Our Christmas Journey

•January 14, 2009 • Leave a Comment

We weren’t flowing the bright light in the dark sky, we were not bringing frankincense, we were just trying to get to Jim’s aunt and cousin’s house in Belize before Christmas.

PHOTOS LINK: SCROLL DOWN

Little did we know it would take 3 days and one fell of a bumpy ride.

We started out in a taxi, to the bus station of the somewhat first class bus to San Pedro Sula. All was going smoothly so far, even with the collectivo (mini van transportation system) to the port town of Puerto Cortez where we had to spend the night. It is not a tourist destination town, so the hotel pickings were slim. We picked one and dealt with it…orange walls, caged in TV (but low and behold IT did have a TV) and a dirty shower stall. For $13.00 we did not complain, just laughed and went unshowered.

Got up early to make sure we got seats on the boat to Belize. First, I am being kind by just calling this a boat. It is the Christine of the boat world. It has probably seen its share of contraband in its day, and this old thing had never seen a day of comfort in her life. She was taking revenge on those who rode her. We had to take a taxi to where Christine, the Hell Boat, was docked, but we were not to leave for quite awhile, so we checked out the fish docks, got something to eat and just hung out until we needed to do immigration stuff. We were shuffled to the office in the back of a pick up, quickly stamped, and on we were for the ride of our life.

Christine, captained by a man with death wish, was a large styled cigarette boat with 3 200 horse power engines.  Meaning big, fast and loud.  The seats were all inside this death-mobile, the worse place to be in rough seas. There were cushions, but that is far as any comfort went on this what was supposed to be a 3 hour tour, 3 hour tour. We started off fine, but once the captain put the engines to work the boat started to slap the waves coming at it. At first, I was thinking this is like a roller coaster, even one little toddler was giggling. Jim was not. Then came the lightening in your ears slams of the boat now hitting 8-10 foot swells. Did the screams of the passengers, including myself, slow the devil captain down? No! I asked a man next to me if he thought the whole trip is like this, he said, “No, the last time I rode it, it calmed down half way through.” That gave me some peace of mind, for the moment, but it did not last long.

The waves did not stop, the slamming of the boat onto the water did not stop. Then the getting sick of people around me started, and the look of shear fright of the people across me did not go away.  I began to whimper. Jim could not be talked to or moved, he was trying to see a horizon through the high side to side motion of the boat and the very large swells. He was willing himself not to get sick.

Half way through the ride, I looked at the man next to me again and yelled, “You said it will stop!” He replied, “It will when we get to the islands off of Belize.” I could only hope they came sooner than later. It was a like a roller coaster from hell, that would never stop!

Even when we did get to the islands-off-the-coast-of-Belize part, the ride was still rough, but the swells of the sea were not as bad. It took us around 4 hours to get to land and then Belize immigration would not let us off the boat. They did their immigration process right there on the boat, everyone just wanted to get off the damn thing, and they made us wait. When I could get off, I not only got away from the boat, I got away from the dock as well. I wanted dry solid ground.

With that behind us, we walked with wobbly knees to find Vicky’s place, where we were going to spend the night. Befriended by a fellow traveller that also lived the boat ride to tell about it, we all settled in for a bit to calm down.  Dangriga is a little Garifuna town kind of mid-way up the coast of Belize.  After talk of the ride, where our friend had to hold on for dear life of a 2 year old girl for most of Christine’s unkindly ride, because the girl’s mother was too sick,  we set out for something to eat. We wanted seafood on a place at the beach. Who knew the locals are not into that kind of scene, and mind you, again this was not a tourist town. We walked for quite awhile after getting directions, and ended up to what was kind-of a bar on the beach. It was the dive of all dives. It was a shack, that actually had a upstairs and downstairs…but no inside. Dominoes were being played on both floors, seriously played, we sat in some worn out seats and decided we weren’t going to leave until we got a beer. There was no food to be had.  We got the beer and then left, hitching a ride back to town by one of the domino players. We found a place to have dinner. My stomach was still so upset from the boat ride, I decided to go with what I thought was a safe bet, a hamburger, but it was horrible. I nibbled. When we were done and got back to the hostel, we were so tuckered from the tense boat ride, I think we both feel asleep before 8:00pm!

The 3 day Trip to Corozal – Dec. 08

The next day was glorious compared the boat ride day we just had, a bus ride to Belize City and then a bus ride to Corozal, our final destination. These buses were old American school buses made for children. That did not bother us at all…we did not care about our knees hitting the seats in front of us, we did not care about the not so great roads, we did not care about the overcrowding…we were on dry land.  These rides were luxury compared to that demon boat.

After we got to Corozal we were not quite done yet. We had to figure out how to call Jim’s aunt and cousin, and then after around 20 minutes, we were picked up by Laith, Jim’s cousin, and our “driver” for the next week.  They, Aunt Audrey and cousins Laith and Seth, live outside of town on the water in this great house…all said and done very much worth the trip there!

We not only made it for Christmas, we were going to be with family for all of Christmas eve as well.

Our motto while we are here in Central America is “It is an adventure to get anywhere!” And that it was!

Posted in Oct - Dec 2008, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
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Pre-Holiday Trip with the Three…

•January 11, 2009 • 1 Comment

J’s!

Jim, Justin and Jason!  Did you think I was going to say something else?  I do loving refer to them as the Three Stooges, actually, Four stooges, but Steve was not here with us.  Better yet, let me just call them, the Three Amigos…El Jimador, El Jamon and El Risador.   Please read further for the meaning of these names. 

Photos…please click on the links throughout this blog to view albums.

Jim and I started out our travel extravaganza early on Dec. 12 to get to Tela where we were to meet up with Jason and Justin that evening.  Jim set up a meeting with the local authorities regarding their dump issue.  Exciting stuff, eh?  I Christmas shopped for a couple of little gifts for Jim to have for under our pathetic little 2 foot Charley Brown Christmas tree.   

We had set up a driver to pick up the Js at the airport in San Pedro Sula 1.5 hours away.  At last minute Jim decided to go with the driver to be the one holding up the sign saying “Senors Orta y Thompson.”   As he was driving off, a large party was forming at the car wash next door to our hotel.  At first, I was wondering how I could crash the party in honor of my old sfgirl dotcom days, but then I actually got invited by a jovial young man.  I found out  it was a celebration for the newly elected mayor…at a car wash?  I told him in my still not so great Spanish, “When my husband gets back.”  I am not ready to be all alone with a bunch of drunk Latino men…although most of them harmless.    But I did watch at times through the hotel window.   The Three Amigos arrived at the hotel late, well after the car wash/mayoral celebration was over, but  we still  had a beer to cheer in their safe arrival.   Justin coming  all the way from Portland, OR and Jason from Sacramento, CA.  Thanks for visiting guys! 

