Flat Tire on the Highway in Honduras

I hate it when I get a flat tire! This week I did just that! I was driving from La Ceiba to Tegucigalpa for a couple of meetings in the Capital of Honduras. There were several of us in the car, and as always, the need for a “pitstop” to use the bathroom came up. I decided on Siguatepeque as the ideal place for the stop. There are many roadside restaurants and gas stations there that are convenient. I myself took advantage and got off the car to stretch my legs. As I walked back to our car, I noticed it was leaning towards the right. I checked the tires and alas! We had a flat tire!

We were lucky that it happened there, and we did not actually have a flat tire on the highway! Since the tire still had some air, I quickly drove to the gas station next door to fill it up with air. It was then when I noticed we had a big hole in the tire and the tire was practically useless! So it is Sunday evening, we are on the highway, and need to fix to tire. I must say, we were in the best possible place to solve the problem!

If you have traveled on Honduran highways, you have seen signs along the road that read “Llantera”. This is literally a tire repair shop. Despite being is remote locations, they have all the equipment and tools necessary to fix your tire. Because of the day, we drove past two llanteras before we found one that was open. We pulled in and had the young man looked at our tire to find a solution. As I looked at my phone I was surprised to see that I was being notified that there was a wifi network in the llantera![themify_hr border_width=”1″ width=”1″ color=”light-gray”]

Wow I thought, there is no doubt that technology is making strides in Honduras! A small roadside tire repair shop offers free wifi to its clients! How handy! If you need to notify someone you are behind schedule because you got a flat, you can use the wifi! Within 30 minutes, we had gotten the tire repaired and were on out way towards Tegucigalpa. By then, I had taken advantage to call home in the Cangrejal River Valley in La Ceiba to check in with the family.

The lesson of the day is that you will find wifi available in the most unexpected places in Honduras. I asked the tire repair man there about their internet service. He explained that he is usually alone there and sometimes there is no work. Internet access makes the free time on the job a lot more pleasurable! I can only say it was convenient for me! Happy travels on Honduras highway system!