If we believed in guiding our lives by just looking at statistics the US hockey team would never have beaten the Russians in 1980, the 1962 NY Mets would not have stunned the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series and NC State would never had a chance against Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler in the 1983 NCAA National Championship.

The drug trade has certainly put a huge stain on the little country of Honduras but it is just like America, you wouldn’t head down into Harlem on a Sat night, it’s all a matter of where you go and what you do. If you go to Honduras don’t hang out in San Pedro Sulas or Tugucigalpa, don’t spend your time in drug areas and don’t flash your money around.

If you take the time to marvel at the scenery, enjoy the people and soak up the culture you will love Honduras. Here is a quick trip report of our recent holiday to La Ceiba, Roatan and Copan.

La Ceiba – We started in San Pedro Sulas where we went straight from the airport to the bus station and jumped on the Hedman Alas bus to La Ceiba. We utilized Hedman Alas twice during our trip and although both buses were behind schedule, which is more the norm than the exception in most Latin countries, we found the transportation to be economical, safe and comfortable. For between $20-$30 per person, you can ride in good comfort and enjoy a movie on your way to La Ceiba or Copan. The trip to both places takes about 3 ½ hours. For about $10 more you can get a first class seat which has a bit more leg room and a leg rest. We went economy style and were very happy.

We only stayed one night in La Ceiba and wished we had booked more time. Casa Cangrejal was lovely! Karen and Alex have created a little oasis up in the mountains near La Ceiba. We wished we had more time to do some horseback riding or white water rafting but we really enjoyed our meal at Omega, right next door to the B&B. Karen was an awesome host and the Casa Cangrejal is a place that you can definitely kickback and relax. Casa Cangrejal gets four stars in my book for value vs quality. My only complaint was that the taxi driver that Karen set up charged $20 to drive us up to the B&B and $25 for the trip back to the airport, she has is definitely doing the ping the gringos to help the local game.  The trip from the bus station was about 30 minutes and from my understanding there is not much to see in the city.

Roatan was a lot of fun. West End reminded me of what Key West must have been like 40 years ago. A dirt road winding through a little beach town full of throwbacks from the 60’s making their way around the local bars and restaurants at night and diving, fishing or getting over their hangovers during the day.

The diving was excellent and only about a hundred yards off the island, easy to get to. Most dive shops charged $30-$40 per tank. They all go out for a 9-9:30am. 11-11:30am and a 2-2:30pm dive, I tried Coconut Tree and West End and had good results with both. CT requires you do a two tank dive for the morning dive but West End and Reef Gliders come back after each dive since it is so close to shore. Most shops give you a discount the more dives you do with them. We even rented kayaks one day and went out for an afternoon with snorkeling gear, tied up to one of the boat moorings and jumped in.

We really liked the people we met, where we stayed and had mixed results at the eating establishments.

• Beso’s was our favorite restaurant. Daphane and her crew gave great service and the food was excellent. This was by far the best restaurant we tried in West End.
• The Lighthouse was horrible, service was slow, the food was mediocre and the price was way too high. Great view but I would skip the Lighthouse.
• Coconut Tree – the food was good but not much on atmosphere.
• Argentinean Grill – we had a great burger here and heard mixed reviews about their dinner.
• Sundowners – the place to go early for a drink at sundown and meet the locals.
• We also enjoyed having a condo with a kitchen so we could save money on food. Cooked two meals in and made sandwiches most days.

I would highly recommend the condo were we stayed (Trip Advisor Property: 312717 – Cocolobo Resort “Lodge A”), four stars in my book, a new two bedroom condo just off the beach and across the street from the Cocolobo Resort. The kitchen and dining room area were very nicely appointed, the kitchen was set up for gourmet cooking and the property manager Haidai was amazing. They had good cable and wifi, air cond in the bedrooms and ceiling fans in the rest of the house.  You can utilize the pool at Cocolobo to lie out and relax.

For a very economical price you can have Haidai come in and cook you an authentic island meal, we had fresh baked snapper and island rice one night.  The condo was about $200 (including the island tax) per night during the Christmas holidays (high season), split between two couples or a family, a very economical accommodation and far enough to be away from the wildness but close enough to walk to all the restaurants and entertainment.  For just a room to say in I would recommend Land’s End which was right on the water and just across the street from the condo. Lodge A gets four stars in my book.

Get to Roatan soon,  before the cruise boats ruin the incredible reefs and small town feel.

