next day.