Heading to Honduras

12/02/01

It rained hard during the night and the sky is threatening this morning. I wait in the bus station. A man comes over to say hello. I had spoken to him at the Guatemala bus station. It appears that he is a bus inspector and travels throughout the country. He was in Puerto Barrios last night and is heading back to the capital tonight. He is tall for a Guatemalan and has a gold-toothed smile. He tells me that the rain is unusual for this time of year and that even in the capital, there has been rain. A cold front, he says.

The bus arrives a few minutes late. I had been told it was a 4 1/2 hour journey. The guard in the station says 5 1/2 hours. The conductor says 6.

We are driving out of the rain. I can see some blue sky. The landscape is beautfiful. Green hills spotted with banana plants, palms and fruit trees. Terraced farms. Grazing cows. At each village we stop, the vendors pile on. I have 3 1/2 pesos burning a hole in my pocket. I can´t change coins at the border so am trying to get rid of them. The cut fruit costs more so I buy a pink ice cream with some red sauce on top. The sellers of magic potions have arrived. One pill that cures stomach, liver and kidney problems, bad breath, lines under the eyes. I would love to check out the ingredients but don´t want to the the man hope of a sale.

The terrain has shifted. Mountains in the distance. Brown and dark green. I am semi-dozing when the bus arrives in Chiquimila. It stops briefly at the station and then again and again at brief reprieves. Then everyone is getting out. The conductor tells me there is something wrong with the bus but I suspect that it is more a matter of saving on gas. There are perhaps 6 people left in the bus. We are transferring to a minibus. More people pile in. My suitcase is taken from its nice dry and safe spot inside to the top of this minivan. We meander into every little village picking up, dropping off. Standing room only. The sky is threatening again. At one stop, I ask to bring my bag inside. The conductor is not pleased but he accedes. We get to the border finally. It is 4 :20. Over 7 hours of travel. Luckily the border crossing is simple. The minivan on the other side leaves soon after and it is a short ride to Copan Ruinas.