Our next day started slowly, but got going when Josue a guide at Garifuna Tours offered us a special priced trip after he got off.   So, us four, Josue, and a driver headed out to Miami.  No we did not jump a raft and head towards the states on open seas.  Miami (pronounced Mee-a-mee) is a small Garifuna village on the beach.  After a long bumpy ride, we got there, walked along the beach/around village and waited for our lunch of fish, beans and rice…and beer.  Lunch was good as usual.  We talked of Guifity, a Garifuna drink of botanicals and cheap rum.  We did not tell Justin or Jason it tastes horrible, we just wanted them to experience it for themselves.  Josue, bought us some, and we did a shot. Mind you, Josue, now driving pulled the car over to do the first shot with us.  Scary!  Some how we talked the boys in to a second shot when Josue pulled over again!   They will remember Guifity for a long time…it is that bad!    We did get back to the hotel safely, although after dark.  We laid lowed for most of the night, until the boys got hungry.  I opted for going to bed as they headed out to Auto Pollo, our favorite cheap fast good roasted chicken joint in Tela which also usually offers great entertainment by way of it being a local character hangout.   They came back full, and with stories of drunken men and easy women.

Tela PHOTOS:

Trip to Tela with the Js- Dec 2008

We had an early morning start for our day at Punta Sal, Parque Nacional Jeannette Kawas.  What a great and beautiful place.  We had a half hour boat ride through the clear Caribbean sea to the area of Punta Sal.  Private bays where pirates once hid their booty, Jurassic Park like jungles and paradise style white sand beaches is just the brief description of what we saw.  We got off at one nice beach, had a small hike through a dense jungle and ended up at an even better beach.   In the hike we saw a monkey (he saw us back) , bananas that block you up (stay away from them), and palm trees with the nastiest looking stickers I ever saw (and they hurt, I know).  We took the boat then to where we were to have lunch, another yummy fish dish, at, if you can believe this, the best beach of the day!  As we waited for our lunch, we swam, we walked up and down the short bay beach, collected a variety of different seashells and checked out the rocks at one end of the beach.   The weather was perfect, the scenery was even better…and we were with friends!   Special friends, two of the people responsible for Jim and I meeting! 

Although we were hot and tired, after we got back and after cleaning up, we rallied to make it tp Maya Vista for Sunset, which happens between 5 and 6:30pm every night, every day of the year, no daylight savings time here folks.   Maya Vista is this great little hotel and restaurant on a hill over looking Tela and the Carribean Sea.  We celebrated Justin and Jason’s first full night in Honduras with what else, cuba libres, and a new one to us, Maya libres (with 7-Up instead of Coke).   After our sunset cocktail hour we were off to have a nice meal at the beach, but a little street-side stand was calling our names.  Actually it called Justin and Jason’s name and all of our wallets.  Justin and Jason were introduced to Baleadas, a soft taco sort of, Honduran food.  They make great thick flour tortillas here and to make a baleada, they smear one with refried beans and usually a bit of cheese, but you can get them with eggs or meat and better yet with some crema (sour cream texture without the sourness) to top it off. Fold it over and there you have yourself a baleada.    One baleada costs less than 1.00! The place was crowded with locals, and the owner even called me Momi, a term of endearment!  We loved it! 

The next day, we split up.  Justin and Jim left obnoxiously early for a dump visit in La Masica, a village on the way back to La Ceiba.   Jason and I got up casually, had some coffee, a nice breakfast and ended up getting back to La Ceiba right around the same time as Justin and Jason.   Jim went off to see a man about some furniture while I have the boys a tour of La Ceiba, the town we call home.   We ended up in Zona Viva, known for the party scene, although I have never seen it over the top with partiers.  But it is filled with bars, discos, nightclubs (which I will explain more later) and restaurants.  We stopped at a bar to wet our whistle and watched to local life stroll by.  Of course the boys noticed one particularly scantily dressed girl strolling by over and over again.  I had never noticed such a thing there before, but we guessed she was a working girl.    More entertainment for our guests!  You can’t pay for this kind of stuff…uh…well…you can!  After we met up with Jim back at the apartment, sin furniture, we then introduced Justin and Jason to papusas for dinner!  An El Salvadorian dish, fortunately, brought to La Ceiba.  I love papusas!  My brother in-law, Jeff’s, Mom used to make them for us.   We had another yummy and cheap dinner.  

Masica PHOTOS:

Masica Land Fill with Justin-Dec 2008

The next morning we were off to some island time on Roatan.  Roatan is supposed to be Utila’s expensive sister, but we found it affordable.   We not only found a cheap place to stay, we got our own tiny little cabin for 4 in a tropical wonderland garden!    We had flora and fauna, lush greenery of every shape and color and even critters to boot.   A giant iguana sunning him in our shade tree, a jesus christ lizard (apparently they can walk on water too) hiding among the ground brush, geckos keeping warm at night under our front deck light, humming birds fluttering about our nector filled flowers and a beautiful noisy woodpecker working hard on a dead palm right outside our windows early in the morning.   Beyond our tropical paradise garden, we crossed the “road” (a sand path hardened down by the vehicles that traveled along it dodging the many pedestrians) to a completely different paradise…a wonderful carribean turquoise blue beach.     We were overcome by it all.  Our boat ride over was less the wonderful due to the fact 3 out of the 4 of us got green around the gills from the sloshing side to side motion. and then we had to patiently get through the slowest taxi ride ever in a car with NO shocks to get to West End town, but it was all worth it when we actually took the time to take it all in!   We promptly filled our stomach beach side and after walked the length of the road/path. Then we settled into our little cabin home.  As we could see the sun starting to set we crossed the street to the Sundowner, the sunset meeting place.  With fruity tropical drinks in hand, we settled into plastic lounge chairs lining the beach and quietly, okay Jason cracking a joke here and there, watched the sunset.  

The next day, we took it easy for the morning and then hit the coral reef for a look-see.  Jim went diving and the rest of us snorkeled.  I have been a diver for years, but am now into snorkeling and this was a great day for it.  We were situated right over a shallow reef area and did not need to go diving to see wonderful fish, coral, and other sea life.  Although Jim enjoyed his time breathing under water down deeper.  We were all excited about our trip.    After settling in after our time on and in the sea, Jim and Jason went out and came back to the cabin with a little something to start the evening with, okay it was only 2pm, but that is the way it goes for some vacationers!   After some good laughs on the litttle front deck around the little table, little chairs and colorful not so little hammock we headed to Chippys for dinner and some Freddy Mercury time. 

