Week 14, El Salvador, Honduras
5/9
Rose at 6.30, showered, shaved, ordered breakfast. Waiting for that now.
Apparently S caused trouble again by keeping the common showers occupied for like ever ... somebody said something and there we went again.... not gonna say more about it. Not worth it. Period.
Had a nice fruits and yoghurt as breakfast. Waiting for the rest of the gang now to do a 2 hour walk trip through town. Then to the top of the vulcano.
The tour was fantastic, and guided by an inspiratonal young woman with a warm heart for her country. Politics, history, culture ... it was all included. Here's some pictures ...
Most astonishing thing i thought was the church, build out of leftovers... broken glass, small pieces of metal. From the outside it does not look like a chuch at all .... look ...
But from the inside ....
Special huh?
After the tour the rest went to see the vulcano. I decided to walk back to the hostel, to see some moe of the markets and so on ...
Had lunch at Wendys (french fries, with cheese and bacon ... so good). Napped in the hostel afterwards ... laterz...
Then the sad news. Not only will Laura stop as tourleader, she will end the trip in Panama as well. I hate to see her go and she certainly deserves more credits then she has been given. Go well sweetheart!
We had dinner at a sushibar, across the street. Expensive and not so good, but hey...
S has made a scene again... and of course everybody else had done it ... well, never mind... i will stop mentioning these kind of things. Happens to often to stay interesting. I'll let you know when it all explodes.
Slept in luxury again.
6/9
Rose at 6.45, showered and had the best breakfast ever, across the street in a very fancy, but weird location, where they sold bathroom stuff as well. The pancakes with banana and chocolate, syrup and whipcream however were too good to be true. Best ever.
9.00 we left for a short drive to Suchitoto. An old colonial town. Very nice place .... look...
Had lunch at the central plaza with Karim, Lutz, Bijan and Richard .... delicious...
Walked to the lake nearby ...
and back.
Bought water and updating blog in the hostel now. I lost my 220V to 110V interface. Shit!
Oh well, laterz...
Rest of the afternoon was spend on the media and relaxation.
At 6.00 we went to the other hostel (where 3 of us stay) to enjoy the view from the roof terrace. Met this german traveler as wel there (Ellen).
Found a very nice local restaurant where we had beautiful tortilas and beers ... for 5,- ...
Back to our house (hostel is not the good expression) for a last drink and a good night sleep.
7/9
Rose at 6.30, showered, improvised breakfast, and about to pack for a wild camp day before we cross the border to Honduras tomorrow. Laterz...
Long, but beautiful drive again ....
Arrived at this Hotel arizona, where we were supposed to camp, but it rained ike hell, and it just would stop. Thunder storms as well. So, the owner had a big, covered place where we could put up our tents and cook as well. Forgot to take a picture.
Tension in the group has rissen too. Lots of people picking on each other ... not a pleasant and friendly atmosphere at all. Don't know where this will end up.
Then Bijan got a lid in his eye and needed to see a doctor. It appears to end wel (no permanent damage), but still...
Meanwhile the rain and thunder kept on ... for hours.
After dinner sat round a big table at the balcony of the hotel, but i lasted only for a beer. Needed some time on my own, so an episode of fringe it was. Slept like a log though.
8/9
Rose at 5.50, breakfasted, then heard the news about the earthquake in the Mexico-Guatemale border area. Horrible. We were there just a week ago. ..... 😢
On our way to the Hunduras border now. Laterz...
Drive to the border was short, crossed within the hour and 9.30 we were in Honduras. Border is no more than a rusty fence however...
Long and slow road through the mountains followed.
Love this way of travel though.
Round 12.30 we stopped in a small town to change money and buy some food to be eaten on the truck. I spended all my last US coins (yes in El Dalvodor, the US $ is the currency) at the border, so i have food and a drink. Laterz...
