On budget and in search of a Caribbean Paradise
From Central America in Tela, Honduras on Nov 20 '05
This entry is about:
Before travelling to Central America I made it clear to my girlfriend and travel companion that the journey, fundamentally, required, at the least, a few days relaxing in a tropical Caribbean paradise. As I saw it, we could indulge the senses with white sand, crystal clear water, coral reefs and cocktails, all the while synthesising the experience with inventive conversations on piratical tales and modern-day, nautically-based jewellery heists!
Being ever-accommodating, though by no means acquiescing to participate in said puerile conversations, she conceded. And so it was, as part of a three-week whirlwind tour of Central America, we planned to visit the coast of Belize!
There it was: the whitest of white sand, water like an Evian commercial, thatched huts, hammocks stretched between palm trees and bronzed children gallivanting in the crystal clear Evian water.
This was not to be.
Travelling the world for a year imposes certain financial restrictions and every traveller we met in the lead up to our Caribbean escape was brimming with tales of Belize as the world’s most expensive travel destination – not to mention its US$70 departure tax. With our Central American days diminishing, we were thus forced to change our plans and climb aboard a bus for a backside-breaking day and a half trip from Tikal, (North-Eastern Guatemala) to the coast of Honduras.
After an unfortunate stop-off in the Honduran town of Omoa, we arrived in Tela. Tela is nice, definitely an improvement on the rather stark fishing town of Omoa, but, that said, the beach wasn’t white enough, the water blue enough, nor the beach side restaurants cool enough to come any where near to the other-worldly tropical fantasy I had in mind.
Unfortunately, to visit La Ceiba and the Bay Islands - ‘the’ Honduran destination when seeking tropical fantasy - would add another two days of buses, trains and ferries to our limited time schedule, budget and patience.
Our disappointment would soon end however. That afternoon, no doubt due to my childlike antics, having regressed in the face of an ever-increasingly disappointing reality, my girlfriend, the financially astute of us, agreed that we could splurge and take a day trip the following day with Garifuna Tours.
Arriving at a Tela river dock early morning, we climbed aboard a speedboat and sped west along the coast, past an idyllic-looking village, to a headland called Punto Sal. Near the headland we stopped, in yelling distance of, wait for it… a tropical paradise!
There it was: the whitest of white sand, water like an Evian commercial, thatched huts, hammocks stretched between palm trees and bronzed children gallivanting in the crystal clear Evian water.
It even had a name worthy of inclusion in a Beach Boys classic: “Cocalitos”, nice eh?
Orders of fish were taken and relayed to a beach dweller at a volume that would put a New York stockbroker to shame. The motor started and we were off again, flanking jagged coast and beaches, umming and aahing and staring and pointing at monkeys and colourful birds as only tour groups of foreigners can.
Our next stop was the Jeanette Kawas reserve. This particular tract of coastal jungle paradise was saved from the hegemonous ravages of multinational resorts by the tireless efforts of a Canadian conservationist, the reserve’s namesake. For her efforts, shortly before the area was heritage listed and protected by law, Ms Kawas was thanked for her ecological concerns with a bullet to the head. I am sure that countless visitors to the reserve would like to thank her in a more tradition manner.
The reserve is beautiful. We disembarked from the speedboat and walked through a lush forest swamp of gnarled trees, serpentine roots and majestic vines, all the while advised by our guide on the medicinal, nutritional and practical uses of the plant life.
Soon, after running through a certain section of the forest in order to escape some gleefully provided golden showers from primate cousins in the forest canopy, we arrived at the perfect pirate ship cove. It was a small circular bay, with a narrow, but sufficiently wide pirate-ship entrance between the jagged headlands. The heads of the bay were at such an angle that the entrance was only visible when within 20 to 30 metres distance – the perfect place to hide a ship full of booty. White sands and arching palm trees pleaded for a ragged pirate, bottle in hand, to recline in suitable pose to properly complete the picture.
Through the headland, less than triumphantly, given the cinematic images at play in my mind’s eye, came our speedboat. We climbed aboard and were soon snorkelling in crystal waters like white luminescent space ships above a colourful aquatic city.