Roatan PHOTOS:

Roatan with the Js – Dec. 2008

Before I go any further, Jim at some point by now had given Jason  yet a new nickname, El Jamon.  Let me explain, Jason not only loves any pork product (jamon means ham), he IS a ham.   Jason proudly accepted his new name, dropping Marty Morgenstern and Art Vandelay for the rest of the trip.    Jim already has the nickname of El Jimador (pronounced Himador given to him by the 4th Stooge, Steve…aka…The Sloth according to Jim because of the speed of his walk), so we had to get one for Justin too…something that had to do with chuckling.   We did not come up with a good Spanish translation, but after some time sitting here now with Jim and an English to Spanish dictionary we are claiming a new nickname for Justin.  From this time, forth he shall be known as El Risador (the chuckler or giggler).   We might have made this word up…but Jimador does not mean anything either, ah but it is the name of a Tequila! What does that say about my husband? Well, at least risa does means something, chuckle or giggle.     

Okay now back to Chippy’s…one of our fondest nights away!   Chippy is an aging rocker English chap.  And Chippy’s is his something like a mix between a chips and fish van they have on the streets in England and an American roach coach, but in a modified moving van with flat tires set just between the road/path and beach, but with actually good food…ranging from yes, those chips and fish, but all the way to a variety of curries and even lobster!   On wednesday evenings he slides a sheet down the backside of his van, the side facing the beach, and plays a movie.  The pre-movie dinner entertainment was a Queen concert live from Wimbley Stadium circa 1984 (although I just googled it  and I think old Chippy meant 1986, think those rock and roll years are catching up to his memory).  While we were waiting for the projector to show up, Chippy would run around yelling, “We want Freddie, We want Freddie!”  I joined in!  On our trip across America Jim had turned me into a Queen, and more so, Freddie Mercury fan!  I grew up with them, and it takes me, what, 30 years later to really appreciate the ultimate talent of what Freddie Mercury was!   The projector came, our seafood curry dinners came…and then there was dancing.  Dancing in front of concert, on the beach, in the water, with Chippy.  I danced and I tried to get Justin to dance, and I tried to get Jason to dance…but I know not to even try to get Jim to dance!   I had so much fun with Chippy and Queen.  Chippy told us stories of having a famous rock and roll brother and was hinting about The Who, but who knows about that crazy old limey!   After the concert was over, I headed off to bed, but the Three Amigos stayed on to watch American Gangster.   They did not get to watch the end of it as it started to rain and they had to wake Chippy, who was passed out on one of his lounge chairs on the beach.   What a night to remember!    Long live Chippy! We want Freddie!

On our last day in Roatan, Jim and I slept in while the boys went for a snorkel on front yard beach.  When we got up, we went off for some coffee at Jitters and then the boys met up with us.  After coffee, Jim had to hit the duty free shop and spend way too much money on his favorite liquors from back home.  It made for an uncomfortable time for the boys, because I gave Jim a hard time for spending way over our budget for the day.   We eventually moved on…to West Bay Beach.  We took a little boat around our bay to hit their bay and boy oh boy, their bay was better than ours!    West Bay is filled with more resort style hotels, but not of the Cancun variety.   White sands, turquoise blue water and sunny skies.  We took to a game of Frisbee which was fun, until the sun got to much for me.  I moved to under a shady palm at the back of the beach while the boys played on in the water.  After awhile, I threw them a baby coconut, they put the Frisbee to rest and tossed the bomb like hard coconut around.   After the boy play was over, we hit a bar for yet another tropical drink.  I opted for just the frozen fruit part without the rum!   We found a pirate there, not a living one, but a great statue of one which made us all happy as there had been pirate talk the whole trip.  We posed saying “Arrrr!” and got a photo. After we got back to our cabin and cleaned up, we went out for a nice dinner…fish, fish and more fish….and cats…and a crazy guy on the beach! Oh, and El Jamon got his El Cubanos and for a good deal too!   We never did find out if he actually got them home safely, shhhh!

We had an early morning boat ride back to La Ceiba, we were all ready with some sea sick pills to weather the waves, so the ride was uneventful.  After we got back, we hit our favorite cafe, Ki’bok for breakfast, and then Jim and I got running with some chores while the boys got cheap ($6.00) massages, hammocks, and lunch.  Jim and I had to see what happened to the used couch we put a deposit on, it seems they sold it from under us!    So we picked out a new one, a kitchy bamboo and floral print number.  We also made sure the wood furniture we ordered to be made was actually being made.   Also, we had to get food and supplies for the small holiday party we were hosting for our new found La Ceiba friends.  The party started at 6:00pm, early, as we did not want to bother our new neighbors with a late night gathering.  There was Audrey and Jerome, the French couple who just bought a house here, Jessa and Andrea, the Jungle Lodge/Banana Republic girls, Chrissy, Brooke and Cynthia, the Helping Honduras Kids volunteers, and late, but still present, our guests on honor, Jason and Jim, and bit inebriated already, but ready to party on!  I think it was quite a successful gathering and 5 extra people followed us to Chef Guity for dinner at 8:30pm.   We had a nice Garifuna seafood fest and most of us were really tired after the early evening drinks and the big meal, but not the boys, they were still ready to party on!   Jim and I went home on our own, to hear stories from the boys the next of what went on without us.  They first went to Dos Chicas nightclub, finding out for us first hand that nightclubs in Honduras are strip clubs, a discoteque is for dancing of the non-naked kind.    They also met a nice girl willing to take time with their broken Spanish, but also she probably thought they were going to buy her for the night!  Of course they did not and took a taxi home after some more adventures in the Zona Viva of La Ceiba. 

The next day, the Three Amigos were off for the Jungle Lodge while I stayed at home and got ready for the trip up to Belize.  They went white water rafting, jumped off a 20 foot rock into a rushing river, laid about in a swiming hole and drank beer.  Jim got back early the next day for us to start on our 2-3 week Holiday adventure (see the next couple of blogs for those stories and photos) while the boys stayed on at the Lodge another day for a nice hike in Pico Bonito, a wonderful National Park.

Thanks again for visiting us guys…and we are looking forward to the next adventure with more guests!

Posted in Oct - Dec 2008, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
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A Place to Live and the Time to Give!

•December 12, 2008 • Leave a Comment

Will add some photos later…so check back!

Although we have been volunteering here and there for the last month, we will start gung ho after the holidays, especially since we will be somewhat settled in our new apartment in La Ceiba.

I will be splitting most of my time between an orphanage for boys 9 to 18 years old and a preschool, as well as a few other programs here and there. Jim will be splitting his time up helping with dumps and water systems for small towns along the coast and erosion and water programs for small mountain schools. We are ready to start giving like so many great and wonderful people we have meet here that are either volunteering for whatever periods of time to dedicating their lives to helping people here in Honduras.

And if you want to help us give more…

Email me. Dawn, at sfgirl_dawn@yahoo.com for more information. We are looking for monetary donations of any size to art/crafts/sports supplies!

