Short but sweet.
After the beautiful wedding in Riviera Maya, it was back to hostels and public buses (yippee in a sarcastic voice). The five-star resort was nice while it lasted, but my travel reality is quite different. I had two long days of travel to get to Honduras. I decided to skip the mainland for a few reasons. Mostly, it is not the safest country, also because it is a bit more difficult to get around because there are not many tourists to cater to. I was headed straight to the Caribbean coastal islands of Honduras instead. I took a public bus to the Cancun airport for my early afternoon flight. After two flights (one of which was delayed by four hours) I landed in San Pedro Sula at 11pm. I stayed close to the airport because I knew San Pedro Sula was not the safest city. For several years in a row it was titled the most dangerous city in the world. EEEEEK. I was only there to transit and took taxis/ubers to and from places DONT WORRY. The next morning, I headed to the bus station to make it to the port town of La Ceiba in order to get a ferry to the islands. The bus should take about three to four hours. It took about six. Par for the course. I made it to the port with five minutes to spare before the last ferry left for the day. Close call!
The ferry is an hour to Utila, the smaller of the islands. It was stormy and the water was sooooo rough. I normally don’t get seasick, but this was on a different level. It was very intense and after two long days of travel I was ready to be somewhere for a few days and rest. I didn’t do much planning for my time on the island, because I need a few days to rest and relax after travel, wedding festivities, and the like.
Lots of shore.
The Islas de la Bahia (islands in the Caribbean off the northern coast) are made up of about 100 islands. This string of tropical Caribbean islands runs along the edge of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second largest reef system in the world. The biggest and most inhabited are the islands of Utila and Roatan. People visit to mainly go deep sea diving and enjoy the beauty of the lush tropics. Since I don’t dive, I went for the snorkeling and beach.
As you read from my journey to get there, this area is less touristy than other islands I have been to. There is an airport on Roatan that many people fly into. However, flights are not cheap. Because of this, there are not as many tourists but has more of a backpacking vibe. Utila is much smaller with no motor vehicles, only motorbikes, ATVs, and golf carts. It is cheaper with not as much going on. Roatan is more developed with one major road going through the entire island. It has several different areas with restaurants and hotels, which means there are more tourists.
Everyone on the islands speak perfect English, which was a shock to me. It is technically part of Honduras, whose official language is Spanish, however, most of Roatan’s native inhabitants’ first language is English—a holdover from the days when the British crown claimed the islands. It has a reggae vibe from the locals but there are lots of retired Canadians. They own most stores and restaurants. It is a very eclectic place with no shortage of fun things to do.
Small but mighty.
I made it to my hostel on Utila, La Hamaca (meaning hammock in Spanish) by dinner time, went to get a baleada, a traditional food item in Honduras that is like a quesadilla with refried beans, cheese and whatever other topic you wish to add to it, and went straight to bed. The popular thing to do on Tuesday is head over to Tranquila Bar for tequila Tuesday. While I love tequila (especially when it is free!!), I was not up for it. Next time.
The hostel was an ideal location right in the center of town and on a huge deck over the water. There were hammocks, a top deck to jump off into the water, and very cheap. It was also a smaller hostel so not many people fought over the bathroom and showers. After waking, I did yoga on the upper deck with the light rain cooling me off. I worked up an appetite and had a delicious veggie omelet at the restaurant, Pink Flamingo, in the hostel. The owner of the restaurant had an adorable little three year old that spoke better English than I did. We played with his remote control car and attempted jenga. When I was checking out he wouldn’t accept it and just kept saying no. Little cutie!
I met a sweet German guy (yes he was older than three…) in my hostel, and he mentioned he was going to explore the north side of the island. I asked if he wanted company and he obliged. Even if he didn’t, Germans are too nice to say no. We started walking and realized because it was the end of rainy season, the dirt roads were flooded and very muddy. A local and his children was driving by on his four-wheeler and offered us a ride to the bay.
