On to Punta Gorda Town

But we did find an Internet café and could check and send email. I have put off going to Honduras to meet up with the guys, as it would probably take about five days to get it done. I suggested he comes up here but that won't work for him so I think it will have to be a phone interview and then maybe later I can catch them in Costa Rica. It's not the first time I have done long-distance stories and they have such great photos on the site that we can use, I'm sure it will be just fine.

Today is my birthday! I got up really early to wander around town. Nobody was up and it really is a very pretty place. There were several sailboats anchored out and pangas pulled up on the beach. I tried to find somewhere that had coffee but nothing was open. So meandered back to the guesthouse down the sidewalk that runs through the middle of the town. Susan was up and we decided to head out as soon as we could. Although the early morning walk had given me a different perspective on the village we were anxious to get south.

We made it down to Punta Gorda Town around 1:30 or so. The road was horrendous in a lot of places and we felt like we should have been wearing kidney belts! But what glorious country, miles upon miles of forest interspersed with citrus groves, banana plantations and small Mayan villages. Barely any traffic at all, just the buses and each time we saw one we were very grateful to have our own car. They drive rather fast and stop every few miles to pick up and drop off passengers who seem to appear at random spots along the road. And of course our schedule is so haphazard that it would have been really difficult to plan anything, let alone connections on the buses.

PG Town is definitely the end of the road and we always seem to find the best places at the end of the road. Susan was really happy to get here - neither of us really had any idea what the roads would be like and how tiring it can be driving and riding as passenger. It's a real workout!

And after the trip we were again covered from head to toe in red dust. It sticks to everything and my hair felt thick and furry from the combination of sweat and dust. Charming! Not a chance of getting a brush through it - maybe I should get my hair braided with beads and go native.

We meandered through town and the feel is of Hawaii, with the soft air and fragrant breezes. The vegetation reminded me of the Hana Road on Maui, with flowering trees and vines and huge leafed plants, some I could identify and some brand new to me. We pulled under the shade of a tree and chose Nature's Way out of our books. A guesthouse that is making it very affordable to stay here - just $26 BZ (US$13) for the room. And what a charming place

The garden is a riot of plants. We have a granadilla plant right outside the window and orchids growing in the trees that surround the building. A huge frangipani is next to one of the windows with the scent wafting through here.

The sign outside said For Sale, so I immediately had thoughts of buying the place and bringing my sister and her husband over to help me run the place, but fortunately (or unfortunately!)we discovered that it is just the lot alongside the guest house that is for sale. Talk about a lot of work - this place would most likely fall down if the termites stopped holding hands. The planked floor in our room has several boards that are completely hollow, and the window sills have little piles of termite detritus. But this is what makes it inexpensive and charming.