Drive from La Ceiba to San Esteban – 20220727

I woke up around at 8 Jungle River Lodge and felt pretty deathly from all the jumping in rivers. I ate a típico breakfast and the damn macaw kept trying to eat my food.

The river was overflowing from the downpour the night before and there was no electricity in the place.

I packed up and said goodbye to the owner and the 1 other traveler staying at the hostel.

My plan was to take the road less traveled. I would drive East into the mountains to way less populated areas rather than head west to the big dirty cities.

I started driving down the dirt road and saw the 5 or so places where trees had fallen and taken out the electrical lines. Amazingly there was already a crew working on it.

I was almost immediately stopped by police and was a little frustrated. I was pretty sure they were going to ask for bribes but they didn’t. It was a pretty nice female officer.

I then continued on and was stopped again by other officers who again checked my paperwork. They again didn’t want bribes or anything. They were pretty interested in my trip and were asking me a lot about it before letting me go. I went on and was feeling pretty lousy. There’s no reason to feel frustrated being pulled over here. They just want to check your documents.

I finally stopped to eat and started seeing signs for hotels at San Esteban and it seemed like a good place to stop. I stayed at Hotel Hernandez and it costs 700 lempiras($28) and it’s run by a nice old lady. There’s really nothing going on in this city though. I walked around everywhere and it was pretty empty and chill. I plan on waking pretty early, buying a couple bolts from the hardware store in the morning and heading further down the line.

A Day at Jungle River Lodge, La Ceiba, Rio Cangrejal – 20220726

This has to be my favorite place on earth. I was originally planning on only staying 1 night but realized upon waking up and getting breakfast that I was sure I would stay 2.

In the morning I went on a hike. About a 5 minute walk up the path there is a spot called, “Centro de Visitantes Pico Bonito,” where you can pay $8 to do an absolutely amazing hike. It takes about an hour and a half and will take you to 3 or so amazing waterfalls along the way.

I was so happy the whole hike. Amazing jungle noises the entire time.

Once I got back to the Lodge I went jumping off of rocks with the Spanish guy that was staying there too. It was an absolute blast. There is nothing happier to me than swimming around in those warm rivers.

There is also a super silly Macaw parrot at the Lodge. I forget her name now but she will grab onto your hand if you put it near her. And she will also try to eat your food off your plate. She will then randomly turn into fits of rage where she will tear up napkins and chew on the wood of the house.

What a paradise!