I decided to do a special post only about today as this journey was one of the most adventurous one crammed with adrenaline, getting helped by locals, almost like being on a mission ( with almost no reason though) and completing it!!
Just to be clear this post does not cancel the post promised in my last one;-)
Yesterday I celebrated my last day in Guatemala with a fabulous Sunday roast at Casa de la Iguana in Livingston and decided not to take the easy and quick route the day after ( today) to Honduras: La Ceiba.
Here is the visual of the route that had to be completed:
Options :
1. Buy a direct shuttle from Livingston to La Ceiba for Q435 (£40) that allows you to take the last ferry at 4pm to Utila.
2. Do it on your own with chicken buses and 5 exchanges until La ceiba and take the ferry to Utila the next morning. Lonely planet described it as the following: ‘ Please not even if you take the 6.30 am ferry from Livingston to Puerto Barrios , it’s almost impossible to take the last ferry on the same day.
This is how I prepared myself.
I crossed to Puerto Barrios ( as last passenger ) at 6.30. There was the shuttle waiting for people who bought the direct shuttle . The guy tried to do business with me and offered me the same package that other people paid Q435 for Q250 which let’s be honest is a good price but I was so involved in the negotiation that I walked away from this deal because the guy wouldn’t give it to me for Q 200..I mean we are talking about £4 difference for a 7 hour journey!! Sometimes I should really do that maths!!
So I turned around and made my way towards the main road to look for a chicken bus when I realised ..damn it I really don’t feel like changing several vehicles and being crushed in chicken buses!!! By the time I ran back to the guy to accept the offer he was gone..wow I thought ..I really screwed this up now!
So here the adventure began..took the first shuttle To the Guatemalan immigration where I got my exit stamp, then same shuttle took me to Honduras boarder where I got my entry stamp . On the other side a chicken bus was waiting for me and took me to Puerto Cortez where straight away a shuttle was shouting : San Pedro Sula!!(most violent Latin American City..guide books emphasize to stay away)
This is when I saw a bit of hope of being able to catch the last ferry maybe to Utila!! I got to San Pedro at 11.30. I was told there was a bus going to La Ceiba at 11.40 and given that the journey is 3-4 hours, I was pretty confident that I would beat Lonely Planet and prove you CAN do it in one day!! ( again time was not an issue , I could have easily stayed a night in La Ceiba but I loved the challenge !!)
the San Pedro bus did not leave until 12.15 which made me sooo angry!! Especially because a local lady showed me this bus company – I could have chosen another one among 7 others! So as a ‘ punishment’ I did not speak to her:) I did tell off the driver too and emphasized how unacceptable it was to leave 30 mins later and told him he better off putting his foot on the gas cause I have a ferry to catch at 4! He smiled and said u will be fine:)
hahh! Typical Latin laid back individual – I thought..
Well it was a hell of a 3 hour ride ..imagine an old school bus speeding with 130km/h , overtaking cars and trucks in blind curves etc. I was even more resenting myself not taking the Q250 offer!
We got to the edge of La Ceiba at 3.35 pm. The local lady kindly made a phone call to the ferry company to ask them to wait for me but it’s like calling an airline to ask to wait for 1 passenger:)
So the very end just before the bus would have arrived at the terminal the police stopped us for passport control..driver ran to me and said to get off now if I wanted to make the ferry, take a taxi ..FAST!! It was 15.46…taxi hailed and imagine a Fast and Furious scene…shooting through the town ..in decent traffic, overtaking cars from left and right, scaring off children playing on the edge of the road!! I was frozen in the car and had several colours during the ride..
When we got there, the ferry was still there. Taxi driver grabbed my big backpack, me the small ones and we ran…In this moment ferry started moving away from pier ..we were almost there …imagine this scene on a big screen in the movies..then 2 guys working there shouted: JUUUUMP! And yes..I had no other options..a big step wasn’t enough..taxi driver throw my back pack on ferry and I jumped with mine…I MADE THE FERYYYYYY!!!:)
Conclusion: Instead of Q 435 or second offer Q 250 I made it from around Q 150.. and instead of 7 hours I made it in 10 hours BUT…saved about 5 quid and had the time of my life on this adventure trip:)
LOL …that’s all I can say! Thank you locals for helping me with crazy drives, throwing backpacks, making calls…I made it to Utila, to the little seafood and dive heaven..and tomorrow I am starting my Rescue Diving course at the Utila Dive Center! Bring it on!
Oh and to close this post with a lovely story..as I got to the dive shop early evening all I heard is the word : CONGRATULATIONS…
A diver guy proposed to his girl 42 meters underwater and she ‘nodded’ yes…LIFE IS GREAT! ENJOY IT!
alizroundtheworld 