Some of our time away from volunteering will be spent in our new two bedroom (yes, room for guests) apartment (it seems one bedroom places are quite rare here) a block away from the outdoor market, 5 blocks from the central park, 3 blocks from the beach and 2 blocks from Zona Viva!

The place is much bigger than we were expecting, so we have started up our swing dance practice again! Okay, that is because we do not have much furniture! We have a red plastic table with 4 red chairs in our dinning area. We have a double size bed in our room. We have two 4¨ twin size mattresses in our guest room/office (where Jim will be doing most of his volunteer work) for any of you that want to visit. And we have slept on them and they are very comfortable! We had to get a fridge and stove…so with budget in mind and the prices here being much higher than we ever imagined…we have a 3 foot fridge and a funky large toaster oven with two burners on it for a stove/oven combo! Oh, and of course Jim needs a grill, we are getting a small style one for our somewhat closed in balcony…but we figured a way to not burn down the building! And while Jim needed his grill, Dawn needed a Christmas tree. The 2 footer along with some lights and decorations cost a whopping 6.00! We do not have a couch or much else…but we have a Christmas tree!

Our new landlord and neighbor, Gerald Cole (aka ¨The Gringo¨), is wonderful, along with his wife, Ramina, and 2 daughters, Nicole and Hilary.  Although Gerald looks like and has a gringo name….he is 100% Honduran. We hope to continue to have a great relationship with our new friends over the year and beyond!

We are now in Tela awaiting our friends, Jason and Justin from the West Coast to get here! We are looking forward to a fun SUN (yes it is still raining, but Jim has not started on the ARK yet because we have had some breaks from the hard down pours) filled time with them over the next 10 days.

Then we will try to make our way up north to the top of Belize to spend the holiday with Jim´s Aunt Audrey and cousin Laith. We are a bit worried about getting there without missing Christmas because here sometimes the adventure is getting to the place! Then we are off to celebrate the new year on Caye Caulker off the coast of mid Belize. One of my favorite places and now I will share it with Jim!

HAPPY HAPPY AND A VERY MERRY MERRY!

To our family and friends, we love and miss you!

Posted in Oct - Dec 2008, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
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Hanging from Vines, Diving from Rocks and Playing with Kids!

•December 2, 2008 • 1 Comment

Good times at the Jungle River Lodge and the little village of Naranjo, Honduras!

Click below for the photo album

PHOTOS

After Tela we headed back to La Ceiba, but got on a local bus (uh, the famed Chicken buses) and asked to get off earlier than La Ceiba for the Jungle River Lodge. But, low and behold, we were not anywhere near the Jungle River Lodge! Matter of fact, we were in bum poop nowhere! Fortunately, another bus came along and we hoped back on to get to La Ceiba. Where we went and met up with others that were going to the Jungle River Lodge too..so we all got a ride in some funkily rehabed toyota jeep thingy! The ride was mostly on a rock/gravel/dirt road, so driving was slow, but conversation and the scenery was great! We drove on a narrow road along a fast paced rushing river, so the adventure began! Arriving at the rustic, what is called, Eco-Lodge, Jungle River Lodge, we found a basic room and did not have time to relax until we started on our first hike. First, let me explain what they mean by eco here…eco does not mean it is eco-friendly…it just means it is out in nature. And the Jungle River Lodge definitely out in nature! We met up with Jessa and Oscar, two people organizing to build a free leadership and environmental school for the kids in the village. We went up to the spot where Oscar has donated land for the school…and it was a bit of a hike. We hiked further to check out more of his land…we stopped when we realized he owns most of the mountain! Jim is going to do the basic design work of the school so they can cost it out, so they can start fund-raising for it! Actually, this is a bit ago now, and Jim is done and I am very proud of his design. If we are ever able to do it…we will scan it and put it on the blog!

After that hike and quick tour of the tiny Naranjo village, we did get to relax. We talked to guides that work there and that were all born and live in the village, and with the other travelers. Then dinner was served…family style. I think we had chicken that night. There is no electricity in the main area of the lodge, which is just a palapa styled open walled hut above and right on the river. So, we ate by candle light, but the thing is when it hits like 7pm, it feels like 11pm and you just start to get tired! I think we held out to 9pm and then tried to read in our rooms by head lamp! The next day, after breakfast, we did a 40 minute walk down the road to the Jungle School, run by the Helping Honduras Kids organization. We stayed there until well after lunch and learned a lot about their needs. Oh, by the way, the kids made us lunch…spaghetti and…rice! It is not a meal without either rice or beans here! It it totally ran by volunteers and services the kids that live up the mountain, one kid walks 2 hours to and from school every day. Imagine an American kid doing that…these day! After we got back from our very hot walk back, we hit the river…there is this nice part natural-part cement swimming hole right under the lodge, so we first cooled off their and then we went down to the river for more swimming. So wonderfully crisp and clean…but not freezing like the rivers and lakes in Northern California! By then, it was relaxing time and we hit the hammocks with books and swayed under the trees! Later before dinner we sat around chatting with others for awhile as the sun was setting behind Pico Bonito! Pico Bonito is the national park right next to the Jungle River Lodge and it is also the name of the Mountain in the park. Then we had a great dinner cooked by Nanu the awesome cook/do everything guy at the Lodge!

The next day, we went for a hike in Pico Bonito to the waterfalls with Laura from Wales and Israeli Lee! It was a nice 2 hour hike basically up, and although there is a trail, there is a lot of going over boulders and the such as well. And let me not forget the huge trails of ants we had to hike around as well! The waterfall was wonderful, but to our hot sweaty disappointed there was no where to swim! We did cool ourselves off at several smaller pools on the way down the mountain. We all hit the swimming hole with Salva Vidas afterwards to cool down and relax. Another great dinner and convo by candle light that evening.

Our last day was very special for two reasons! One, because we finally jumped of the 20 foot rocks into the river!! Wooo Hooo! And then also, we got to participate in a clean up day program in the town. Well, we did not have to do the cleaning up part, as the kids got the bags for the garbage a few days before and were slowly filling them up. We walked the 1/2 hour walk up to the fiesta spot passing many kids with bags of garbage…some bags bigger than the kids even. Jim and I helped as many of the kids as we could. After that, there was some waiting around time while the food was being cooked up, so what does one do to entertain kids…start swinging them in circles. I had a line way too long for my 44 year old back…so after around 18 bouts of dizziness I had to put an end to it and Jim helped me out! He threw me 3 oranges and I started to juggle. Now, I am not good at it and am lucky if I ever get a single juggle going..but the kids gathered around and when I did a round of about 5 tosses…the kids all cheered. It was funny! Then Jim pulled out the digital camera and all the kids wanted to be in photos and then see them. They were so cute! Then we were saved by the food! When the food was ready the kids lined up for hotdogs. And the adults paid 1.75 for a meal of bbq´d beef or chicken, beans, salad and tortillas. After dinner, I got Jim to do some swinging of kids, but the dizzy did not sit too well with him right after lunch! It was a great time, but we had to rush off to catch out ride back to town…which is a story in itself.

