To Honduras we go.

Alex and I headed out of El Remate on Wednesday so that we could break up the trip to the ruins in Honduras that we wanted to see. It was a five our ride down to our first stopping point called Rio Dulce. The town was really cute and was on a big lake/inlet off the ocean. Lots of yachts ride out the hurricane season there.

The only problem was that it was just so $#^%&;% hot again! If you know Alex, you know he doesn't always tolerate the heat well. Our bus was suppose to leave at 2pm and at 2:30 we were still sitting in the bus waiting to leave. Oh did I mention that there is no air condition in vehicles here. I was really beginning to get worried about Alex and then we finally started to go and the breeze helped cool us down a bit.

Alex ridiculously hot and close to heat stroke and hoping the bus leaves soon.

View from a restaurant in Rio Dulce.

In Rio Dulce we had our first bad experience in a hotel. We were both exhausted and starving and so we just took a room at the first hotel we saw. Alex paid and extra $5 for AC but once in the room the AC unit didn't work. He went and asked what was up and a young boy came and climbed the wall outside our room and flipped a switch. Well now at least the unit made noise, but no cold air ever came out of it. Then we tried to take a shower and guess what...no water. Alex went back down and they said..."oh you want water too...that will cost another 10 bucks." Alex was getting pretty mad by this point but he paid anyways. We had our showers, ate a delicious pizza at a river side restaurant, and went to sleep. When we got up in the morning at the exact moment we got out of bed, the power went off and the there was no longer any more water and the front office was closed. Oh well, what can you expect for $20 a night.....usually in central America $20 will get you a decent room with hot water. Alas.

After breakfast we got lucky and found a bus that was headed to the boarder with Honduras. They promised it would only take 6 hours. So off we went to spend another hot day in another bus. Now on these long trips we pay a few dollars more and take a version of a coach. (except without AC and most are 20 yrs old). Usually there are no animal on these types of buses but our was filled with chicks today. And they were not happy about the heat either, or maybe they were not happy about being stuffed under seats and in the luggage bins, who knows, but man can they make some noise and some stinky poo poos!

About three hours into our trip our bus abruptly stopped its wild and crazy 40 mph and sat for what seemed like forever. As it turns out, an oil tanker had crashed into a car and rolled several times. This made quite a mess and they shut down the road. So....again we sit in a really hot bus in the sun, thinking.... these had better be some great ruins in Honduras for all the effort we are going though. Here's hoping! Thank goodness we both had books on our iPods to listen to!

View from the bus on the way to Coban Ruinas.

View closer to Honduras.

Crossing the Guatemalan/Honduras border was a trip. Our buss stopped at a giant road block and said this is it everybody out. We grabbed our bags and walked across the blockade to a row of windows where we "left Guatemala and entered Honduras" Then we grabbed our packs and walked a bit up the road and got in a Microbus and headed into Honduras. Oh did I mention we had to pay them to let us in? Oh and because our driver had to keep stopping to pee (seriously, someone needs to check that man's prostrate!) we made it to Honduras in just over 7 hours.

I do have to say though, this is the first time in almost a week where we have been in a town with Internet and it is blazing fast. Go Honduras! Check back tomorrow for pictures from the Ruins of Coban.