We explored the bay, which was made of sharp rocks and cliffs with huge waves crashing into them (so not a bay you can swim in). We walked to the other side and ran into a private property where an expat from the US had the hobby of creating sculptures from driftwood (Scott’s Driftwood Beach). He told us to look around and enjoy the art. We walked a bit further to Iron Shore Beach and turned around shortly after because the roads were quite bad and we weren’t sure what was ahead. We stopped and got some local beer to enjoy on the deck while the sun set behind the clouds, creating a beautiful cotton candy sky.
The next day my new German friend, along with three other young Germans in the hostel, planned an excursion to the Water Cays, a smaller string of islands about a 25-minute boat ride from Utila to relax on the beach for the day. Most of the smaller islands are not inhabited or have one large villa available for rent on Airbnb for a massive amount of money. We had the island to ourselves (except for the one family living there). It was paradise as you can see by the photos seen here. We swam, snorkeled, read under the shade of the palm trees, and watched the stunning sunset from the rocks. We ended the evening with grilled red snapper and headed to Vinyl for ladies’ night (AKA free drinks for females – I was not too tired this time around).
Roatan.
The next morning, I woke up early to take the first ferry out to Roatan. Each ferry ride between the islands and mainland is $30. Pricey! There are only two companies so I guess they can charge whatever they want. I stayed at Roatan Backpackers Hostel located in Sandy Bay right in the middle of the island. My two friends Bish and Jess (whom I met in Cambodia who came to Mexico City a week earlier) were there to work at a nearby hotel for three months. Jordan, Bish’s friend from Canada was also there for some time, so we reunited for a few days of beach time and relaxation. We met so many lovely people at the hostel from all over the world and had a great time sharing travel stories over beer and snacks. The girls and I went to some bars in the West End that evening to cheers to our third country together!
We spent one afternoon at West Bay, the southernmost tip of the island, with all the larger resorts and fancy restaurants. We enjoyed the sunset and frequent dips in the sea to cool off. Jess and I took a yoga class the next morning at Sun Yoga in the West End. It was an amazing class with lots of fundamentals and a well-balanced flow. The studio was above the bar Sundowners, and we ended up staying the entire day to enjoy the sun, beach, and live DJ. The mimosas were $2 and flowing with ease. We floated on the water, read books on the beach, and ate fresh fish with a beautiful view. We danced in the rain to live local music all night at the Pirates Den bar. It was one of the most fun nights I have had in a long time. I didn’t want to leave…but I guess all good things must come to an end.
The jen essentials for honduras.
- Patience (I am getting a bit better with such long and unpredictable travel days)
- A good book (for all the travel and rainy days)
- Seasickness medicine (ferry rides are no joke during a storm)
- Baleadas (they are tasty, huge, and about $1 each)
- Island to yourself (I can’t think of anything better – can you?!?)
- Hostel friends (exploring islands with people is way more enjoyable)
- Taxis (a must to get around on Roatan – they are only about $3 a person to get anywhere)
- Bathing suit (no explanation needed)
- DANCING IN THE RAIN (I will never forget this night and if you have the chance – DO IT!)
- Jess, Bish, and Jordan (miss you already and excited for our next adventure together!)
Wrap it up jen.
Although my time was short in Honduras, it was extremely memorable. Not only because of the journey to get there (would not recommend), but because of the short time I spent on the islands. Utila is quaint, authentic and a backpacker’s dream. Roatan has stunning SHORElines lined with many bars, restaurants, and shopping. The islands have something special about them and I am so glad I got to see both.
I have always said the people you meet and are with in certain places make the experience better. My favorite countries are the ones where I felt a deeper sense of connection with the people. This is true for Honduras. Spending more time with Jess, Bish, and Jordan was a blast. We laughed, we danced, we tried new foods, caught up on each other’s lives, and made new memories. I wish I had more time there, but I am SHORE I will return at some point. Give it ten years and the secret will be out, Honduras will be the new top destination for tourists. You heard it here folks.
Up next: Nicaragua, for more volcanoes and beaches.
Signing off for now,
Jennifer