And on we drove... all afternoon to finally arrive in Pena Blanca (at the D&D brewery), where we have our campground now. Its warm and it might rain again tonight. Lets hope for the best.
Right now we're waiting for our tacos over a beer. Honduras is quit all right (first impression at least).
Food was great, beer was nice, slept like a log (did not even finish the fringe episode).
9/9
3 months on the road, 5 more to go. Still having fun, despite a non-optimal group every now and then. Oh well, most of us are fine, that's what counts.
Rose at 6.15, packed breakfasted, had a good conversation with Jono and some group members about how to deal with things that do not go as planned. After all, (and i quote Luts now) its an adventure, not a cruise. Enough about that. On the way to La Ceiba. Most of us going to islands, i stay behind for some me-time. After all, i have never been in Honduras before, so ... lets check out the main land first huh? See you all there.
We zig-zag-ed out of the vilage .. on our way to La Ceiba.. took a while ... big truck, small streets and lots of spectators.
We tried to wildcamp, but could not find a good spot, so... to La Ceiba city it was.
Nice hostel, good food from the cookgroup and ... too many beers. I will not go into any details, but it ws loud, late and some got sick... catch the drift? But fun it was. Community singing and (finally) a bit of a group feeling.
10/9
Rose at 7 since cookgroup had made breakfast. A bit hungover (not really bad though). At 8.30 everybody had gone, except for the ones that stayed behind.
First all the administrative work: booked the hostels for two days in Panama city and one day in Columbia. For all the sailors (there's 9 of us who will go from Panama to Columbia by boat, so...). Then find an ATM, get local currency, and buy a new 110v adapter for my tablet and phone. Also washed all my dirty shirts and socks. All done round 11.00.
Then with Luts to the beach. Bit of a let down. It was dirty and not that good at all. Oh, well, another experience.
Had food there, walked to the pier, then to a nearby restaurant for a soda, then walked back. Hung my laundry to dry and to the pizza hut for dinner.
Back from dinner now and updating my blog. Early night, to recover from the wild night before. Laterz...
Prepared week 14 for publishing in the hostel. Going to sleep now. And fringe , that too...
11/9
Rose late, slept in till 9.00 ... really. Made breakfast on the trucks kitchen. Updating blog now... Just spoke to Jono. There has been a lot of complaining. Don't know exactly where it will lead to, but measurements are to be taken.
I want the rest of the day for myself...
Did a long walk to the beach, around the center of town. Took shelter in the mall, when it started to rain ...
but still got wet later on.
Jono is going to cook. Lutz bought huge steaks, so... should be all right.
Done some serious thinking about the group process too. If i had known that the group would be like this i had choosen not to overland, but to travel individually.
Selfishness, anti social behavior, calling names, gossip, bullying, lack of social and empatic skills, big egos, and a constant stream of complaints (whitout working on solutions) have caused Laura to stop after Panama. Well, if there is 1 person who deserves better than that, its her. While she came as a customer, she picked up the tourleadership with great ambition, worked her ass off and did a great job!!!
And that's why I am mad at all of us (including myself) that we were not able to turn those negative attitudes into solutions.
It is very sad, and i will probably alianate myself from this group. Sorry, but despite that we see a lot of the world, it could and should have been better if we had been more mature and mentally balanced. So, there it is. I said it. Do with it what you want, but i am done complaining now!
Im going to eat a big steak.
And I will do a lot of walking over the next 2 days. Alone!
The steaks were fantastic, very wel cooked by Lutz. Nice bottle of wine, good conversations and it turned out to be a good evening ... even political discussions, all with respect and laughter ... untill 12.30 or so.
Somebody said something that somebody else did not like ... and the anger and screaming started again .... it's so depressing ...
Im really looking forward to all the countries we will visit over the next months, but im afraid the group negativities have not ended. Waiting for the next "explosion"...
See you all next week.
Hopefully in a better mood.
Rose at 6.30, showered, shaved, ordered breakfast. Waiting for that now.
