Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt

Sunday 17th of July

08.09 It is Sunday morning in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Outside we can hear the ringing of a small bell. Three hours ago there was, according to Christer, a roaster concert. There were hundreds of them involved in the morning symphony.

09.52 There were more banging, explosions outside. We still do not know what lies behind it all. Are they celebrating something, what is being celebrated and who is/are the celebrator(s)? We checked out from the hostel and finally got a taxi to the bus terminal. On the radio, it seems to be a sing-along to Daniel Ortega´s/FSLN's song, Nicaragua Triunfará. Listeners call in and get to sing a tune.

09.56 We found a bus bound for Managua and have boarded it. Our backpacks were luckily placed inside the bus.

10.13 Not a day without something new. Just as the bus departed from Matagalpa a well-dressed man in a shirt got up from his seat. He is preaching with a loud voice about Jesus, salvation, God and the church. Sometimes he hisses, breathe in through his teeth and cries a little. He reads from a Bible from the Gideon’s. He says that he is a Protestant but also addresses the Catholics. He blesses the bus, passengers and wishes us a safe journey and a good day.

11.31 Jesus’ envoy stopped and was replaced by Mammon’s. Several vendors climbed on board. Now a sack of offal is being loaded on board and we continue through a tree-rich landscape.

12.29 We have passed Ciudad Dario and have begun to get a glimpse of the large Lake Managua on the horizon.

13.38 The bus stopped in Managua. It brought us to the big city's eastern outskirts, namely the station at Mercado Mayoreo. A taxi took us and three other passengers around in the capital. We saw a lot along the way, such as a one-legged man begging in a plastic chair in a wheelchair. The man in question was in the middle of an intersection and had earplugs. After the taxi driver had dropped off the last of the other passengers in a residential area, he took us to our hotel. Now we have checked in and are sitting in room 12 at Hotel Los Felipe (http://www.hotellosfelipe.com.ni). Our hotel is situated in the area Barrio Martha Quezada.

Peter is enjoying a good book at Hotel Los Felipe.

We are staying one night here, room 12 at Hotel Los Felipe.

15.02 The hotel pool has cooled us and rinsed the travel dust away. It is overcast and rain is in the air but so far we have managed to avoid rain. I feel so lazy.

15.15 We have watched a cat which climbs around here. There is also a large well-built dog here but it seems to be less fit. It prefer to rest. As a continuation of the theme of animals I might mention that the hotel has a large number of bird cages with colorful tenants inside.

15.48 We have been resting in our cramped little room and watched sports on TV. After 120 scoreless minutes and four missed penalties, Brazil is eliminated from the Copa America. Paraguay scored on two of their three penalties and won. Penalties were also needed in the women's World Cup finals. The team from Japan won and are new world champions.

16.38 We left the room to get acquainted with the surroundings and to find food. To get to know went just fine. We had no luck in finding a shop which sold something that is good for breakfast. The whole area is stone dead. Sure, it's Sunday, but oughtn’t something to be open? However, we found Pollo Estrella which is a fast food restaurant. Here it will be a light lunch consisting of fried chicken.

17.17 I cannot say that we are gorged but we have new energy and are back in the room. Soon the second half of the match Chile – Venezuela will start, a game where it is 0-1 right now.

18.15 The last quarterfinal is finished and Venezuela won. Venezuela used to be the eternal looser of South American football, almost a joke. Now they are in the semis!

18.48 We are heading out again. We need more food, if not now so for the night bus ride. We are going to ask at the front desk about nearby restaurants.

19.03 The rain is pouring down out there and beat against the roof tops. This doesn’t bother us at all. We're indoors at the neighborhood restaurant Doña Pilar. It was full here, but they quickly arranged with a new table. I firmly believe that we are in a private home. It smells good from the grill and a strange screaming sound can be heard. The lady at reception spoke about this place with a condescending tone (it's just plain Nicaraguan food) and warned us of something and said "mochilas". What is mochilas?

Barrio Marta Quezada, Managua.

The street just outside of our hotel.

20.07 Tonight's dinner was a tasty grilled chicken. It was most likely parrots which screamed, whistled and spoke in Spanish. That was what that weird sound was. Wait a moment, parrots, chickens, nah a parrot can not be that big or? Doña Pilar is a "fritanga". This means that it is a simple grill restaurant which usually has only one dish. It was, to say the least, difficult to order and pay at the restaurant. There was no menu, just a young girl who ran around and quickly said something in Spanish to each guest. We asked what was available and said yes to everything she said. For payment, we tried to pay at the counter but could not. The money should be handed to a lady who sat by a table. We are now in the room and have begun to study about the next country.

