Bus Day to La Ceiba

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Our alarms woke us up at 4:45 so that we could make it out front by five for our taxi. This early in the morning, I was thankful for preparing myself the night before. The taxi met us in front of the hostel and dropped us off in front of a restaurant that we had been told the Tica bus stopped at. He unloaded our bags one by one and as one of us was digging out payment for him, Erin just so happened to pull out her Tica bus ticket to verify we were at the right place. Thank God for instincts, because she found that we were supposed to be dropped off a couple minutes up the road, instead of where we were at. Back into the trunk went our backpacks and we hopped in for another small ride. This time, we were dropped off at more of a recognizable bus stop where we took turns walking to the gas station at the corner in hopes for some breakfast. Niki and I settled for a baked bread thing while the other girls ate some cup ramen noodles.

At a little after six, a large tour bus with the words "Tica Bus" pulled up and a man stepped out to collect our tickets. Stepping onto the bus was like walking into a refrigeration unit. The air conditioning was kicking and people were sporadically seated and sleeping. We sat in our assigned seats, got comfy and joined everyone else's relaxation state. At first, I was excited for air conditioning because we had ridden so many crowded and hot buses, but we have actually become so accustomed to the heat that we began to freeze. Before putting our bags below, we were sure to grab sweatshirts and pants for the anticipated cold. Only about five minutes into our ride, I already had to put on my hoodie and pull my leggings over my shorts. I pulled my legs up to my body and crossed my arms to keep warm. Erin and I laughed at how unbelievably cold it was. A man walked up and down the aisle collecting passports and having us fill out customs sheets. Once all of our official document stuff was taken care of, I leaned my head up against the window and slept until we reached the border.

I woke up to the man on the microphone announcing something in Spanish to the passengers. Erin, who was sitting next to me, told me we needed to get off the bus for a few. We all got off the bus and took advantage of the "rest area" we were at. This was the first time I've ever really had to pay to use the restroom, but that's actually a common thing down here, because it pays for the paper and for the ladies to clean the facilities. After the bathrooms, we headed over to some food stands where locals were selling street food. The girls bought some gallo pinto and I settled for a banana and one of my granola bars.

I was amazed to see how many dogs hang out at this rest area and my heart hurt for how sad they looked. The amount of stray dogs in Central America is really sad and as we head north, they seem to look skinnier and more unhealthy. I have never seen a dog so boney before this trip. Their hip bones protrude outward like a dairy cow's boney frame and the rib cage is beyond obvious. Most dogs I see too, have some kind of limp or broken bone, or open wound that needs medical attention that we know they will never get. I swear it is something straight out of a Sarah McLachlan commercial. They hang around the food stands hoping for any kind of scrap to hit the ground and the local people running the stands shoo them away their hands, feet and even brooms.

We took a seat on the curb so the girls could eat their breakfast, and before we knew it, we had three dogs lined up in front of us begging. The sat and laid patiently staring with the cutest eyes in the world. I was careful not to think too hard about how bad I felt for them because it literally made me tear up. From quite a ways away, I could see some kind of larvae or something on one of them, so we were glad they were keeping their distance. A local lady standing behind us told us that whatever we don't eat, make sure we give to the dogs instead of just throwing away. Erin and Nicki did just that, and were sure to split it up to avoid a hungry dog fight. Behind us, sat a boy that had hit us up for money or food when we first got off the bus, so when Niki was done eating, she handed him her plate, and I watched him chow down on the leftover tortilla, rice and beans. I could never imagine being so hungry, that I would eat leftovers right from someone's plate and silverware. I felt so bad for him.

After our food, we were able to load back onto the bus and get ready for the next stop on the other side of the border. On the Honduran side, we got off the bus again and waited for the bus staff to finish our paperwork. The girls sat and talked and played with a little local boy sitting on the curb while I finished up a conversation with a couple originally from Honduras, who now lived in New Orleans. He was very helpful in telling us about La Ceiba, the town we were headed to and had me write down his brother's name if we needed help around town. I laughed inside, wrote down the name to be polite, and then joined the girls again.

Not long after, we gathered around the bus as the driver read names out loud and handed back our passports. Before I knew it, we were on the road again, cruising the roads of Honduras, headed to Tegucigalpa, the country's capital where we would get off the bus for lunch.

Coming into the city, you could tell we were reaching a very developed area based on the amounts of shopping malls and fast food restaurants. The bus stopped at a small Tica bus station where we could quickly use the bathrooms (this time for free) as well as grab some food. We ate a quick lunch and loaded back onto the bus.

The rest of the bus ride, they played movies, Django unchained, The Three Stooges and another one that I can't remember the name of. I switched between movie watching, blogging and sleeping until we reached San Pedro Sula. It was six at night, by this point, and we were not about to mess around in this town. We had heard that it was one of the most dangerous cities in Central America, so we decided to take our last bus for the day for a three hour trip to La Ceiba.

We had to go into the bus terminal to purchase our tickets and so that we could get some dinner. Just like how airplanes are a huge way of getting around in the states, busses are even more common down here. I was in awe as to how developed the bus station was. Unlike the dirt fields and chaos of the stations in the past, this one was nice. Tile floors, tall and bright white walls and stores in every direction. While Nicki and I waited in the Diana Express storefront with our tickets, Niki and Erin set out for some food.

They returned with Burger King onion rings and fries which really hit the spot after three weeks of Latin food. We sat in chairs facing the external glass wall looking into the bus terminal as we waited for our bus to show. Erin commented on how her feet always get really swollen during big travel days like this because we don't move and never get to elevate our feet. I felt bad looking at her puffy little feet and ankles which made me glance down and mine and HO-LY CRAP! Haha! I looked like a 9 month pregnant lady on a humid July day. My ankles had become cankles (mix between calves and ankles) and my feet were puffy. They told me that is common with some travelers and that I should just elevate them and it would be gone by morning. I laughed and took photos in amazement.

After only about a half hour or so wait, we lined up and headed out to where the buses park. In line, as we entered the bus, security guards looked through our bags, which was reassuring of my safety. The bus was an old tour bus and definitely a step up from the chicken busses that we were used to riding. It wasn't as nice as the Tica bus, but at least it was warm and comfy. There was hardly anyone on the bus, so we were able to spread out and lay down on the seats.

We attempted to sleep on the dark bus, ignoring the loud growling of the engine and grinding of the transmission every two minutes. For three hours, I dozed in and out, abruptly waking up at times thinking we had missed our stop. We finally reached La Ceiba and got off the bus. It was humid and dark and we had plenty of taxi choices. A guy loaded our things into a little taxi and drove us to a little hotel that was a total dive, but fine for just one night. It was about nine thirty by the time we had gotten to our room. Niki and I's room smelt damp and musty, and we laughed at the bright, sponged, faux painted walls, pulled out our sleep sacks and got ready for bed. There was no way we were getting into those sheets, and after over fifteen hours of bus rides, we were just looking for a somewhat comfortable and horizontal place to lay down.

Until we fell asleep, Niki and I laid and discussed life. Again, traveling gives you so much time to think about your life and having someone as awesome as Niki to share those discussions with really helps. We discussed life and goals and relationships and more, until our minds tired themselves right to sleep! I love my cousinfriend!

Photos:
1) Street food at the Nicaragua/Honduras border
2) Begging dogs
3) Skinny Dog
4) Dog with larvae
5) Tica bus
6) Niki, local boy and Erin
7) Pretty mountains during bus ride
8) Swollen ankles and feet (photo doesn't really do justice)