Apparently S caused trouble again by keeping the common showers occupied for like ever ... somebody said something and there we went again.... not gonna say more about it. Not worth it. Period.
Had a nice fruits and yoghurt as breakfast. Waiting for the rest of the gang now to do a 2 hour walk trip through town. Then to the top of the vulcano.
The tour was fantastic, and guided by an inspiratonal young woman with a warm heart for her country. Politics, history, culture ... it was all included. Here's some pictures ...
Most astonishing thing i thought was the church, build out of leftovers... broken glass, small pieces of metal. From the outside it does not look like a chuch at all .... look ...
But from the inside ....
Special huh?
After the tour the rest went to see the vulcano. I decided to walk back to the hostel, to see some moe of the markets and so on ...
Had lunch at Wendys (french fries, with cheese and bacon ... so good). Napped in the hostel afterwards ... laterz...
Then the sad news. Not only will Laura stop as tourleader, she will end the trip in Panama as well. I hate to see her go and she certainly deserves more credits then she has been given. Go well sweetheart!
We had dinner at a sushibar, across the street. Expensive and not so good, but hey...
S has made a scene again... and of course everybody else had done it ... well, never mind... i will stop mentioning these kind of things. Happens to often to stay interesting. I'll let you know when it all explodes.
Slept in luxury again.
6/9
Rose at 6.45, showered and had the best breakfast ever, across the street in a very fancy, but weird location, where they sold bathroom stuff as well. The pancakes with banana and chocolate, syrup and whipcream however were too good to be true. Best ever.
9.00 we left for a short drive to Suchitoto. An old colonial town. Very nice place .... look...
Had lunch at the central plaza with Karim, Lutz, Bijan and Richard .... delicious...
Walked to the lake nearby ...
and back.
Bought water and updating blog in the hostel now. I lost my 220V to 110V interface. Shit!
Oh well, laterz...
Rest of the afternoon was spend on the media and relaxation.
At 6.00 we went to the other hostel (where 3 of us stay) to enjoy the view from the roof terrace. Met this german traveler as wel there (Ellen).
Found a very nice local restaurant where we had beautiful tortilas and beers ... for 5,- ...
Back to our house (hostel is not the good expression) for a last drink and a good night sleep.
7/9
Rose at 6.30, showered, improvised breakfast, and about to pack for a wild camp day before we cross the border to Honduras tomorrow. Laterz...
Long, but beautiful drive again ....
Arrived at this Hotel arizona, where we were supposed to camp, but it rained ike hell, and it just would stop. Thunder storms as well. So, the owner had a big, covered place where we could put up our tents and cook as well. Forgot to take a picture.
Tension in the group has rissen too. Lots of people picking on each other ... not a pleasant and friendly atmosphere at all. Don't know where this will end up.
Then Bijan got a lid in his eye and needed to see a doctor. It appears to end wel (no permanent damage), but still...
Meanwhile the rain and thunder kept on ... for hours.
After dinner sat round a big table at the balcony of the hotel, but i lasted only for a beer. Needed some time on my own, so an episode of fringe it was. Slept like a log though.
8/9
Rose at 5.50, breakfasted, then heard the news about the earthquake in the Mexico-Guatemale border area. Horrible. We were there just a week ago. ..... 😢
On our way to the Hunduras border now. Laterz...
Drive to the border was short, crossed within the hour and 9.30 we were in Honduras. Border is no more than a rusty fence however...
Long and slow road through the mountains followed.
Love this way of travel though.
Round 12.30 we stopped in a small town to change money and buy some food to be eaten on the truck. I spended all my last US coins (yes in El Dalvodor, the US $ is the currency) at the border, so i have food and a drink. Laterz...
And on we drove... all afternoon to finally arrive in Pena Blanca (at the D&D brewery), where we have our campground now. Its warm and it might rain again tonight. Lets hope for the best.
