After my Cangrejal River rafting tour, I was enjoying a huge plate of spaghetti with my new friends. It was time to get back to my hotel to take a shower and get into dry clothes. The call of the hammocks was present in my mind. However, I did want to follow up with my new friends, share our experiences and look at the adventure photos that had been taken. So, we agreed to meet again in the evening. I would have never imagined such a great jungle bar as they have at the Omega Tours lodge. It is appropriately named Bar La Jungla. A true jungle bar!
After a great hot water shower with lots of water, I jumped into a hammock for a much needed rest. Once I had recovered by energy, I was ready to meet my friends at the Jungle Bar at the Omega Tours Jungle Lodge. So many experiences to share and talk about after our Cangrejal River rafting trip! After a magnificent, relaxing nap, I headed back to the Omega Tours lodge. I was anxious to find if any of my friends might want to accompany to hike some of the Pico Bonito Trails in the area. Together we could hike to the El Bejuco waterfall in Pico Bonito National Park.
Upon arrival at the Omega Tours lodge I was met by Bullet and Perrosky, two huge, but adorable Rottweiler dogs that are the local pets. They followed me to the bar where I found my friends already enjoying an ice-cold beer. We had a blast looking over the photos of out morning adventure. Most of them had activities scheduled, so they would not be able to accompany to the hike. However a couple did agree to accompany me for the hike. We agreed to meet at the Pico Bonito Vistors Center at 8 am de next morning. There we would cross the suspension bridge into the park and begin a new adventure.
Papaya natural straws at Bar La Jungla are environmentally responsible!
I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere at La Jungla. Who would have thought that I would find a Jungle Bar in the Cangrejal River area? The Lodge is within the Nombre de Dios Natinal Park and it offers a truly casual and relaxed atmosphere. They are also very committed to nature here. For instance, when I got my Margarita Cocktail, instead of a plastic straw I was given a natural straw that comes from the papaya tree plant. This straw is totally biodegradable! What a great idea, an eco Jungle Bar in the tropical rain forest!
After a couple of drinks and lots of chat, we became hungry. Fortunately, La Jungla Bar and Restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The kitchen closes at 9 pm daily. So I got my hands on their menu to find what would be attractive to my taste buds. The menu is extensive and offers a variety of German dishes. However, there are also typical Honduran dishes available. While I made up my mind, I ordered a typical refried beans anafre, which came out of the kitchen quick and in a hurry!
I decide don a chicken with cacao sauce, bet when the friendly waitress came to take our order she suggested I consider the special of the day dish. It seems that Udo, the owner at Omega Tours has built an oven that is ideal for smoking food. Today, he had smoked some chicken and fish in his oven. I followed her suggestion and ordered the fish fillet. It was delicious! Tasty, juicy and very fresh. Me friends all agreed that their food was outstanding also. Best of all, the food was prepared quite fast, I was surprised they could cook so many different dishes at the same time in a short time. Best of all, the prices are very reasonable!
After dinner, I was ready to return to my hotel. I was happy that I had a 15-minute walk ahead of me, ideal to work off my dinner. As I was walking down the dark lonely road, I listened to the sound of water as it rushed through huge boulders. I could not help but smile as I remembered my experience as I rafted the Cangrejal River earlier today. Best of all, I was surprised that I could walk down a lonely dark street in Honduras and feel completely safe, something you cannot do in most places around the world these days! And then of course, the pleasure of enjoying dawn at the Cangrejal River Valley.
This is only my second night at the Cangrejal River Valley, and it seems incredible that this fantastic destination is not full of tourists. I find hard to believe that such few tourists visit the area. It is without doubt a great place to combine your visit to the more popular Bay Islands of Honduras. That are just a short ferry ride from La Ceiba.