Copan is a quaint little city, which I found to be a little touristy for my taste but really fun to walk around the cobble stone streets (see my earlier blog posts on the Copan ruins and our Spa Ixchel www.spaixchel.com experience). We absolutely loved the Hacienda San Lucas. We felt right at home as Flavia (the owner) met us at the bus station. The hacienda is built around a 100 year old family farm house, beautifully simple and simply beautiful, overlooking the valley where Copan sits and the mountains that surround the city.

The hacienda will set up excursions for you or you can relax on the property, have a massage, take a yoga class from Leah, hike some of the trails to a local village or sit back in a chair and watch the Copan River meander through the valley. The yoga studio was open to nature and was sitting on the crest of the mountain in a beautiful spot.

Each night the hacienda cooks a wonderful four course meal of local fare and each morning a home cooked breakfast (breakfast is included). You feel like you are eating with family as you get to know the other guests, Flavia and her family.

As you head back to your room each night you are greeted by a room full of candles, in fact most of the hacienda is lit by candles each night. Very romantic, very cool and the Hacienda San Lucas will probably make my top ten list of places to stay in the world, five stars in my book.

One of the excursions I would recommend, beside the Spa Ixchel, is to go to the Finca el Cisne (www.fincaelcisne.com). It is an all day excursion or many recommend spending a night in their guest house. After a long trip up into the Honduran mountains you arrive at the Finca el Cisne. Carlos is there to greet you and share his labor of love the finca’s coffee plantation.

After getting a tour of how coffee is grown and produced, Carlos takes you on a tour of the finca on horseback. It takes about 3 hours to tour the property and his horses are well trained for the beginner or the more advanced rider. I love to ride and found Bonito (my horse) loved to run, so we had a really good day together. Your horseback ride finishes up with a home cooked lunch at the family farm house and a trip to the hot springs.

It’s a little slice of heaven after riding through the beautiful Honduran countryside to sit back in a natural pool of hot water and soak your weary body.  It is a full day affair that starts in the morning and ends around dark if you don’t stay the night; $70 per person for the full day or $90 per person for the tour and to spend the night in the guest house.

To wrap up the trip report let me say that we found Honduras to be anything but scary. We found a warm welcoming atmosphere and left with many people who felt like family and friends. I will certainly venture back to enjoy this wonderful country and would not hesitate to take my family or young children.

We met Juan when he accompanied his uncle to pick us up at the airport, he was my first surprise in Roatan.  Trying out my Spanish I asked him “Quantos anos tiene?” (How old are you?) and he turned around and in the clearest King’s English and said, “Your Spanish is very good.” I just assumed that people would speak Spanish in Roatan just like mainland Honduras. I didn’t know that Roatan was a British colony until the mid 60s so English is the first language for most of the residents.

We started our Honduran journey in a different environment, riding the bus with the locals from San Pedro Sulas to La Ceiba, a three hour bus ride. Our first night was in a really cool little bed and breakfast called Casa Cangregal. Karen, the proprietor, was friendly, helpful and quite a good cook. We wished we had a longer stay when we saw how she had landscaped the river into little swimming pools with a nice massage room beside the upper pool. Our short stay in La Ceiba was nice but too short, we were soon headed to our island paradise.

Juan and his Uncle  Marty took good care of us during the short trip from the airport to our new diggs on the West End of Roatan stopping to load up on provisions. When we arrived we were greeted by Haidai, our guardian island angel. Haidai is one of those people who beam confidence, happiness and an inner beauty. Our condo is just off the water and fully equipped with all the modern convienences, I think we are the very first people to stay. Everything is new and the owners outfitted the condo beautifully.  The town, restaurants and dive shops are all within walking distance. Lou has her little yoga studio anI I have some of the best diving in the world just meters off the coast.

I can’t say that we saw Saint Nick and 12 tiny raindeer anywhere down here but I did see some beautiful lion fish, sea turtles and coral heads about 90 feet down below the surface of the sea. Santa would have loved it!

Having ex-president navigate a river in Brazil that had never been charted was similar to having President Obama take a trip to Mars after he leaves office. This man was a true patriot and adventurer who lived what he believed.

During the trip down the River of Doubt Roosevelt and his team faced perils we could only imagine, famine, disease and hostile Indians. This is a man who could have lived out his life in luxury but decided to make one final mark on history, one that almost cost him his life.

It’s funny how many people sit in their little box and look out wondering, what if? What if I had chosen another path in my life? What if I decided to change my life? What if I dared to do the things I dreamed?