Right after we got back to the Lodge it started to downpour. Not some whimpy rain…I mean hard hitting barely can see through it rain. As we were all paying up our bill, which was a chore because no one keeps track of the beer you have drinking, the activities you have participated in or the even the nights you have stayed, we hoped for the rain to quiet down. But no, we made a mad dash up the stone stairs throwing our packs into the back of the car. And better yet, now wet, we had to fit 4 people in the back of a car that was barely made for 3. I sat on Jim´s lap all the way home…a didn´t I tell you the road makes for a very bumpy ride?

It was a great time and can not wait until we go up again in a couple of weeks with our SacTown friends, Justin and Jason, and this time we will participate in the white water rafting or the tree top zip line tour!!!!

A bit more update, we finished 4 weeks of language school and although we do not sound that great…we are coming along and can even have conversations in Spanish. Of course, we have to ask them to speak really slowly first! We are starting to volunteer more now…Jim doing engineering projects and me working with a boys orphanage in town and a preschool. And we just signed a lease for an apartment for 6 months! Oddly enough furniture is not cheap here…some things costing even more than in the States…and these people do not make much. And of course, although my husband is putting out a plea to craigslist to start one down here, it will be too late for us to use!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE…AND WILL BE SURE TO WRITE AGAIN BEFORE La Navidad!

Posted in Oct - Dec 2008, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
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The story of Tela!

•November 24, 2008 • Leave a Comment

First, I am bit behind in my writing…BUT GOOD NEWS! I added photos to some of my past posts…so check them out.  They may not be right at the top…so look hard!  And there are photos for you to view here and now!

To view photo album, click below

PHOTOS

We got to Tela mid day, found a hotel and then got lunch! We basically just checked out the town, the main square, the beach and ¨broadwalk¨ and the people for the day. He had a seafood dinner at a place on the boardwalk. Let me picture it for you…at the most a block long of concrete with tables and chairs all over the place as make shift restaurants! Our dinner was great though! We hung out there for a bit just relaxing, listening to the loud music. Maybe around 10pm we took off..I was hoping to hit Iguanas sports bar and disco, but Jim was not into it so off to our room. We had a TV and cable and was able to watch a movie in english! But there was a bit of a problem…construction work downstairs…until 10pm and then early the next morning. We moved out and got a great deal on this nice place down the road…thank goodness for slow seasons!

We slept in the next day and missed breakfasts times in the restaurants…so we went off for more seafood. Then we hit the beach. The main beach in town is not too bad, but we walked for around 15 minutes where this big hotel is. There is a restaurant on the beach and they rent lounge chairs and umbrellas for 1.25 a day…we indulged ourselves. And around 4pm we indulged ourselves even more…we got tropical cocktails to drink on the beach. Hey…when in paradise…get an umbrella drink!

Another evening of the same, dinner, people watching, a beer or two and off to bed early. The next day we went to the Botanical Gardens which is more like a big park, then any kind of organized, labeled garden. Thank goodness we had our guide…but he only spoke spanish…so we were stretching our Spanish understanding and speaking skills to the limit. But it was good practice! We ate odd fruit and smelled nuts and leaves from bay trees, cumin, cardamon, camphor, and stuff they use in vics! It was a really nice time…and very beautiful.

That night we had dinner with Matt, Jim´s Engineers without Boarders Honduran connection and two other Engineers that were volunteering in Tela for 2 months trying to figure out their sewage problem. Fun fun…now Jim will be working on figuring out their dump problem. Even more fun!

The final day we went to Punto Izopo which is similar to Cuerp y Salado…a river, this time kayaks, mangroves and animales! This time it was sunny and we took our time. We saw monkeys, two caymans (a type of alligator), lots of birds, and a sun tanning turtle. And we got a lot of exercise and even went through tiny little pathways through the mangroves hitting our heads on vines, branches and even toots! After the kayak trip was over we headed to a tiny Garifuna town and had lunch. I had ceviche…which I can not get enough of here! Jim had conch soup. The place was right on the beach, so we did some relaxing after the exercise.

We showered our sweat away when we got home and looked for a new pair of flip flops for Jim. His broke during our day after they were damaged by Lola the parrot. It seems most Honduran men have smaller feet than my Fred Flinstone Footed husband…so his new ones barely fit.

Again we found a yummy place to eat, drank our salva vidas and then settled in afterwards in our hotel room for a nice movie night in our nice hotel room with TV and hot water (mind you it only cost of 20.00 a night)!

The rest of our week off from school and stories of the Jungle River Lodge to come soon!

Posted in Oct - Dec 2008, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
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A Sunny Day at the Beach!

•November 10, 2008 • 1 Comment

Before I tell you about Tela and our sunny day at the beach, let me update you on other things.

We had a nice International party of 10 people at the Expatriates Bar in La Ceiba for the election night. Only 3 of us were from the States, we had a few Canadians, an Australian and a guy from Sweden who probably knew more about the election process than any of us! He says, he loves politics…thank goodness someone does!

Photos of election night:

PHOTOS

It was a nice evening of good results, convo and beers. After Obama´s speech, the birthday boys…two of the Canadians (23, 30) and Jim (big 40) all had a shot of the Garifuno drink, Guifity (I think that is how you spell it). They say it is like a digetivo, from the sip I had it tasted like something to make you throw up…not help your digestive system. Oh, the Garifuno people are decendents from when ships carrying slaves either ran ashore or for other reasons they just ¨dumped¨off their cargo. So, there is a large African descent population here…very much the island type of people living mostly along the Carribean and on the islands. They have awesome music and food!

The rest of the week, we were in school learning our spanish like good little students. We are comngalong and just need to practice speaking it more. We also took advantage of the dry weather and washed and hung out our clothes. We also had dinner witha french couple we met that moved here 14 months. They just bought a 3 bedroom 2 bath home for 65K and are putting 15K into it to fix it up more. Although it may seem cheap to some of you…that price is kind of high…the prices are even going up here!!! The recently found a new Thai resturaunt…now that should be an interesting experience…Thai in Honduras!

We took off for Tela on Saturday (Nov. 8th) to check out it as a potential place to live. It ismuch smaller than La Ceiba, but it is a beach town. We are checking it out. There are some awesome national parks near here too. We are off now to check out an Engineers without Borders project for Jim too.

Our day yesterday was lovely. We walked to this hotel that rents lounge chairs and little canopies. We laid back, watched the waves, the kids playing and the adults doing tricks on their ATVs. We also read a spanishbook that is for children…hey…we have to start somewhere! We ended our day at the beach with fruffy fruit drinks on the beach…we had to do it! The sun set and we sipped our cocktails…good times. Today is back to overcast, but at least it is not raining!

