HONDURAS, SPONSORED BY COCA COLA

The presence of the US's two biggest carbonated water producers was noticeable in both Guatemala and El Salvadaor, however here in Honduras, the Coca Cola and Pepsi branding is everywhere. Large logos adorn almost every inch of exterior facade of every supermarket, pupuseria, restaurant, comedor, bar and pub that I have walked or driven past in a bus since crossing over from El Salvador on Sunday. Some are professional advertisement hoardings and signs, whilst most are amateurish, handpainted efforts.

A lot of bus stops are painted bright red and have a coke bottle painted on them. Many walls are the same colour for the same reason. Yesterday I walked past a hairdresser whose front was nothing than a door and a wall with massive coke logo with peluqueria written in insignificantly small letters above it. Today on the way to Utila, I crossed a bridge over a muddy river that had burst its banks,  but what I noticed first was of course the large pepsi advert sticking out the middle of the swollen river. Almost every town I have passed through since entering Honduras has a sign that is 75% Coke and 25% the name of the town - but that is a different story. If the local consumption is anything to match the fizzy drink giants marketing presence, Hondurans must have really rotten teeth.