Jocotaán Guatemala, the public markets
Honduras-Visiting the market of Jocotan, Guatemala (part 14)
The attraction of Jocotan is their street market . The bus dropped us within a block of the market.
The bus station in Jocotan, Guatemala-
We did not see any other tourists in the market. We spent 3-4 hours looking at everything. It was very interesting. Lots of different stuff.
the market street of Jocotan, Guatemala
inside the market of Jocotan, Guatemala
Kathy bought a few hand made items. We had some snacks, and walked around a lot. It was very hot there.
Fabrics in the market of Jocotan, Guatemala
Found the people in the market to be very friendly. Here is a lady with a couple of pigs that she wanted to show us.
A lady with her 2 pigs in the Jocotan, Guatemala market
Lady with turkey in the market of Jocotan, Guatemala
We even visited the meat market which was interesting. You need a strong stomach to visit the meat market in Jocotan,Guatemala. I will save that for the next post.
Next-the meat market of Jocotan, Guatemala
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
To read about my other travels click here
Honduras, crossing into Guatemala(part 13)
Part 13-Crossing the border into Guatemala
The next a.m. I met up with the two other students, Sharon and Kathy, in the central park in Copan for what seemed would be a pretty simple trip to Jocotan, Guatemala. I had done a little research and found out there were some mini buses in town that carried passengers every hour to the border 8 miles away. The cost was about $1.
When we arrived at the corner from where the mini-buses departed, I realized I had left my original passport in the house where I was staying, but I had a copy of it with me. The van driver told me not to worry because as long as I had a copy, I would be ok. MISTAKE #1. At this point, I should have listened to my “inner travel voice” and returned to get the original.
The driver was yelling “frontera, frontera” (translation, “the border”). He crammed 18 of us into a 10 passenger van. We took off for Guatemala, driving fast, and dodging cows in the highway.
When we arrived at the border, it was a very relaxed setting. We simply walked across. There was a small immigration office, but no one seemed to be checking much.
The border crossing into Guatemala from Honduras
Photo shot from the Guatemala side after crossing over from Honduras
The bus at the Guatemala/Honduras border to take us to Jocotan
As seen in the photo above, on the Guatemala side of the border there was another bus waiting to take the new arrivals the last 40 minutes to Jocotan. The bus driver encouraged us to get on and not to worry about anything. MISTAKE #2.
It was an interesting ride to Jocotan. The people on the bus were very friendly to us. We were the only tourists on the bus.
The lady sitting in front of me carried a pet sparrow in her purse. She took it out to show to me.
Honduras-on the bus to Jocotan, Guatemala. My fellow passenger carries a pet sparrow in her purse
The plan was to spend the day in the markets of Jocotan before returning to Honduras.
Next- The markets of Jocotan, Guatemala
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
To read more about my travels click here
Honduras, the bus to Copan Ruinas, Part 12
Honduras-Part 12-taking the bus to Copan Ruinas
After lunch, it was time to catch the bus for the 3 hour ride to Copan Ruinas in the northwest part of Honduras.
I had asked Santos to come back to the hotel to take me to the bus station. He couldn’t do it, but he sent his friend, Alejandro. When Alejandro dropped me off at the bus station, he told me it was $8 USD. I told him I thought that was too high, so we agreed on $7 USD (still too high, but what the heck).
There is a very nice, new bus station in San Pedro Sula. It was only about 15 minutes from the Hilton Princess hotel. I checked in at the bus line—Hedman Alas. I had taken them before. They are a first class, quality bus line. Their waiting area resembles movie theater seating. Take a look at this photo below. I look like I am eating popcorn waiting for the movie to start. Actually, I am eating plantain chips waiting for a bus!
Hedman Alas bus station in San Pedro Sula, Honduras
I know, the first rule of blogging is not to load your blog with a bunch of photos of yourself, but this is the only one I had around the bus station. You will just have to endure it.
At the bus station, I met two teachers, Kathy and Sharon, going to Copan also to study Spanish at the same school where I was attending, Ixbalanque Spanish School. They asked me if they could hang around with me in Copan. I said “sure”. I mentioned I might go to Guatemala the next day and they latched onto me quickly. We agreed to meet at the central parque in Copan the following morning.
The (3) three-hour ride through the countryside is very interesting. You pass through a number of small villages. I think Honduras is a beautiful country.
The bus arrived in Copan at 6:30 p.m. One of the co-owners of the school, Kathy, was there to meet us and take us to the respective families we would be staying with. My house would be a repeat stay from 2 years ago.
When I arrived at my homestay, the cook/housekeeper, Trini, remembered me, gave me a big hug and ran to get the mother of the house, Ruth, who was also very glad to see me return from two years ago. They fed me dinner and I was feeling “at home” in less than one hour.
Tomorrow: We cross the border into Guatemala
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
To read about my other travels click here