21.37 Now we need to sleep. Not that we are very tired but the there is a very early tomorrow ahead. We've talked to the security guard who promised that the hotel is open all night. "Mochilas" by the way means small backpacks. The reception lady warned us about pickpockets who might take something out of our small backpacks.

Monday 18th of July

03.37 Ok, we have at least managed to wake up. It is pitch dark outside and we are tired. Now all we need to do is to get all our belongings with us.

04.21 We left the room was but the hotel gate was locked. Christer finally found the resting guard sleeping in a car and we got out. We walked the short distance to the bus station and here we checked in our backpacks and ourselves. There are lots of people here. One bus is going to Honduras and one to El Salvador. We're at Ticabus’ modern office.

04.49 I've got myself a quick breakfast and Christer bought something for the journey. Now here we are in seats 17 and 18 on the Ticabus bus bound for Honduras. We will first go to the capital, Tegucigalpa, and where we will take a break before we travel on to San Pedro Sula. It will be a long day and many bus hours.

Early in the morning, waiting for the Ticabus to depart.

05.27 We roll through a quiet and desolate Managua. It is still dark.

07.11 Most of the bus blue curtains are covering the windows. It is quiet in the bus and some of the passengers are asleep. Earlier we passed our old home town León and we are currently in Chinandega.

07.22 We have handed over our passports, departure note and a US$10 bill to a man in a shirt with a Ticabus logo. He asked for US$ 8 but received US$ 10.

07.36 Now a customs declaration has been filled in. It was not so smart to bring in all passports first and then hand out a paper in which you shall enter the passport number. Now we know our numbers by heart. We start to get a routine on this.

08.36 There has been a stop for some leg flexor and bladder emptying. Across the road is a house which it says Duty Free on. We have reached the border between Nicaragua and Honduras. As usual, various money-changers and vendors have gathered around the bus, including an ice cream salesman who desperately ping the bell on his wagon.

A short stop at the border between Nicaragua and Honduras.

Hungry dogs at the border.

Peter has left the bus for a few minutes.

09.18 The stop ended and everyone went back to the bus door. Names were read out from different ID cards and passports. After your name had been called, you had to board the bus but they did not return the passport. Are we just stamped out or we are stamped in as well? Two Polish women have fed and been kind to some free-roaming dogs. Those girls, therefore, became very angry when one of the vendors, a woman was evil to one of the hungry dogs. One of them became so angry that she started to cry.

HONDURAS

09.29 The bus crossed the border river. It almost immediately stopped and we got out. We have reached the fourth country, Honduras. We have exchanged and got some lempiras here at the border post Guasaule.

09.51 We're sitting on a stone wall in the sun and are waiting to board our bus. A football team from El Salvador, probably some youth national team have passed and have been stamped into the country. Some small boys are a bit indolent nagging about getting money. People pass all the time. Most of the occupants by bicycle taxi which runs between the border posts at a cheap price.

10.10 The bus rolls again. They have returned our passports and a yellow tag is attached to paperback. It says that we are Swiss.

11.52 The landscapes and sceneries on display outside the bus are slightly different from those we have seen earlier in the trip. What I mostly want to see now is an eatery. I'm hungry. We are desperately waiting for a lunch break which never seems to come.

13.41 The bus and we are in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The name is said to come from Nahuatl and means "Silver Mountain" (Taguz Galpan). Nahuatl then, what is it, well it is an Aztec language. The bus backed down a steep hill and stopped at the Ticabus office. We have got off, walked into a booth at the office and bought a soda and sandwich each. Soon we hopefully will travel further. The street is full of expectations taxi drivers that look around for customers.

We saw parts of Tegucigalpa through the bus window.

14.18 The stop at the bus office is over and we just stopped at a gas station. The bus needs to be refueled. This is yet another brief visit in a capital city. In this spring we had an hour’s stop in Podgorica. This town was visited for less than an hour.

17.53 The eternal journey is not over. There are thirteen hours since we boarded. We are going down a hill. In the distance appear hills and between them and us is a forest. A motorway under construction is slowing us down and we will most arrive late.

19.30 It is dark and we have for the last hour been looking out through the bus windows to hopefully catch a glimpse of light in the darkness. At last we arrived at the big bus station in San Pedro Sula and now we have left the bus. We have seldom been on such a long trip between two locations. During the trip, the sun had time to rise and set. Now we are sitting in a taxi, waiting for it to start. It seems that the driver wants more passengers than us before he intends to go.