We spend most of our lives in the box that we created for ourselves; many times wishing we could get outside of that box. The crazy thing is that the person who has the key is the same person you see in the mirror every morning. The only person who can change the “what if’s” to “I did” is you.  Don’t continue to drift down your own River of Doubt. Today that same river bears the name of our 26th president because he dared to step out of his box.

The human body has two ends on it: one to create with and one to sit on. Sometimes people get their ends reversed. When this happens they need a kick in the seat of the pants.
Theodore Roosevelt

I imagine most of the men in her life have brought nothing but misery to her and her family. I have been to their house so often that the it no longer shocks me but every time I bring a friend they are appalled at the conditions.Their ten foot square room is always hot, smelly and cramped. Their living conditions are the worst I have ever experienced.

I am always impressed how Ruth is always more concerned about her brothers and sisters then herself. Today she was concerned that I would leave before getting Maria a new mochila (backpack) for school. It took months of support, love and kindness to earn her trust and break through her tough little shell. Today as I got my last hug from my girls and told them I loved them, the only thing they could ask is “When will you be back?”

I’d like to think I have made an impact on their lives, but I know they have made a monumental impact on mine. I have people tell me all the time they wish they could do something like my trips to Iquitos, my only suggestion is to just “do it”. There is no feeling quite like it.

Another little boy proudly showed us his favorite fighter, Fernando. Each fighter is weighed before the fight and classified into a weight class, then outfitted with a razor sharp gaff before entering the ring.  These fighters are treated like royalty before entering the ring for what will be a fight for their lives. Feathers on their back are plucked to keep the fighter cool during the heat of battle.

Last night I went to my first and last cockfight. The “sport” is legal and thriving in Peru. I have only seen two things that inflicted more brutality on an animal in my life, a bull fight in Seville Spain and a hog farm in eastern North Carolina.

As I travel the world I have always been proud of the US for two things, the way we respect woman and our children. Most would say that we also respect our animals and for the most part that is correct, unfortunately the cruelty of corporate farming is a dirty little secret. At least bull fights and cockfights are open and available for public scrutiny.

I certainly don’t justify cruelty to any living creature, human or animal. Part of my mission during my travels is to experience the culture of my host country and learn lessons about the human spirit, even when it is ugly or brutal.

Shakespeare said it best in Hamlet, “There is nothing either good or bad, only thinking makes it so.” What is totally acceptable in one culture is taboo in another.  I could only speculate what a Peruvian would say about our corporate farming techniques.

Each careadore would proudly carry his cock into the ring. Much like a prize fighter before the bell, the careadores would push the cocks toward each other for a couple of pecks and to size the other up. The bell would ring and the fight would begin, feathers would fly as the crowd whipped into a frenzy for “their” bird.

If both feathered gladiators lasted eight minutes the fight was called a draw. Most of the time the fight ended with the victor standing on top and pecking the loser, the winning side cheering the win and money changing hands as two new contestants entered the ring. I lasted for three battles before I had enough.

I don’t understand cruelty bestowed on any living creature but man’s inhumanity towards man tops the list. I’d watch a cockfight or bull fight any day compared to watching children abused or starved.

Of course I was ready to help. He told me his name was Travis and he was from Ireland. My first response was to flag down a motorcar and start towards the hospital but then my Iquitos senses started kicking in. First step, get Paul and Camilla involved so that we make sure that we don’t get taken for a ride at the hospital. As we race down the street I pick up my cell phone and called Paul. His Iquitos sense is better than mine and his first comment is to check out the guy and make sure he is for real, so we set up a meeting spot to check the guy out.

As I hang up the phone I turn to my injured comrade and tell him we are going to meet a friend to check him out before we head to the hospital. Travis looks at me and tells me to drop him off then. I know I must have looked a little perplexed until it smacked me like a cold wet cloth, this was the English flim flam man I had been told about. For nine long years this lowlife has been scamming tourists with his sob story. His real name is Brian and he self-mutilated his finger so he could concoct a story that would be compelling to naïve tourists and create a regular income.

After a few choice words I threw my new friend out of the motorcar and realized even though I was smart enough not to give him any money I had just been taught another Iquitos lesson.

This morning I got up at 5am to catch the sunrise, which was beautiful. I also caught two guys diving into the sewer head first to find a few soles and another guy who was trimming his eyebrows with a knife.

How can a place be so beautiful, yet so difficult???