Pilotlife - Part Time Pilot

Another Day at Finca Don Chico in Penas Blancas – 20220809

I decided to stay an extra night here in Penas Blancas because it was just too nice to pass up.

I got up and ate breakfast with the family I met the night before. My plan was to do a long hike and after much confusion I finally went on my own with some oral instructions from Don Chico. I hiked down the cow pasture to the edge of the woods where I found the path that would start climbing up.

I was so sure I was going to get soaked the whole hike

It very well may have been my favorite hike I’ve ever been on. The greenery was unbelievable. There were some majorly sketchy parts of the hike. One where I basically had to shimmy next to a tree while holding onto branches to not fall hundreds of feet below.

Somehow for most of the hike it didn’t rain much. The entire rest of the day it would pour every 10 minutes. It’s really unreal how much it rains here.

The hike went up to a waterfall and then I followed the ridge along to try to get to the top of a mountain. I had some amazing views on the way of just sheer dropoffs.

I couldn’t quite make it to what I assumed was the end but it was probably for the best as I kept getting lost. I tracked the hike on my phone though so kept walking back to intercept the drawn line on my map. I headed back down where I would rest a little bit at the cabin unable to think as the rain pummeled the roof every 10 minutes.

Tomorrow I will start the journey towards Managua. I’m not sure where I will go yet tomorrow but I’ll stop somewhere on the way.

From Lago Apañas to Matagalpa, Encounter With a Pet Monkey – 20220807

In the morning I rented a kayak which cost about $3. But the rain started to spit at me after about an hour so I just shot around real quick to see the lake a bit. I was the only person to be seen anywhere on the lake. There are very little people around. I was mostly kayaking next to cows that were trying to eat the plants floating in the water that a farmer had cut nearby.

It was supposed to be a short ride today but it was rough. As soon as I started riding it started raining and the whole ride was me squinting as each drop of rain smacked my eyes. I squinted, pulled my helmet down, tried everything to see through the rain. Eventually I stopped at a restaurant and ate some chicken and wait out the rain.

The people next to me had a monkey! I went to pet the monkey for a little bit. He was the cutest little dude ever. I would love to own a little monkey like that one day. They said it cost them $120! Less than a ferret in the US!

I arrived in Matagalpa and went to Buena Onda Hostel and met some nice Dutch brothers and a German girl. We went and got tacos. At the central plaza some homeless people started hovering around us. For the first time ever they literally just wanted the food off of our plate. In the US there is always the assumption that people just want drugs. But these guys kept coming up and pointing to the tacos just asking for one. Eventually I gave in, but felt really strange about it.

We then went back to the hostel, had some wine, and watched Shrek. What better way to end a day?

Ride from San Esteban to Catacamas, Camp Raided by Ninos – 20220728

I woke up at the hotel in San Esteban(Middle of nowhere Honduras) and started driving towards Catacamas. My plan was to stay with a family member of a friend there in Catacamas.

There was a little bit of rain on the way, but I’m pretty used to it now. I just let myself soak through and it’s warm enough here that I don’t freeze.

I arrived in Telica and was waiting on my friend to get back to me about staying with their family member, but it didn’t work out. So I started driving aimlessly to Catacamas and once I arrived I went to a hotel but it was way too expensive so I continued the aimless drive to Dulce Nombre de Culmi. On the way I saw some gorgeous ranch houses and I started getting the idea that I should just stop at one and ask to camp in their yard. I pulled over once but got some bad vibes and angry stares so I kept riding.

Eventually I stopped at a restaurant outside of town that had a lot of open green space. I ate a calzone and asked the waiter if there were any areas around here I could camp. He said he’d ask the owner if I could camp there. Super nice guy. The owner said yes and I started to set up the campsite as the sun went down.

Within a minute 5 kids had swarmed me and were asking me all kinds of questions. It was a little hard to understand them but they were super excited about everything. Asking me how much everything costs and how I would keep away from the mosquitos. They set up my entire tent and loved doing it.

I grabbed a whiskey at the bar until the lights got turned off around 8pm and I headed to the tent.

I’m thinking this little act of kindness of them letting me use the yard to camp will lead to me making much more bold requests as such in the future. I really would like to camp about once every 3 nights or so. To save some money and to mix it up a little bit. I would love to ask random people if I could camp in their yard. What better way to really meet locals.

I really like Honduras. Everything feels much more put together than Guatemala. The roads are in better shape, the farms are nicer, places are cleaner. But it feels like they’ve embraced capitalism way more than Guatemala. So maybe it’s a double edged sword. But it just feels much less impoverished. Even though the GPD per capita is lower in Honduras, it feels like more of the money ends up with the people.

Tag: Pilotlife

Another Day at Finca Don Chico in Penas Blancas – 20220809

I was so sure I was going to get soaked the whole hike

Incredible view of the houses below

Sketchy climb

Gorgeous waterfall

My cozy little cabin

Looking out at the coffee fields

From Lago Apañas to Matagalpa, Encounter With a Pet Monkey – 20220807

Kayaking

Fooood

What a cutie

Ride from San Esteban to Catacamas, Camp Raided by Ninos – 20220728

Riding

Pointing at my camping spot to be

Child labor

My little Latinito frenz

Gorgeous sunset outside my camp