20.13 Two girls that we saw on the bus have joined our taxi. One girl is from Germany but her friend was of unclear origin. The driver was skeptical about their choice of place to stay. He said that their hotel was in a dangerous area because it was the prostitutes, drug addicts and homosexuals in the street outside of the hotel. He suggested another hotel but they did not change. The girls were let off and the driver continued grumbling about what a bad hotel they had chosen. He drove on to our hotel, Hotel Plaza Alicante. It was more honored by our driver who kindly explained that it was in a great area with many restaurants nearby. Here, we first checked in room 1 and 11, a room each. Christer mentioned that we booked a single room. The girl at reception said a new amount and more dollars were handed over. She still was not satisfied, but it turned out that she had miscalculated. Now we are in room number 2. I sit on my bedside and Christer in the shower. The room phone rang earlier and that has happened to us before. Christer answered it and said something and then it was a knock on the door. It was the girl that checked us in that came with a pitcher of water and two glasses.

Our room at Hotel Plaza Alicante.

20.56 The hunger tares in our bodies. We are at Pizza Hut, one of the many restaurants located at the street outside our hotel. Christer has ordered spaghetti and I have ordered pizza. The waitress asked, pan pizza, or something that I did not catch. I replied, "Scusi", something which would be a great choice in Italy. It is doubtful whether it will work in Honduras. It has been said before and now I say it again, I just don’t master any languages.

21.41 This is the thing with food. It is often tasty and welcome. Now we are at home in room 2 or is it 302 as it says on the door?

23.18 It's not surprising that I am a little tired. I would think that a little sleep will do well.

Tuesday 19th of July

08.18 Today it is a month since we set off. Today we have for the first time in our lives woke up in a country which starts with H, Honduras. The night's sleep has been good and the room is great. The price was good for this standard, but we have this night paid more than we do on most nights on this trip.

09.18 Today's breakfast was served and eaten at a table outside in the lobby. We were also offered to read the morning paper at breakfast. Now, an economic analysis has been done and soon we will shoot out for a walk.

10.06 The room was left and we started looking for an ATM. We soon found one at the Super Mercado Colinias but it was undergoing service at the moment. We were told that it would be running again in half an hour. We had the benefit of the Supermercado anyway. We went in and bought food for the journey later today. The hunt for cash machine went on and we went looking for one at Citibank but no ATM was found there either. Instead we went to a Texaco to buy drinks and in a corner found the ATM.

We had time to take a look at San Pedro Sula this hot morning.

Hotel Plaza Alicante.

The founder of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), colonel Sanders, sitting in the Honduras sun.

10.19 Now we are strong in lempiras. It was a tricky ATM, in with the card and remove it just as fast or an advertise spins on for ages. After the card was removed it was as usual, enter the PIN which is, well, well .. I am not going to write that, and the desired amount.

10.32 It's deadly hot out there today, definitely one of the warmest days. San Pedro Sula is also known for its high temperatures. It is approximately +35°C.

11.11 We checked out and left the hotel and got a taxi that drove us 100 lempira, US$6 to the bus terminal in the city's southern outskirts. On the way there we reflected on how clean, fresh and modern it looks to be here in San Pedro Sula, a nice town. Reportedly, it is hardly hit by crime but we have not seen any trace of it. At the bus terminal, we bought tickets for 130 lempira. No sooner had we sat down as we were brought to the bus. We travel with the company Casasola Express. Now we are queuing for petrol pump. We want to give a big thanks to the guys who pointed out the company's office at the terminal and to the sales woman who via walkie-talkie announced that we were going with the bus.

12.43 The bus passed at a banana plantation. The banana stocks hung in those blue turquoise plastic bags which we've seen on previous trips. It's really hot today, inside the bus as well.

12.54 They are playing good old music in the bus and we sit and question each other on the titles and artists. Things are going really well and we are generally satisfied with life.

13.34 The bus stopped in La Entrada, and passengers have been replaced. It's time for a new bus performance. It is a man in a bad clown makeup. He has a pink cloth around a coarse wire around his neck. The piece seems to be starched. The guy/clown speak with a voice which is rough like sandpaper as he flutters with the "tie". The worst thing is that he seems to get paid for the appearance as well. It is unclear whether he frightens or amuses the children on board. One day a preacher the next day a clown. There are always things happening on the buses in Central America.

Filling up at the bus terminal in San Pedro Sula.

Casasola Express is today´s bus company.

Beautiful green colours in western Honduras.

