In and around San Pedro Sula, from Omoa to Lake Yojoa

And we’re back! We’ve been thinking about the blog for weeks now, mentioning to each other nearly every day a fun new detail we want to share with everyone, not to mention the endless photos we want to include. Just when we felt we were brimming with the motivation to sit and write…we got to Utila, land of the carefree and careless. This island charms with its ability to effortlessly strip its visitors of all responsibility and productivity, leaving only time and desire for leisure and libation. So let’s start with San Pedro Sula, where we spent a week with Fernando’s cousin before heading to the coast and losing all of our willpower.

           San Pedro is a very affluent and organized city compared to Tegucigalpa. Streets are numbered and well-paved, mansions are plentiful, and very little garbage pollutes the main areas (unlike, sadly, most of the country). Businesses abound in SPS, including factories, malls and restaurants, making it Honduras’s busiest and most prosperous industrial city. We arrived on a weekend and were taken out to a few local bars and restaurants, enjoying everything from typical pupusas to fresh tuna sashimi. We were also invited to spend Sunday at a friend’s house near the coast, about 45 minutes from the city. We arrived early in Omoa, stopping once as we neared the coast to buy some freshly baked coconut bread with a brown sugar and shaved coconut filling (heavenly!). We arrived at our friend’s beach house and stood in awe of their beautiful property: lush, expansive, oceanfront, and filled with brightly colored hibiscus and birds of paradise. Crocheted hammocks and wooden rocking chairs line the back porch beside a clear pool, offering magnificent views of the sun setting beyond the sea. We sat for a while and swayed with the banana and coconut trees, basking in the warmth of the sun and in the bounty of our blessings. Fernando befriended a local fisherman on the shore who was kind enough to lend us another line and some bait. We eventually caught one tiny fish and conceded shortly after. In the evening we enjoyed a typical dinner outdoors before heading back to SPS for the night.

            After doing some reading and receiving several recommendations, we decided to spend a couple of nights in a small town near beautiful Lake Yojoa in an effort to evade the city once again. The D&D is a great little spot that Fernando and I love and highly recommend to anyone visiting the area. It’s a cozy hostel tucked away in Los Naranjos about halfway between San Pedro and Tegus, featuring a garden café and its own microbrewery (the only one in Honduras). The cottages are nearly hidden under the thick leaves of low-lying fruit trees whose branches are home to an extensive variety of local bird species.

The bus ride to Los Naranjos was nothing short of a wild adventure. As it was only 40 lempiras per person ($2), we decided to take El Mochito bus, an old yellow school bus transformed into a recklessly driving Central American chicken bus. There weren’t actually any chickens on this particular trip, but there were many colorful passengers carrying and selling everything from sodas and plantain chips to woven sombreros and ginseng supplements. With the windows down and the strong, stale smell of sweat blowing in our faces, the driver sped relentlessly around every curve, stopping frequently to drop off and collect riders and their merchandise. Although it wasn’t the most enjoyable experience, it was without a doubt interesting and a very practical way to travel and I’m sure there are many more similar rides in store for us on this trip.

We spent our first day hiking through Los Naranjos Eco Archeological Park, where tropical foliage, Lenca culture, and mosquitos reign and a long boardwalk opens up to panoramic views of the lake and surrounding mountains. After hours of walking and admiring our surroundings, we returned to the D&D for some quiet relaxation, which we achieved by sampling all of their tasty craft beers and reading Lonely Planet by candlelight. Night fell and we found ourselves shifting from the table to a few nearby hammocks, alternating happily between blueberry and amber ales and a rich porter brewed with local Santa Barbara coffee (the BEST coffee EVER). This went on for several blissful hours and we eventually sauntered hand in hand back to our tiny room, slipping into bed with a thin smile on our lips, letting the crickets sing us to sleep.

            We were up early the next morning rested and ready for adventure. Walking out to the main road, we took a taxi a few kilometers north to Pulhapanzak, a 43-meter waterfall that lies just above Rio Lindo and flows into the lake. The recent heavy rains caused the falls to become especially wide and forceful, making the scene all the more impressive and picturesque. We explored the park briefly and climbed down to a small lookout nearer to the base, where a steady mist rained down through the sunshine and over us. Fernando went with a local guide on a slippery, muddy hike toward the base of Pulhapanzak, where they climbed cliffs and rocks, finally crossing the river to enter a small cave just behind the cascade. After his adventure we sat in the grass under the sun sharing fruit and drying off a bit before our walk back to the main road.

            Visiting Lake Yojoa is usually associated with one particular thing for most Hondurans: enjoying incredibly fresh fish for lunch. Naturally, this is exactly what we did. Of all the mouth-watering foods we’ve encountered on this trip, the plate we devoured that day by the lake has been unparalleled. We ordered a typical plate to share: a long and fat fish (seriously bigger than my head), just caught and fried whole to perfection; thinly sliced plantains with a crisp bite and smooth inside; cabbage salad with tomatoes, onion, cilantro and plenty of lime; and enough corn tortillas to send us into a juicy fish taco coma. By the time we finished our meal, we were licking our fingers and staring at a translucent skeleton. More than satisfied, we walked along the road toward the hostel longing for a nap when we came up to a small green house with a sign reading: Boats for Rent. A few minutes later we were unexpectedly heading back toward the river, oars in hand and ready for a new perspective of the lake. We rowed down the river for about an hour and finally into the glassy waters of the lake, spotted with tiny islands and fishing boats. We rested a moment, drifting with the current as we watched people fishing and swimming. We alternated as we rowed back up the river, eager to take a cool shower and enjoy our last night at the D&D.
            We returned to San Pedro for another couple of nights before leaving for Utila, the smallest and most laid-back of Honduras’s three Bay Islands. We took a private bus to La Ceiba, sleeping the entire trip and arriving in time to catch the morning ferry. The ride was a little choppy but thankfully very brief, and we arrived in Utila early enough to fully enjoy the day.

Just need to write a bit more on our island adventures and I'll be filling you guys in soon! So much to tell, so few places with free wi-fi... :)