Departamento de Lempira

Catharine decides to take the van to the lunch spot as this eliminates 30 km of uphill climbing and she would like to have a short day and arrive earlier at the hotel. John has a puncture first thing which he quickly fixes before setting off. Lunch is at a beautiful spot in the shade of a large canopy. Catharine rides with Kate who has just been released from isolation after a Covid infection so wants to take it easy. We have been warned that the roads are paved and full of potholes but it is surprising just how bad they are. There are massive craters, sometimes covering most of the road, which we somehow need to try and avoid which can be difficult if you are descending fast and the holes are hidden in patchy shadow - or there is a vehicle coming towards you on your side of the road that is also trying to avoid massive potholes! We pass through some bustling and vibrantly coloured villages. On arrival at Gracias, the town where we are staying, the street is packed with tuk-tuk taxis trying to get through the remaining open streets as the main thoroughfare is blocked by a huge fruit and veg market. We choose to get off our bikes and just walk through the market, rather than take a diversion with the traffic. We get plenty of stares as this is not a tourist town - not that we have really seen any tourists in Honduras! The hotel is a hidden gem. It has central courtyard with a swimming pool and lots of plants. Our room is on the upper floor and we have a moroccan style balcony arrangement outside overlooking the pool. We venture out to look at the fruit and veg market and go to a mini store where the lady is incredibly helpful in finding all our shopping for us. Needless to say they don’t take credit cardRead more