Hills and lush vegetation in the province Copán.

14.14 There are spectacular green cliffs on both sides of the bus. We meander forward and westward.

15.02 The long bus trip was finally over and we stepped out. Now we are going a taxi in the form of a "tuk-tuk" in the cobbled streets of the charming town of Copán Ruinas. Right now is a halt in front of a reversing and blocking the bus from the bus company Hedman Alas. We had intended to walk to our hotel, but to get a ride for around a dollar in a classic vehicle attracted us in the end.

15.21 We checked in at the Hotel Don Udo's (http://www.donudos.com). Upon check-in we were served pineapple juice with ice, good and refreshing! There was some confusion at check-in but an old Dutch gentleman, Don Udo?, came around and said that everything was OK with us. He seems to have full control over who have booked and who should live where and to pay when and how. Today's room number is 16, the room is one floor up and there is a small animal skin on the floor. Now I will have a shower.

Christer is enjoying the afternoon at Hotel Don Udo´s.

The narrow streets in Copán Ruinas town.

Christer is having dinner at Churrasqueria Momo’s.

16.57 We walked around in our quaint little town. We have bought postcards, souvenirs, linen, t-shirt and Christer bought a soccer jersey for his nephew Anton. Some small boys tried to sell a doll to me and to exchange a few dollars to lempira with the cashier. They had no success. Now we are waiting for dinner at Churrasqueria Momo's. The thunder rumbles in the distance. There seems to be a need of rain here, the land is dry. We just got to know that Christer must order a new dish. The one he wanted is not available.

18.41 There was plenty of food after that followed some internet in a combined barber shop/internet cafe. The internet cafe visit ended with a power outage. Before discharge, we entered a small shop and bought some drinks to replenish the fluid storage. Behind the counter hung a sign with the message, "smoking is suicidal, please kill yourself in another room."

20.46 We have a nice quiet evening and really enjoying the holiday. We have sat in the lounge / TV room at the hotel and drank coffee which was served to us on a tray. We saw Uruguay beat Peru 2-0 in the semifinals of the Copa America.

22.50 Now we are preparing for some sleep and an exciting tomorrow.

The catholic church in Copán Ruinas.

Maya souvenirs for sale.

Hotel Don Udo´s in Copán Ruinas.

Wednesday 20th of July

09.46 Today’s hotel breakfast was good but hardly hearty. It is an interesting decor here at the hotel, miscellaneous old stuff which Udo brought here from Holland. Next to our breakfast table was an antique sewing machine. Soon we will head out to an interesting day trip.

10.13 We are prepared to leave the hotel to do some historical research.

10.34 There has been a stop in our journey towards today's goal. We have walked out of the town and followed a footpath along the road. We are now at Estela 5, stela five. It is a more than 2 meters high, carved stone pillars or what to call it. A kingdom was established in Copán Valley in 159 AD. Copán grew to become the most important Mayan city during the 400's. Great monuments was erected from year 435 and up to 822. At the time of Spanish conquest of Honduras the site had long been overgrown by rainforest. They were largely unknown by the outside world until a series of explorers visited the area in the early 1800's.

Breakfast at Hotel Don Udo´s.

The path along the road from the town to the ruins.

Information to read before visiting the Copán ruins.

Today´s destination.

10.47 We have paid the fee to the archaeological park here in Copán. We have walked along a wide road lined with tall trees and then passed a ticket booth and was let into the area. A large macaw was sitting at the entrance and said something in its bird language.

11.04 I'm sitting on a lump of wood at the Plaza de las Estelas among the ruins here in Copán. The only sounds we hear are from birds, murmuring people and Americans. There are stelaes (decorated stone pillars) from the early 700's here. So we have come to one of the ancient Mayan cities. Before we came to this open space we have familiarized ourselves with some macaws (parrots) in a large steel cage. The heat of Honduras feels today. The sun is for sure frying out in the open spaces. We brought water but have we brought enough?

11.25 We've looked at an archaeologist's grave and are continuing to look at various buildings here in the area. Copán is not very well known because there are still more powerful remnants of the Maya’s in Guatemala and Mexico, but this is a really a worth seeing place, an experience.

The world of Maya.

There are lots of schoolchildren among the visitors to Copán.

Finally at the old maya city Copán.

Peter is writing in his journal in this ancient atmosphere.

11.46 We have looked out over the old ball court here and reflect over the ancient Mayan kings' wonderful names. How about rulers with names like "Big Sun", "Jaguar Mirror," "The head of the earth", "Moon-jaguar", "18 rabbits," "Smoke shell," "Smoke monkey" and "Smoke Squirrel" ?