Right now we're waiting for our tacos over a beer. Honduras is quit all right (first impression at least).
Food was great, beer was nice, slept like a log (did not even finish the fringe episode).
9/9
3 months on the road, 5 more to go. Still having fun, despite a non-optimal group every now and then. Oh well, most of us are fine, that's what counts.
Rose at 6.15, packed breakfasted, had a good conversation with Jono and some group members about how to deal with things that do not go as planned. After all, (and i quote Luts now) its an adventure, not a cruise. Enough about that. On the way to La Ceiba. Most of us going to islands, i stay behind for some me-time. After all, i have never been in Honduras before, so ... lets check out the main land first huh? See you all there.
We zig-zag-ed out of the vilage .. on our way to La Ceiba.. took a while ... big truck, small streets and lots of spectators.
We tried to wildcamp, but could not find a good spot, so... to La Ceiba city it was.
Nice hostel, good food from the cookgroup and ... too many beers. I will not go into any details, but it ws loud, late and some got sick... catch the drift? But fun it was. Community singing and (finally) a bit of a group feeling.
10/9
Rose at 7 since cookgroup had made breakfast. A bit hungover (not really bad though). At 8.30 everybody had gone, except for the ones that stayed behind.
First all the administrative work: booked the hostels for two days in Panama city and one day in Columbia. For all the sailors (there's 9 of us who will go from Panama to Columbia by boat, so...). Then find an ATM, get local currency, and buy a new 110v adapter for my tablet and phone. Also washed all my dirty shirts and socks. All done round 11.00.
Then with Luts to the beach. Bit of a let down. It was dirty and not that good at all. Oh, well, another experience.
Had food there, walked to the pier, then to a nearby restaurant for a soda, then walked back. Hung my laundry to dry and to the pizza hut for dinner.
Back from dinner now and updating my blog. Early night, to recover from the wild night before. Laterz...
Prepared week 14 for publishing in the hostel. Going to sleep now. And fringe , that too...
11/9
Rose late, slept in till 9.00 ... really. Made breakfast on the trucks kitchen. Updating blog now... Just spoke to Jono. There has been a lot of complaining. Don't know exactly where it will lead to, but measurements are to be taken.
I want the rest of the day for myself...
Did a long walk to the beach, around the center of town. Took shelter in the mall, when it started to rain ...
but still got wet later on.
Jono is going to cook. Lutz bought huge steaks, so... should be all right.
Done some serious thinking about the group process too. If i had known that the group would be like this i had choosen not to overland, but to travel individually.
Selfishness, anti social behavior, calling names, gossip, bullying, lack of social and empatic skills, big egos, and a constant stream of complaints (whitout working on solutions) have caused Laura to stop after Panama. Well, if there is 1 person who deserves better than that, its her. While she came as a customer, she picked up the tourleadership with great ambition, worked her ass off and did a great job!!!
And that's why I am mad at all of us (including myself) that we were not able to turn those negative attitudes into solutions.
It is very sad, and i will probably alianate myself from this group. Sorry, but despite that we see a lot of the world, it could and should have been better if we had been more mature and mentally balanced. So, there it is. I said it. Do with it what you want, but i am done complaining now!
Im going to eat a big steak.
And I will do a lot of walking over the next 2 days. Alone!
The steaks were fantastic, very wel cooked by Lutz. Nice bottle of wine, good conversations and it turned out to be a good evening ... even political discussions, all with respect and laughter ... untill 12.30 or so.
Somebody said something that somebody else did not like ... and the anger and screaming started again .... it's so depressing ...
Im really looking forward to all the countries we will visit over the next months, but im afraid the group negativities have not ended. Waiting for the next "explosion"...
See you all next week.
Hopefully in a better mood.
Not quite sure what to say to you Jan, you are seeing some fantastic things and unique experiences, I do hope things work out well. Sending my best wishes to you.
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