What's this? An up-to-date blog entry, I hear you ask? Actually it's a premature entry as we're still sitting here at D&D Brewery just off the shore of Lagos de Yojoa, situated pretty much right in the centre of Honduras. This was a one-night stopover on our mission south to Leon in Nicaragua, and I'm glad we stopped over because the beer is fantastic! Oh and it's all very scenic, etc, but mostly it's just about the great beer. Surrounded by jungle with hummingbirds flying around, cats lazing in the sun and some overly attentive table service, we spent a good few hours (ab)using the fast internet connection and sampling the various beers on offer. As it got dark they lit a huge fire and we got chatting to some fellow travelers around the fire pit. We didn't stay too long as the conversation quickly devolved into a game of traveler top trumps ("oh but I hitchhiked all the way from Alaska with only $20 in my back pocket"), opting instead for the sanctuary of our room and the latest episode of Graham Norton on the iPad. Probably not the most authentic traveling experience but restful all the same.

More internet time followed the next morning and now we're sitting here waiting for a shuttle which should be here already, or shortly, or at 1.20, or in an hour and twenty minutes, we're not really sure but those beers are starting to look appealing again.

So I don't have much to report on but thought I'd spend a moment relating some of the fun we've experienced on the road, in taxis, tuk-tuks, chicken buses, executive buses, local buses and collectivos (shared taxis). Seatbelts are largely missing or unused, the roads are a mix of potholed tar and sand, so you're frequently driving on the wrong side of the road in order to avoid major potholes. We've swerved for horses, children, chickens, motorbikes, brush fires and mobile food stalls. The law of the road seems to be 'might is right', so if you're in a big bus you can do what you like, by if you're in a little tuk-tuk you really need to take care! Hooters are used to say hello to your mates passing in the opposite direction, to indicate that you're about to start an overtaking manoeuvre, to hurry up the guy in front of you or just for fun. If you're only going a block before turning back the way you've come then it's completely OK to crawl along on the wrong side of the road in the opposite lane. Yesterday our bus driver was reading a text on a phone passed to him by another passenger whilst drinking a Sprite and steering the bus with his knees. Turning signals are optional, single file turns are for wimps (think five cars turning right into a single lane at the same time) and it's completely OK to fit two or more cars abreast on a single lane. Despite all this craziness, it doesn't really feel too unsafe. Speed is kept relatively low by the poor road surface and everyone drives very defensively (well you'd have to, right?!), so people get by. There are a lot of cyclists too, riding a motley collection of bicycles modified beyond recognition with some very dubious home made repairs. It keeps the journeys interesting anyway!

Next up, Nicaragua!
KL

PS: I did try to get some pics of the actual brewery, but it's all in a big shipping container which is currently firmly closed up.