Honduras

Finally I reached Copan Ruins. Copan Maya ruins are very different to ruins in Guatemala and Mexico. They are smaller but richer in decorations. Sometimes Copan Ruins are referred as Rome of the Mayan Empire. Unfortunately my luck left me there. Indigenous people decided to occupy the entrance to the site in protest against government on some local issues. I waited another day and with no end to the protest I decided to push on toward Caribbean coast.

I reached Tela in the early afternoon. After some clean up to my bike I continued to La Ceiba where I wanted to catch the ferry to Utila and Roatan islands. I went through couple torrential downpours. More than enough to clean my bike. Pity I washed it earlier.

Some views on the way.

Downtown La Ceiba - This is what happens when the technology takes the wrong turn.

I left my bike in the hotel and took the ferry to Utila island. Utila is known for its laid back atmosphere, attracting backpackers from all over the world. Honduras is the cheapest diving destination in Americas. It costs as low as $25 per dive. As well as this is the cheapest place to get the certification.

I stayed with Paradise Divers. Accommodation is for free as long you dive with them.

View from Paradise hostel 

 Right across the water from Paradise Divers there is disco which never stops before 2 am. The only option - join the party. Ear plugs didn't work.

The boat wasn't too sophisticated but all the diving destination were close by.

On our way.

... And later after the dive.

One of very few beaches on the island.

Typical coastline.

After four days I went back to La Ceiba and caught the ferry to Roatan island. There is no direct ferry connection between the La Ceiba and Roatan islands.

La Ceiba's port

Leaving for Roatan island.

Roatan island is much bigger and prettier than Utila. It would make sense to bring my bike to the island and explore it properly. After I left the ferry, I made my way to the so called West End. I stayed with the “Native Sons”, one of many local diving outfits. I booked a couple dives for the next day.

The boat we dived from

In the morning, I noticed a familiar face; Caroline. I met Caroline earlier on Utila island.
She left for Roatan a couple days earlier with the same intention to do more diving.

The first dive in Roatan was much different to my previous dives. We dive on the wreck laying 30 meters deep. This was my favorite dive in Honduras. Brilliant visibility. We went inside the wreck.  We were followed by giant gropers. Inside the wreck we saw very large green moray. 

One of the many bays on the island.

View from the beach side bar.

Very common on the island.

Caribbean sunset

..........

I was looking forward to my next dive the following day but my lack run. The storm developed overnight and continued through the day. The forecast for next few days wasn’t good either. I decided to leave the island. Ferry service was cancelled due to the bad sea condition. My return ticket become useless, unless I wait until the weather will improve. This wasn't an option. I decided to leave the island by plane. I called the airport and booked my seat to La Ceiba.

I was planning to visit the Mosquito Coast and native villages along the Nicaraguan border. This area is known for its exotic beauty. In 2009 I had a similar trip which later became the highlight of my South American adventure. We went by boat to Pacaya Samiria Reserve in Peru. The biggest natural reserve in Peru and one of the biggest in South America, located between Ucayali and Maranion rivers. These rivers when join start the mighty Amazon river.

My plan was to leave my motorcycle in Turillo and continue at first by 4WD and than by boat or two to Platano Biosphere Reserve. Unfortunately the weather became increasingly wet. The wet season really settled in.  Regrettably I had to abandon my plan and leave the visit to La Moskitia for another time.

I wanted to cross from Caribbean Coast to border crossing between Honduras and Nicaragua using back roads mostly dirt roads. Recent storms made this area impassable. I had to backtrack and go on the bitumen. Another long day. I traveled about 600km in one day.

One of the bridges I came across.

Border crossing from Honduras to Nicaragua took a bit longer but no major hiccups. I met a couple guys from Canada on their BMW GSs. At last I saw some riders going the same direction. Unfortunately, they were in a hurry. They had deadline to catch their boat from Panama to Colombia.