Unfortunately, this is not actually true.
While we were snorkelling over reef (and yes our skin did have a milky white luminescence), it was small, possibly damaged or just young, and colourful tropical fishes, whilst there, were in short supply. The experience was enjoyable but no doubt nowhere near full of the colour, variety and vibrants the Bay Islands is likely to possess. Such is the price of budgetary travel.
We were soon back in our Cocalitos paradise, this time ashore, lounging in hammocks and swimming in the warm yet refreshing water as we waited for our freshly caught fish to be cooked. Upon its arrival, my tongue and its senses were subjected to a culinary onslaught: fried fish (of the Gods), coconut rice with the ubiquitous Honduran version of hot chips - fried plantains. Simple but delicious! After some more swimming we returned to Tela for the evening.
One of the attractions of the north west coast of Honduras is Garifuna culture. Garifuna people come from escaped African slaves that had arrived on the Caribbean island of St Vincent prior to its colonization and intermixed with the local Arawak Indians. After some time the British sought to acquire the territory. A short war ensued, in which the French provided military aid to the Garifuna. In 1797, the British succeeded. The Garifuna were deported to an uninhabited island where almost half of them died. Garifuna people and culture (combining traditional Arawak fishing and farming techniques with African rhythms and beliefs), despite being beset by many of the health, employment and literacy problems experienced by much of the third world, are now flourishing in coastal and island Honduras (as well as Belize, Nicaragua and certain parts of the Caribbean) and are famous for their rhythmic music, hip-gyrating dance moves and a serious sense of style.
They are also admired for their talent at creating idyllic tropical settings with thatched huts made out of royal palm, sugar cane and mud - like Cocalitos.
Tela, despite having failed to meet my fantasy standards, was indeed populated by some very sexily dressed, funky looking people as we walked the streets that evening. A sparkling, black, souped-up VW beetle police car, a phenomenon I have never seen before, nor am I likely to see again, also provided a nice visual boost to the tropical nightlife.
Our few hours of paradise were not enough. To satisfy the objective established at the outset of our adventure, days must be spent assimilating with the environment. It was for this reason that we left the following day for Miami, the small Garifuna village witnessed on the tour, which is situated on a thin sand bank separating a lagoon from the Caribbean.
Miami has much the same appeal as Cocalitos with the added bonus of the lagoon, speedboats, and rivers winding through thick mangrove forests. Our cabin was a thatched hut (as described above) with a wide view of the beach. There were plenty of thatched sheltered areas to relax and the food was again delectable (a coconut fish curry exerted a Zen like influence as future, past and present melted into each flavour filled moment).
Getting to Miami is a little less pleasant, unfortunately. Our 30 year-old ex-US school bus rattled over potholes and corrugated dirt roads for a good three hours and didn’t take us all the way. At a mid-way town we were required to wait two hours for a pick-up to take us along the sand bank.
Upon our arrival we swam, lay in the hammocks, wrote, read books, borrowed speedboats for journeys up river through the mangroves and generally escaped the cares of the world for the following two days.
Objective achieved.
We rationalised our failure to experience the coral reefs and pretty fishes of Belize or the Bay Islands by rejoicing in the absence of tourists at Miami (probably due to the difficulties in accessing it) and the laid back attitude of our hosts; factors that enabled a relaxed, seemingly more natural and intimate experience. My advice to Honduran travellers in search of paradise; hit the Bay Islands, fulfil your coral reef fantasy, then escape the masses with a visit to Miami and maybe even a Garifuna Tour.
Fast Facts * Garifuna Tours day trip to Punto Sal (Jeanette Kawas National Park), with bilingual guide including speedboat transport, guided walking tour, snorkelling and gear $30. Lunch $5. * Adobe cabin at Miami $3 / $3.75 per person for a double / triple room, simple shared bathroom. * Transport by buses from Flores, Guatemala to Tela, Honduras (4 buses unfortunately) $15 * Honduras can be reached by flight from Houston or Miami airport. Flights arrive in San Pedro Sula from which one can take a bus on a three to four hour trip to Tela. Flights from the USA are available through American Airlines, Sol Air, Continental, Iberia, and Taca.
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