Posted in Oct - Dec 2008, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
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30 days and 30 nights…

•November 2, 2008 • 3 Comments

OF RAIN RAIN RAIN!  We are going to start work on the ark Jim is designing now if the rain does not stop in 10 days!  We are used to it now and I have finished three books and almost done with my fourth.  Jim is reading all of our travel books front to cover and some sections twice.  We will not miss a bit of Central America if the rain does not stop.

Photos of Jim´s birthday day trip at the bottom along with the written details!

But there is a bit of sunshine at the end of the dark dark rainy cloud….we finally broke down and bought the best umbrellas ever.  You think everything is better when it is made in America…well not the umbrellas! Wait, I am sure the ones they sell here are made in China though!   Super large in diameter (think golf umbrella…but not that crazy), double layered in the material, and no my friends, I am not done yet, at least twice as many of the metal spines holding it all together. I feel as if a strong wind came along I would be off Mary Poppins style.  Of course, this umbrella onsteroids does not fold down into a little handy pack away accessory, you walked with it proudly at your side even looking a bit dapper.  And I have to say I feel as if I have a sort of a weapon too if one may be needed.  Okay, you thought that was exciting, the best part is yet to come!  My umbrella is Pink, yes, my beloved Pink and with another color I so dare admire, orange, in the polka dot fashion.  Who could ask for anything more?  Jim, of course!  His is dark blue with light blue rain drops all over it.  Quite the scene we make!  And by hell or high water (pun intended) we will bring those home with us to show off with pride! 

Okay back to the rain, I learned a new phrase from my good friend Patty while visiting her and her family in Brooklyn.  When you do something that ends up stupid and costing you cash, it is called ¨Stupid Tax.¨ Well, although not sure what the rain is costing us, but coming here during the rainy season is a bit of a Stupid Tax move!  But it does make for better Spanish homework and study weather.  Imagine Jim and I laying on our bed, quizing each other on spanish words!  Now, that is fun! Brag time here, I know more words than Jim knows, but I have a feeling he will speak the language much better than me down the road.  Gee…he already does that in English! 

Speaking of our Spanish school, Centro American Spanish School, CASS threw a little birthday celebration for Jim after classes on Friday for his 40th birthday that falls on Sunday! We were supposed to go to this Jungle River Lodge that has white water rafting, canopy tours and hikes in a national park Pico Bonito, but with all this rain the road to it was washed out. We are celebrating his birthday here in good old La Ceiba! I ran around the market today looking for all these little things he has pointed out…he will be getting a fine bag of cheap an odd things, but it is the thought that counts, right!

So, I have to tell you about our new friend, Lola! We live in her home actually! Lola is a Guara, a big red parrot. I love her, and she has taken a liken to me too! Check out what she looks like:

Guara

Guarasare the national bird of Honduras and I think they were or either are going extinct, so I am not sure why she is living in a cage with a clipped wing in the of the family we are homestaying with, but she is well loved and taken care of there that is for sure. Matter of fact, Lola has run of the house sometimes. She is out of her cage quite a bit sometimes and knows how to open the screen door to the glass sliding door near their kitchen. She walks right in to the green mat in front of the kitchen sink picking at it like it is a long lost child. She also has a fondness for leather flip flops. Now, you see I had to have these Chaco flip flops because they are well made and very comfortable, but the only ones I could find where leather. I stupidly (another Stupid Tax move) left them outside our bedroom door right in the pathof Lola´s wrath…and now my flip flop has Lola bite war wounds! She does have her moods, but all in all we get along just fine. And the best thing about her, is she follows voice commands from the husband of the couple we are staying with. She is truly a loved pet there and I am glad to call her my friend. Jim and her, though, are not on such good terms. There is a trust problem. Jim is worried she will peck her, and she does! We have more time to work on that relationship with all this rain…so I have hope.

Will talk about our gracious homestay hosts, Rosario and Luis, in the next blog….and it may be from under water or with Lola and her mate as well as a boat load of other paired up animals!

And one more thing….Jim´s birthday was yesterday and we celebrated, the only way we know how to do things in Honduras…IN THE RAIN. We went to the Cuero y Salado refuge…wonderful time…but could have been tons better if it did not rain too! We took a taxi took the tiny town of La Union. Waited there for a tiny trencita (little train) to take us to the refuge. The ride was around half an hour. We checked out the little informational building, paid our fees and scurried off to a boat for a ride and look-see around the mangroves. We saw some birds, monkeys and a baby crock. It was a nice ride…even in the down pour! When all said and done…we had missed the bus back to La Ceiba…and no taxis way out our way. So we basically hitched a ride with the train conductor going back home for the day. We mushed in the front of a small truck, me sitting on something hard and uncomfortable for the half hour ride home, but glad to be out of the rain! My favorite thing was seeing him hid the hand gun at his waist. Should we have been afraid…no…he drove us all the way to our front door and wouldn´t even take the money Jim offered him, but Jim insisted! Now, do not be concerned…many men wear guns here…so much there are metal detectors at restaurants, bars and banks…and lockers to put them in while your are visiting the establishment! The wild west goes Honduran!

Jim´s birthday day photos at the refuge:
PHOTOS

Posted in Oct - Dec 2008, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
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By a Landslide!

•October 24, 2008 • 2 Comments

I have been taking a survey of non-american people I have met and am not surprised by the outcome. My laid back island statistics has come to the conclusion that Obama would win by a landslide if this were an international vote.  Not one person in my causal survey has said McCain.  This is my little plug…now those of you leaning towards, on the fence or definitely on McCains side…please think what that says about us.   If people from all over the world wants Obama to win…what do they know that some of us don’t!   We need more than a change of a person in the white house, we need a party change and a new fresh look at things.  First and foremost, VOTE, and second…vote for Obama!

I am finishing Obama’s first book he wrote after becoming the first black president of Harvard’s Law Review.  He had an interesting and international childhood, it is a good and easy read.   I think it is called, THE DREAMS OF MY FATHER (or something like that).

Now, on to more fun stuff…island life…let me see there is that time I fell of the dock into the lagoon!  Okay, it was dark and I thought the dock went all the way to the building next to it…but it did not!  The water was not of the lovely carribean kind, so I was grossed out…but besides a scrape on the knee and it scaring the hell out of me…I am okay!  The party we went to on the end of the dock was fun too…a Dive Master graduation party!  Speaking of dive masters, Jim is at his last day of diving school today.   Wooo Hooo…he will officially be an Open Water Certified PADI diver tomorrow!  We will go do some dives together tomorrow hand in hand under the deep blue sea!  Aaaaah!

