My introduction to Honduras was a challenging one. On the first day I had to grind up the toughest mountains since Colombia. Uphill for 20 km which took me five hours–a 1200 meter elevation gain. Then, when I reached the top, it was cold and started raining. It was nearing the end of the day, too, and no towns nearby. Then a guy passed by and said there was a nice hotel in the next town, about 15 km downhill. So I waited an hour for the rain to stop then sped down to a nice room. All’s well that ends well.
Here I am all bundled up before the rain along with a view from up on high.
I stopped for a break and this group of kids came by, just walking on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
Here is a photo of women doing the laundry in a river. Just don’t swim downstream.
I finally made it to the city of San Pedro Sula where I promptly got sick AGAIN. Sore throat, runny nose, etc. It must be all the unsanitary conditions, plus the diesel exhaust. Anyway, no pix of SPS.
I passed through the port town of Puerto Cortes, where I attended a football game between two local teams. While there I snapped this photo of a young spectator.
I continued along the northern (Caribbean) coast to the the town of Tela. For some reason (left over bug from SPS I guess) I was completely exhausted. I almost passed out a couple times right there on the side of the road. I had to lay down in the dirt to recover. It was very weird. I could hardly walk. After only riding 60 km I had to stop and camp out in a field. I was too tired to notice that I set my tent up near an anthill. Before I knew it they had bitten me all over and left huge red welts all over my body. So I really felt like dying that night between the exhaustion and the itching. Not my best night.
The exhaustion went away the next day however, as did the ant bites eventually, and I made it to the beach town of La Ceiba. While I was there it rained. I mean, real rain. Buckets of it. I had to hole up in a camera store downtown for two hours waiting for it to abate. Meanwhile the area got flooded. Here are a few shots of the rain and flood.
I also visited an interesting museum in La Ceiba. A guy whose hobby is collecting insects put them on display. He has over 13,000 of them, mostly from Honduras. Here are a few pix.
After leaving La Ceiba I made my way to Tegucigalpa, the capital. To get there, though, I had to ride the Camino de la muerte, the road of death, so named because of the hijackings and robberies that occur there. In fact, the day before I rode it, a bus was hijacked and robbed, and some people killed. I was, naturally, a little nervous. But the road was as peaceful and serene as any I have been on the whole trip. Just lucky I guess.
Tegucigalpa is the end of the road as far as phase one of the trip goes. I’ll fly back to Miami in a few days and prepare for the real difficult part of the trip. Over the next 18 months I will attempt to bicycle through China, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. More about that soon. Watch this space.
Hey, Kev,
Can’t wait to see you. Jim next week, Eunice the following and then Jo and Lisa at the end of the month. We’ll get together. my cell is 906-360-8184.
Don Sr.
Hi Kev –
I checked your blog a couple times since your last post and was beginning to wonder what had become of you! Internet cafes must be hard to find
in Honduras!
This post made me thankful for my washing machine!
Can you believe you’ve come to the end of this first leg of your journey? I actually had thought you planned to cycle through Mexico and all the way back to Miami. Are you flying back to stay on schedule for the next phase of your trip? Are you looking forward to getting back home for awhile? When do you leave for Asia?
I think you’d said your first stop will be Japan. Have you been there before? How did your sister and her family end up there, BTW?
If you get to Osaka and want some company, I still keep in touch with friends there. Let me know and I’ll try to coordinate a meeting!
Life goes on in the states! I’m sending you the URL for an article that I thought you might find interesting. It posted on MSNBC.com today.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23595533
I look forward to following Phase II of your trip! Enjoy some R&R in Miami.
Cheers,
Debbie
Nice shots of the rain pouring down, Kev.
Ben
Deb, thanks for the article. Remember, those people’s votes are worth the same as yours. Scary.
My original plan was to cycle all the way back to Miami but due to delays and route changes I had to cut it short. Plus I already cycled in Guatemala and Belize. Here is the link.
http://kevinkoski.com/Hobbies%20and%20Interests/Bicycle%20Touring/Belize/Belize.html
I will be home for about three weeks, long enough to get my Chinese visa, overhaul my bike and do my taxes. I am off to Japan April 3. I was there for Christmas 2006 for a few weeks, but just in Tokyo. I am looking forward to going back and seeing some of the countryside. I am not sure of my route just yet but I think Osaka is in fact on the way.
My brother in law is a bigshot financial executive at Sun Microsystems, that’s why they are over there.
There is a link to my sisters blog on the the front page.
Cher Kevie,
I just gotta say that I’m so glad that you’re alive. Maybe not well,but alive.I was just in Mexico for the first time in my life last week, bickering at the mercado with the best of them. I thought the contrast between rich/poor was stark here!! No comparison. When are you publishing your memoirs?
Buenos tardes, mi amigo. Love, Laura
I forgot to ask about your bike. It looks like it has fared better than you…What’s the brand? Laura O
Hey Laura, good to hear from you. Mexico is great, it has a little of everything. I regret that I could not cycle through it this time. My bike, a Fuji touring design, survived intact so far. But at the end of the day it is just a hunk of metal. It’s the components that make the difference. Other than my tire problems, broken rack and broken saddle, things held out pretty well. My tent is a little worse for wear too. I will have to replace some things when I get home but luckily nothing major.
Hey KKoski,
Like Laura, I’m glad you’re still alive. When are u returning to Miami?
Nik
Kevin
Well done for the journey so far – very impressive. Trinidad seems a long time ago. Best of luck for the next stage from the Thomson family in Aberdeen Scotland.
Les