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We didn't go to Managua in Nicaragua…the experience with the Lnuk shacked us all and we were not interested in staying in a big nag chaotic city. As a result we didn't visit the embassy of Honduras…And what should be expected came, we had to pay another time a tourist tax to leave Nicaragua and enter Honduras. We do it quickly trying to forget it…same story again, borders are not flexible and injustice is everywhere. Luckily we are European, don't want to imagine what it would be for a simple world's citizen! From the border we don't find any difficulties to find a ride, a truck driver originally form Belize who work 7/7 and seems pretty happy about it. Terry is great but his truck a bit old and after a while the motor breaks. We must stop in a gas station and keep on going with a different vehicle. Like everywhere in central America, hitchhiking is easy…we ask a coupled of car and quickly we are on the back of a pick up, enjoying the fresh air of Honduras. The vegetation is really different from Nicaragua, for once it really feels like we change the country, pine trees all around, with space between each tree that leave place for the sun to penetrate the deepest forest, dry mountains, a bit fresh. In an hour or so we get to Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, another concrete jungle situated in the middle of the mountains. Klaxons, chaos, messy traffic, pollution, trashes on the streets and "dumpster divers"…welcome back to the city!
We let our stomachs and need for fun lead our steps to one the numerous malls that stand in the city..we get some food and run into a cinema. The owner is friendly like always and even let us "clean" one room to recycle the popcorn and other drinks that people never finish. We watch a stupid American movie but it doesn't really matter…We come out at night…and wander in the city for a while looking for a place to stay. We find a refuge for sick people and an interesting encounter with a lady in pajama with a gun…she is from the security and want to let us sleep in a small room where there are already three to sleep…we decide finally to go to the public hospital and can sleep on the floor in the hall…Not the best spot but we manage it just fine! We discover the city centre in the morning, lot of policemen in the streets with their big "submachine gun" ensuring there are not too much beggar on the streets. We see some of them being arrested…a strange atmosphere, not so alive. We find a bakery that give us a lot of bread and then we walk to the Fire station where we find safe shelter like always. We recycle a lot of food in another mall…where we offer ourselves another movie and we sleep great with the firemen!
In Tegucigalpa, our main mission is to find embassies of Guatemala and Belize to see how we can get for free until Mexico. In our quest we meet the consul of Belize, a friendly business man who invites us in his Italian restaurant to eat the greatest food ever. We have even the right to order a dessert! We get to know more about Honduras…a country that made the news last yea with a "coup d'état". Some don't like to call it this way…it was legitimate according to them…but most of the people we meet agree on the fact that the former president that was more of a socialist was taken away…a classic in Latin America! We meet Beatriz,a rich lady who insist to take us on a tour of the city and tell us a bit about her country. She considers the Honduran people as lazy…most of them. She talks about the division of the society: the educated ones and the other who got seduced and cheated by Zelaya, the former president. The "educated ones" made the "revolution" when Zelaya wanted to change the constitution to stay in the power and keep trying to make this country more socialist! The richest didn't agree, and dressed in white they went on the streets to protest. At the same time the chief of the army took the chance to take the power and send Zelaya in another country…They were scared to see him implement certain reform like Chavez did in Venezuela.
We stay with the firemen in Tegucigalpa for a couple of days. We don't need a visa to get in Belize…just to go out, we decide to cross directly form Honduras with a boat. we hitchhike further in honduras…nothing easier, we are taken quickly from one spot to another, we recycle food easily and get to San Pedro Sula in one day. On the way we hear different story…Zelaya was a great president according to certain people, doing good things for the porous. He was taken away by Michellini, the president of the congress who wanted to become president. He succeeded with the help of the CIA but in the election the citizens voted for someone else. Hard to know what is the true story…The situation seems a bit alike like in Venezuela, the poorer are in favor of Zelaya and the richest wanted him to leave. The country is rich, big coffee production and sweatshops everywhere. No doubts that the upper layer of the society make enough money…the humble ones are fighting against the crisis, the heavy rains of the last months that have disturbed the prices of rice and beans, living in the fear of a new hurricane who could destroy their houses again.
We stop again in the fire station…easy and comfortable. We recycle a bit…We get all a bit sick…probably the water, we are not sure and we have to stop for a few days. The firemen are adorable and they let us sleep in their beds for two nights. We get better and we hitchhike easily to the harbor were we supposedly can find a boat. On the way, we meet the cousin of Zelaya who told us that anyway all the people who get to the power are corrupted…interesting! Puerto cortes is a weird place…a bit abandoned with a lot of crappy houses and a strange atmosphere. Thanks to the firemen and the Red Cross we can work a bit on Internet and find the way to contact the owner of the boat. The director of the Red Cross and a journalist help us on our quest..but no way to get the owner to offer us the passage. Money or nothing…we don't know what to do…and we finally decide to go to Guatemala. In less than two weeks, the COP 16 starts.
We stop again in the fire station…easy and comfortable. We recycle a bit…We get all a bit sick…probably the water, we are not sure and we have to stop for a few days. The firemen are adorable and they let us sleep in their beds for two nights. We get better and we hitchhike easily to the harbor were we supposedly can find a boat. On the way, we meet the cousin of Zelaya who told us that anyway all the people who get to the power are corrupted…interesting! Puerto cortes is a weird place…a bit abandoned with a lot of crappy houses and a strange atmosphere. Thanks to the firemen and the Red Cross we can work a bit on Internet and find the way to contact the owner of the boat. The director of the Red Cross and a journalist help us on our quest..but no way to get the owner to offer us the passage. Money or nothing…we don't know what to do…and we finally decide to go to Guatemala. In less than two weeks, the COP 16 starts.
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