Desmonde and Delcia, our hotel “landlords” still are amazing us with great food.  The other day conch soup and today we will  have a freshly caught fish dinner.  Took a long walk with Delcia yesterday and she should me these huge homes Americans are building along the water.  Although they are not super expensive, they are not an island steal some people would like.  199K for a condo is not that great if you ask me, when Desmond just told us he built a house on the mainland, La Ceiba, for a total of 4000. with paying arounmd 1500. for the land!!!!   So, I doubt we will be buying a place here…it would be nice though!

We went to this bar the other night called, “TreeTantic” and it like a tree fort in this wonderful artand tree garden.  The location is called “The Jade Seahorse” and even has cabins.  Check it out The Jade Seahorse. A gecko ran up my leg and onto my shirt and I did not even know it until it touched my skin…I freaked out and fortunately flicked it off before it got to my hair! I am not afriad of geckos, but Jim had just pointed out this giant web with a giant spider in it off the back of the seating area we were relaxing at! I moved away from the trees after that! Wish we could show you our photos of the art garden there…but do check out the link for an idea. Very cool!

Okay, I need to go meet up with Jim for lunch!

Posted in Oct - Dec 2008, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
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To La Ceiba and Back!

•October 20, 2008 • 1 Comment

We went to La Ceiba for the weekend because we had a dinner party to attend.  Yes, a dinner invite already.  Okay, it was through a non-profit down here we may do some volunteer work.  Check it out! Helping Honduras Kids

Great people and a great time! We have more connections in and around La Ceiba now! Thanks to Dave Ashby (Founder and Director) and Eve Horowitz (Volunteer Recruiter Extradinaire and fellow fast talking Long Islander)! If anyone is interested, they do need financial support and also take in volunteers for any length of time! I am sure we will do some kind of volunteering for them even if we do not stay in the La Ceiba area. I am thinking grants grants grants grants. So if any of you know of any for children’s programs in a third world country…let me know!

We are back on Utila now, after our “landlord” Desmonde’s son and brother inlaw dropped off a computer we brought back for him. They also gave us a tour of Desmonde’s new home in La Ceiba that we just may live in if we stay here. I told you about Desmonde in our last email…we are staying at his (and his wife’s, Delcia) 4 room hotel, Relax Inn. He is a good contact and a nice man…just offered us a ride around the island on his boat later in the week…with stops to snorkel too! Speaking of boat rides, the boat back to the island was a trip, okay, more like a roller coaster. The sea was rough and I loved it, but Green Gills Jim did not like it so much. He kept his stomach under control for the trip by looking at a spot on the horizon, but the girl seated near us did not fair so well by that method. And he is starting diving classes today! I am excited for him because breathing under the water is amazing, but in this nasty non stop rain weather it is not so fun. The visability is not so great and the boat rides for him won’t be fun. I may even pass on diving on this trip around as I am a fair weather diver!

A bit more about island life…there are around 8 small trucks, 2 regular cars, 20 golf carts and a countless number of dirt bikes and scooters on this island. Once when we were at the main cross roads it seems “traffic” was a bit backed up and from my husband’s lips and in a island accent, came “Total gridlock man!” Hee hee..life on the very thin streets would be more nice without the traffic, but it is better than La Ceiba and the constantly honking taxi cabs!

Okay, mon…on to do…well… nothing. Wait, I am going to sign up for a 20.00 hour massage and look into the 7.00 facials!

Posted in Oct - Dec 2008, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
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Aaah…the Island Life!

•October 14, 2008 • 2 Comments

To see photo album, click below:

PHOTOS

We are In Utila, off the Caribbean coast of Honduras, now.  So much to tell you since last blog so little Internet Cafe time!  First and foremost…

Honduras 3 – Canada 1

Freaking Amazing!  Okay, watching the soccer game at an open air dive bar, called Crik Crik, in La Ceiba was not that crazy, As we watched the game projected on a sheet on the wall, the crowds got a bit hysterical when a point was scored, but afterwards the whole town was in an uproar!  After the game we said goodbye to this very young So. Cal. couple we met, but did not get very far as the main street through town was already celebrating.  It seems to celebrate a big win here in Honduras, you need to get into your car, have people hanging out from the inside, on top of your car and around it in any was possible, honk and scream like crazy while flying anything that remotely looks like the colors of the country (blue and white) around in your hand.  Oh, and throw water at each other!  That young So. Cal. couple were much more adventurous than us and jumped on the back of a truck to really join in!  Thousands of people took to the streets in either their cars, trucks, or buses even, or as spectators as Jim and I were on the wall of the square.  We could not stop smiling…just like everyone else.  We do not have anything like this in the U.S.  Yes, maybe a town team may win a championship, but everyone in the country excited for one team!?  No!  We do not even celebrate like that for the Olympics!  It was amazing and even an American who has lived in Honduras for 16 years had never seen anything like it before.  It went on for several hours, which was a concern since our hotel room was right on the street with a balcony….but it did die down.  We were so glad to be part of the celebration and to experience such sheer joy!

The next day we headed for Utila for a bit of that Island life.  First off, our taxi driver cracked us up.  Not because he was funny, because he opened the back of his car, left it open because it could not close as there were large boxes taking up too much room, and just tied our packs on slightly hanging over the edge of the car.  I could see the packs from my seat…so I had to keep an eye on them.  We and our bags got to the boat safely.  The boat ride over to the island was calm.  The real ferry was broken so we all backed on to a large dive boat…no worries.  I talked the ear off a young Irish guy traveling on his own.  Cute kid!  Jim enjoyed the break!  Met a really nice couple from GA too.  They have been coming to Honduras for years helping out a small village up in the mountains.  The husband really makes me feel, ONE PERSON DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

We went looking for a place to stay, but his the Ultra Lite Cafe first.  I first thought the food would be of the calorie lite variety, but now the place is named after the doomed small and light aircraft.  Do not ask why!  After our bellies full of Middle Eastern food, we hit a place that was recommended, but it had gone up in price…so we passed.  We took a really cheap place (!8.00) for the night to figure out which dive school to go with and maybe new digs for the rest of our stay.   First, a cheap place to stay is good, but for once on this trip, I would like to sleep on a bed that the sheet actually stays on!  I have changed my fear of hotel room germs since we got down here, but come on, who wants to sleep on a strange bare mattress??  Have I grossed out any of you yet?  Ah, life as a budget traveler!

After getting our room, we went on a roam looking for that perfect dive school for Jim, a new place to stay and just to check things out.  At the last dive shop we went to, we stayed on at their Tranquila Bar for a Salva Vida (national beer, anywhere from .75 to 1.25) to talk to a couple and were bitten alive by mosquito’s and biting flies.  Yikes…was ready to run from the island, but Deet from now on for us…works really well here!  We do not need to get malaria!  Anyway we did not make a decision by the end of the day on anything and Jim was not feeling well, so it was a very early night in.  Really early, like 5pm early!  He ended up having a slight temperature, so he took some aspirin and slept a lot.  He felt much better the next day, but let me explain, he has had a problem with his ear for a couple/few weeks now, so we started to believe he had an ear infection.