11.56 I sit and look up at the hieroglyphic stairway. In it is 400 years of history of Copán carved in. Unfortunately, they were set in the wrong order when the stairs were restored. It consists of 63 steps and 2200 inscriptions. We have again seen the two Polish women who we saw on the Tica bus. It is the dogs' guardians. The world sure is small.

12.33 We have moved to the East Square and here we have found what we, for so long, have sought for, one seating place with shade and a breezy wind. It is really impressive buildings here. The trees which shoot up from the ruins are a reminiscent of Angkor which we saw in 2008, or more specifically, Ta Prohm. These ruins have more in common with Angkor, they are a world heritage and therefore UNESCO-listed.

13.00 It's really impressive here. We just want to see more and more. The warm weather however has made our patience to run out. I think we can not remain here indefinitely, even if we like it. The water has run out and our stamina fades. We have also thought about going for a walk on a nature trail in the area before returning to the city.

Christer on "Plaza de las Estelas".

The old ballcourt in Copán.

"Old man´s head", a famous structure in Copán.

Peter is doing what he can to find some shadow.

13.12 We and a school class walk along the stone steps down from the ruin area and into the woods. The kids are on an outing from the neighboring town of Santa Rita de Copán and have nice white school uniforms.

13.26 We left the fabulous ruins behind us, saw more macaws and now we follow a nature trail. How long is it, where does it end and what are the birds we hear? Unfortunately, it is more than we here in the woods. Some mosquitoes which bite quickly join us.

13.52 There are information boards along the trail which informed about wildlife and the Maya people's old customs. There were mostly birds along the trail but we also sensed some gray-black furry creatures up in the foliage. It is unclear whether they are monkeys or some other mammals. Just as we left the park area we could hear some crying. A small child had fallen into a pit. The child's friends were gathered around the pit. An adult jumped down and picked up the child. Now it's time for us to take a ride again, it is tuk-tuk back to Copan Ruinas.

Plaza Este

Christer is starting the walk out of the Copán ruins.

Two beautiful red macaws.

Christer is exploring the rainforest.

14.05 It was a quick ride. We went back at full speed ahead. Christer tried to perpetuate the journey through a film but it was really shaky. The nice guy, who drove us, took us right up to the hotel door. He asked us a little about what we thought of Copán and Honduras. We always appreciate people who know English.

14.59 It is time to write postcards and have lunch. We are at Carnitas Nia Lola. It's a cool place with a number of license plates on the walls, most of them are American and the restaurant is also owned by Americans. The waitress can really use her head. She balances the orders on it, impressive!

16.06 It was tasty. For dessert, we had half a banana in chocolate sauce and four pieces of melon. We also got a piece of candy each. After that I bought a new journal in a bookstore, this one is almost done. The postcards were sent for 25 Lempira each. Finally we have bought some soft drinks. We need to replenish fluids after this hot day.

17.44 I've been down to the bookcase in the lounge and exchanged a book. I left Jo Nesbø’s The Redeemer and switched to Mass by Jack Fuller.

18.17 It's java time at Café Yat B'alam. The price of a cup is about 15 Lempira, 80 cents. It is not entirely wrong with the price or the coffee. The café is on the ground floor of a nice small hotel with the same name in the center.

19.57 I just had to say what an evening. Screen after screen went out for me when surfing the internet. The light in the city also went out when we were looking for a restaurant. We had to walk in the pitch black darkness. Now the power is restored and we have sat us down on Parrillada Lester. A short distance away a lady from the U.S. is talking out loud. One wonders why Americans need to use telephones considering how loud they talk.

Fruitcar in Copán Ruinas.

This guest was not invited.

20.11 A black dog jumped right up on a table further away. The happy dog helped himself to the food scraps there. Now even more of the high-speaking people have sat down here at the restaurant.

21.11 The Americans sure made some tricky orders. It could not be meat, fish or cheese. Sure, perhaps not surprising in itself, but it was a barbecue restaurant. Why go to a restaurant which serves grilled meat if you're going to have vegetarian food? Now we need to pack the backpacks. The purchased gifts are going to be packed.

21.30 There is a penalty shoot-out in the match Venezuela-Paraguay. It´s 2-3 after three rounds. It is the second semifinal of the Copa America.

21.33 Dario Verón scores with Paraguay's fifth penalty and it is over. With five out of five penalties in the goal, they are in the final against Uruguay.

Evening in Copán Ruinas.