Things have been busy since I last wrote. Soon after I finished typing we went to catch a boat out in to the Caribbean Sea for a spot of snorkelling. We went out on the boat with a group of people who were undertaking there diving qualification. After snorkelling for about half an hour we decided to lay on the front of the boat for a while waiting for the divers to come back. After a short while Sue and I took the opportunity to jump back in to explore further. It was very worthwhile as in the first dive sight we were lucky to see a variety of fish and amazing coral but unfortunately we missed out on seeing a turtle.As we moved on to the second dive sight the sea became a lot rougher. The divers again jumped in followed by Sue and I, due to the sea being so rough visibility was pretty poor for us so we only spent about 15mins snorkelling. We hopped back on to the boat where the situation wasn't improving and the boat was lurching from side to side. We had to stay on the boat for about half an hour during which time I was white as a sheet despite the sunburn I was sporting. Soon everyone one was back on board and we made to back to dry land in the nick of time. Later that evening we decided to head to the Tranquilla bar which has a jetty overlooking the bay to watch the sun set. When darkness fell we were witnesses to a thunderstorm over on the mainland which was a real sight to see. After a couple of beers we headed back to our room to play some cards on the veranda where we bumped in to someone we had met previously who was staying in the same hostel. The three of us had a great time sharing stories and playing cards for a couple of hours before heading to CocoLoco for a night cap.

The following day we decided to switch our accommodation to Rudi's Inn. As functional as the Tropical Hotel was it had become unbearably hot in our room. Rudi's was a little more expensive but had a private bathroom and a much more effective fan. The other great feature of Rudi's is that is has free Wireless internet.We downloaded Skype and tried to make some phone calls home, the Skype worked fine although we had a long delay on the line. As we wanted to try and save our pennies we decided to head out on a 3km walk to Pumpkin Hill Bay, we took directions from Rudi and set out. We walked for about 40mins when we came across a 'no trespassing' sign and realised we were at a dead end. We had no alternative other than to turn around and walk all the way back. It was at this point we started to regret heading off at 11.15. We now had to walk all the way back in the midday heat with sweat dripping off us and limited water in our bag. We'll have to learn our lesson for next time. In the afternoon I had a nap while Sue did some research on our next move as we were due to leave for Copan Ruinas the next day. In the evening we again watched the sunset from our own deck and then headed to the Driftwood Cafe an amazing dinner. We then headed back to Rudi's and played some cards outside again. This was pretty much the end of our Utila adventure as the next morning we were catching the 6.20am boat over to the mainland. We had a great time in Utila and it really helped us ease in to our trip. We were spoilt for choice with food options although we generally stuck to local cuisine which was great. It was also great to be amongst the hustle and bustle which some islands can offer you, lots of travellers on the trail mixed with locals and expats. It was also interested to see the mix of people who work there, a lot of Brits and North Americans work as dive instructors or behind bars. In the bars and restaurant particularly there is also a large amount of local people employed in the kitchens and as waiters and waitresses.

5.15am on Saturday our alarm went off to signal the start of a long day travelling. Not many exciting things happen on journeys but we had a few interesting aspects of the day. At 6.20am we headed back over to the mainland on a much larger and smoother boat than the last time. We then got a taxi over to the Diana Express bus terminal to get a bus which left at 8.30am. This leg of the Journey was La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula. The 3 ½ hour journey was fairly uneventful apart from having to pick up a load of stranded passengers as there bus had broken down. It was interesting seeing all the different characters getting on and off throughout the journey. We arrived in SPS with an hour before our next bus left but with both of us struggling to grasp any Spanish whatsoever getting to the correct bus stop was going to be difficult. However, the locals are extremely friendly and helpful. They are all there to try and sell you there bus service but as soon as you show them you already have a ticket with another company they happily try and show you the way. We got passed between 3 or 4 different people as they helped us reach the correct terminal. We caught the bus to Copan Ruinas which left at 1pm, unfortunately after around 45mins we managed to get a flat tyre. The worldwide scenario of lots of men outside looking and pointing and not doing much ensued before one man got down to business. We were up and running within about 20 minutes. The remainder of the journey went smoothly and we arrived in Copan Ruinas at around 5pm. Another interesting aspect of the journeys was that at each stop people selling fruit and other goods board.All the other tourist, ourselves included, didn't but anything but the local travellers all purchased something or other. It will probably be something we will do in the future now that we are comfortable that the locals do it, it seems to be there alternative to a buffet cart. In Copan Ruinas we booked in to the ViaVia Cafe which is a lovely little place with about 6 private rooms all en suite. Attached are a bar (which shows premier league football) and a restaurant where we ate that night. We had an early night so we could make an early start this morning. We were at about 7am and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading off to the ruins. We had a great couple of hours walking around the Mayan ruins where we didn't use a guide but instead tried to read all the available plaques and follow the information on a map we had purchased. We are now going to grab some lunch and use the internet (where I will upload this blog). We hope you are all well.