Day 17: Flight San Pedro Sula - Houston (Security Guatemala and Honduras)
It rains in San Pedro Sula. It seems that Honduras does not want to say goodbye to us. We woke up at 6:30 as usual these days of the trip to Guatemala and Honduras and after leaving everything ready, we took the opportunity to spend the last hours having breakfast and charging energy in the lounge of the Metrotel Express hotel where we stayed yesterday after arriving to La Ceiba from Cayos Cochinos and take a bus from Hedman Alas that brought us to San Pedro Sula, the most dangerous city in the world, according to what they say and which we will talk a little later when we discuss the issue of security in Guatemala and Honduras.
We met the driver who brought us yesterday that would come around 10:30 in the morning to take us back to the airport since our flight leaves at 12:55. Yesterday we already verified that the San Pedro Sula airport is very small, although with free Wi-Fi, to see if they are learning in the rest of the world, so arriving 2 hours in advance, we surely have enough time to do all the paperwork for boarding, counting the 15-minute journey between the hotel and the airport.
And so we do, punctually at 10:30 we leave the hotel arriving at the airport a few minutes before 11 and where after checking the bags at the United Airlines counters, company with which we flew back to Spain making two stops first in Houston and then in Frankfurt, we pass customs control and go up to the second floor, where we find only 7 doors for international flights.
San Pedro Sula Airport
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San Pedro Sula Airport - Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport
Despite being an international airport, San Pedro Sula Airport is quite small, with only 7 boarding gates in the international zone.
Being so small, the procedures, both billing and immigration pass quite quickly, so arriving 2 hours in advance is more than enough.
Inside there is a bank where you can change lempiras to dollars, to a fairly fair change.
Something remarkable is that we find several souvenir shops, despite being so small, somewhat expensive but that can get you out of trouble, since in them you can find countless crafts. Compare prices, as there are several and prices vary greatly for the same item that is closest to the entrance door to the one that is farthest.
We also found several coffee shops and stores where you can eat or drink.
Another of the most remarkable things is that it has free Wi-Fi, at good speed, available only after registering in the airport account.
A taxi from the airport to the Metrotel Express hotel costs about $ 15-20, depending on the schedule.
After passing the security check of the boarding gates, very safe but much faster than in any European airport, we pass to the departure lounge and on time we pass another hand luggage control just at the entrance of the plane, to Then get on the flight that will take us to Houston, the first stop on our flight back home.
Flight from San Pedro Sula to Houston
Security in Guatemala and Honduras
This is one of the topics for which we have been asked the most, both before and after making the trip. We have to say that all we can explain is based on our experience and our experiences on the trip to Guatemala and Honduras for free, so we recommend that you check the latest news before traveling, to know what recommendations there are from the Ministry . That said, we have to say that the days we spent in Guatemala, at no time we feel insecure, quite the opposite. After commenting on the topic of security in Guatemala and HondurasWith several people with whom we agreed on the trip, all of them locals, we conclude that much of what we read is true, although the approach to the information we receive may perhaps be quite nuanced.
Everyone agreed on something: if you don't get in trouble, absolutely nothing has to happen to you. And is that many of the violent news, which call into question the security in Guatemala and Honduras They are totally true, but at no time would they affect us as tourists, since they are internal problems, among the local population.
Despite what we had read, both in guides and on the internet, neither Guatemala nor Honduras were safe countries, as we know them. Our experience could not be better in both cases. At no time we felt insecure, moreover, we carried the camera in our hand and took out our cell phone and never had any problems, although it is true that both in Guatemala City, such as La Ceiba or San Pedro Sula, which are 3 cities considered more conflicting, we were only a few hours.
In Guatemala we were very stressed that the quietest area was El Petén and in Honduras, they assured us that in the Copan area, there was no insecurity.
Something that called our attention to the security in Guatemala and HonduraThat is that when we were in Guatemala and we explained that we would go to Honduras later, everyone told us to be careful there and when we arrived in Honduras and commented that we had been in Guatemala, they told us "Guatemala is dangerous"This is something that made us much clearer something that we had been thinking for a long time: the sense of danger or insecurity depends largely on your perception of it.
The 3 hours of the flight from San Pedro Sula to Houston which we spend time reading and especially looking out the window h is that the landscape from this sky is incredibly green and beautiful to miss.
One of the things that catch our attention is that on this United flight they only give free soft drinks, anything to eat has to be paid, so we have to pay 15 dollars for some chips and a Sandwich and that is that they only One remains ... the truth is that a little curre does not?
After a flight that we passed between head and head, we landed in Houston at 3 in the afternoon, where after passing immigration control, much faster than we imagined and more after what we had read (that sometimes you were more than three hours in the queue), we decided to eat something and more with what time it is, that in our entire trip at this time we had already filled our stomachs.
Houston airport transit
- If you are in transit at the Houston airport to catch a flight that is not internal to the US, it is not necessary to pick up your luggage and leave it again after immigration controls, since the luggage is billed at origin to destination.
- Houston airport has free Wi-Fi. You only have to register to enjoy the service.
- The airport is much more modern than NY Newark, or at least that has been the impression it has given us after being in the latter the day we arrived in Guatemala.
- They have many plugs, both in seats and corridors, something very useful especially if you are on a long scale.
After locating what will be the boarding gate for the next flight from Houston to Frankfurt, we decided to eat at Ruby's, where we ordered a ruby's burger, nachos with guacamole and mozzarella sticks plus two sodas and two coffees for $ 41.
Eating at the Houston airport
We have to say that everything is great, although it puts us in the background, reminding us that in the US the rations are twice that in Europe and we must remember it, especially when we return in the month of March.
It is just under an hour for boarding and there we will wait for what will be our second flight of the day, with which we will arrive in 9 hours to Frankfurt, the second flight stopover.
Houston Airport
Undoubtedly the biggest difference with the flight of more than two weeks ago with which we arrived in Guatemala is the seat economy where we go this time. When we ask at the San Pedro Sula airport for the price of upgrade to economy plus, in which we came the other time, and they told us $ 369 per person a little more and gives us something, deciding that we were staying in economy.
We settled down and with a closed night we took off towards Frankfurt. We have 9 hours of reading, work ahead, this flight has Wi-Fi and plugs in the seats and screen, and especially rest and new dreams travelers.
Day 18: Best photographs Guatemala and Honduras - Flight Frankfurt-Barcelona