The next day we ran into the GA couple at breakfast and they got us a good room with air con and hot water (ooooh!) at their friends place for a great price.   And also told us about a crazy American doctor, Dr. John (apparently he is on facebook…check him out), to take a look at his ear, but old Dr. John was AWOL after going to the mainland for the night.   After we moved in to the new place, Relax Inn, and took a shower to get rid of the massive amounts of sweat we accumulated, we then rented some snorkel gear and hit the beach on the west end…the water was a bit dirty from the rain and wind, but saw some colorful fish, starfish, sea urchin and lots of sea grass.  We just hung out on the beach for a bit enjoying island life.

We showered off the sea water and dressed for dinner, hee hee, the same clothes we had on earlier mind you.  It was early, so we hit Tranquila Bar again and talked to some people we had met earlier.  Tried to have dinner at Dave’s, a chef from SF, who has gotten rave revues, but he too is AWOL.  After some hard decision making, we hit Mango Inn.  Now, if anyone is ever interested in visiting us and want to go to Utila, I highly recommend this place (google it, I know it has a website).  It is a tropical paradise in itself.  We did not stay there because 45.00 a night for a bungalow type room with air-con, hot water (big deal on this island), cable TV, small fridge and a hammock out front is unfortunately too high for our budgets…but we highly recommend it if 45.00 a night is cheap for you! The restaurant has a adobe looking brick oven for pizzas.  At dinner we ran into the GA couple, sorry, Von (Vaugn?) and Becky, again.  We sat with them as they ate Von’s birthday cake, we at our dinner.   I had a chef salad as I was in major need of roughage (hee hee…TMI) and it was really good.   Jim had the recommended Tuna Filet, but it was way over cooked…the rest of the food looked really good though.  Most interesting about the place was the bats.  Yes, bats!  Now bats are good because they eat misquitos and it was great to see them fly around, never touching a hair on anyone’s head, and eating from humming bird feeders.  Who knew that bats eat from humming bird feeders.  Speaking of humming birds, there is this one that comes to the little tree outside our window several times a day.  Jim actually caught a photo of him today.  One day we will be able to post photos again!

Von has story after story about his good doings here in Honduras.  It seems when you do good, things just may come together and when you have God on your side your odds are even better! Von is a Pastor at a Unitarian Church and he not only gets support of his parishioners, the church supports him too.  It is really nice to meet so many people doing a lot of good things down here.  We met a young woman from Oregon in La Ceiba that works for a hostel and jungle tour place.  The Honduran owner donated land up at their jungle location to build a school for the 500 person local community.  Jim may do the blue prints for the 6 room school.  There are countless opportunities here for both of us to volunteer and do not be surprised if we do a call out for donations, money or inkind gifts for the kids.  I thank you in advance for your support!

Now, an interesting little side tour on our way back to our room from the Mango Inn after dinner.  Mind you, we thought we were taking a short cut, but ended up in a hood called “Little Columbia,” known for drugs and prostitution.  There is only one way in and one way out.  Two young girls told us to turn around, but we thought they were just giving the travelers a hard time, so we turned down another street and then a really rough looking guy told us all about “Little Columbia” and if the police found us there they would assume we were looking for drugs and/or some sex hook-ups!  Turn around we did, after we thanked him and the 2 young girls we formerly did not believe.  I know it sounds dangerous, but honestly, this hood was way way better than the Tenderloin in SF, so no worries.  Who would know there was a bad hood in a 2 Square mile town on a 49 square mile island with only a 3800 population.  I guess it is everywhere.  After that little adventure, we mellowed it out and read for the evening in our little room on the waterfront and fell asleep early.

Today, we tried to see Dr. John again, but he is still awol on the mainland, but was recommended by his staff to hit up the nurse, Marjorie, at the decompression tank (for the bends for divers) for a look-see.  She looked in Jim’s ear, saw wax which he had been trying to get rid of since Daytona, and it was swollen as well.  She thinks it is infected and nicely enough, she did not charge us anything, just set us to the pharmacy for some cepro (strong antibiotics), ibuprofen and ear drops for three days (All for a whopping 18.00).  After that, hopefully the doc is back so he can yank that damn wax out and see if the cepro zapped the infection.  No diving certification for Jim for now and I will wait to dive until he is ready.  The weather is too bad anyway.

Speaking of that…just heard we are being hit by a tropical depression and it will go up to a tropical storm today or tomorrow…so wish us luck our lovely room on the waterfront does not get flooded out.  Oh, by the way, our sheet stayed on the bed all night last night.  Life is good.  Look we are already becoming more simple.  Of course that was after Jim broke the bed by sitting on it.  It was fixed fast by Desmonde, the owner, who then invited us to dinner the next night for some fresh fish.  On the way to breakfast he was already coming back in on his boat, in the rain, with two big kingfish. Oh, let me explain the island language.  It is officially English with a twist.  Europeans have been on the island for centuries.  So picture, some older white guys talking a JarJar Binks kind of language but with a Jamaican accent!  It is just cool to listen to!  Anyway, getting hit by a storm on an island in the Caribbean does not seem as bad as other places we could be.  No one here seems to being worried about it and dive boats even went out today…so we are not going to worry either…and neither shall any of you!

Speaking of storms, do not ever use you tooth as a plier to fix the metal frame part of an umbrella.  Just a warning learned from my stupidity.  I did it and now have a chipped front tooth.  Oh well…we live and we learn.  It is not too bad looking.  My hair is bad enough in this weather (Does Rosanna Rosanna Danna remind of you any special hair style?), do not need half a front tooth smile too!

Back to health issues, as many of you know I have my own small but pain in the neck issues.  I have not had to use any of my asthma medicine since I have been in Honduras….so things are looking up to get off some of my meds!

Okay now, to those of you who want and hopefully will (please please please) visit us here in Honduras (and remember we will meet you anywhere in Central America too as we need to travel outside Honduras every 3 months for our Visa and want to anyway) we are already stocking up places to take you.  Of course, Utila is awesome if you like a more rough not anything like a resort, island kind of place…or want to cheaply get scuba certified in 3-4 days.  Then there is the other islands too.  And let me not forget about the jungle tours which offer canopy tours (zip lines over the jungle), white water rafting and mountain bike tours.  There is Tela too, a great beach town we are going to visit in a few weeks as well and may end up basing ourselves there.  There are tons of national parks too.  We are keeping in mind cheap but great places for you to stay as well.   Late December and after is best to come visit as we will be really settled and the rain will die down too.

Okay by for now and keep the emails and blog comments coming!

Posted in Oct - Dec 2008, Year Away in Central America: Oct. 7, 2008 - Mid December, 2009
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