13th - The owner of the Hidden River Hotel gave us melon for breakfast then gave us a ride into Peña Blanca. We tried without luck to hitch a ride so caught a bus to La Guama and on from there to Siguatepeque and changed again to a bus to La Esperanza.
La Esperanza is a dusty unremarkable town but we found a cool hotel with a comfy bed and cable tv for 125L after bargaining. We stayed two nights can´t think why but it was pleasant enough and the food was good at the restaurants.
15th - Bus to Gracias not that far up the road, 2 1/2 hours of lovely scenery ending in a quiet cobbled town. Gracias used to be the capital of Honduras but now is just a quiet mountain town. On the bus we met some Japanese volunteers, the girl is teaching maths at a local school and the guy is helping in the health area. Apparently they have a problem here with 'Chasas', it is spread by a fly that lives in old adobe homes. The fly bites and flu like symptoms occur at first and then 20 years later the sufferer has a heart attack. They test everyone under 15 yrs old and the percentage of positive results is about 3%. The guy said he felt the percentage in the older population would be higher if it were done.
Kent found a nice room con baño (with bathroom) for 150L and we went exploring the town. Carol had a moments madness and bargained for a bikini which she may never wear in public unless she gets a lot of courage. We had the smallest meal we have ever been served here.
16th - Decided it was time to move on to a new country so the next day we caught a bus to Ocotepeque which is near the El Salvador border. Found a good room for 100L and a good place to eat. The town is small but has a good feel to it and the people are kind and friendly.
Next day El Salvador!
