Blogs from Western, Honduras, Central America Caribbean - page 5

Today was a great day. We went to the build site. We began by introducing ourselves using our very best Spanish to the masons and their helpers. We were then assigned our tasks. Today: moving adobe bricks. Approximately 1100, 25 pound bricks, moved from the brick making area to the building area. Definitely got my workout in today. Other activities included gathering pine straw from the woods and mixing mud for tomorrow's brick making. At noon the kids came home from school. They flocked to the job site where they enjoyed engaging with the "gringos". We played cards, coloring, jump rope and handed our lots of stickers. Tossing the frisbee and playing soccer were also fun. The kids ranged in age from 2-14. After 13, they leave school and go to work to help support their ... read more

As far as unpleasant cities go, Tegucigalpa probably jumps to the top of my list. I just want to get the negativity out of the way first because Honduras, the little I've seen of it, is a beautiful place. But the capital is pretty grim, it's polluted, disorientating, seemingly very dangerous (police are in teams at al times with fully automatic weapons like AK-47s) and full of horrific taxi drivers. I'm pretty sure the taxi drivers are criminals protected by the law, after getting off the bus from the border we were given several farcical quotes for a journey of 2km ($25 anyone) and derision and aggression when we refused to take up the offer. We'd missed the connection to our intended destination by about 30 minutes and had the unenviable choice of catching a night ... read more

I arrived in Ocotepeque, Honduras from Costa Rica via Tica Bus as well as local buses in Honduras after a couple of days and was surprised at how beautiful this little town was, in a valley surrounded by beautiful big mountains and a local feel not a tourist trap. Well I guess you could make the argument that all of Honduras outside of the Bay Islands is that way lol. Anyway I used a taxi drivers cell to call Lemuel, the teacher who essentially gave me the job, at around 7am and he came down to meet me and showed me around the apartment. I also met the other teacher working at the private school Kristine. They were friends from the Philippines who came to teach there and Lemuel has been going back every school year ... read more

Two days in lush gardens, hot showers and Eggs Benedict included, for less than a rate at Holiday Inn Express, should make you jealous!! People are smiling at us and are happy we are here. We are in a quaint small town with cobblestone streets. December 1stwas a day for rest and exploration. We were told to leave our laundry in bags on the bed and they would have it done by the afternoon. No problemo! Our room was magnificently cleaned and even our toiletries were organized, including toothbrushes (which were stood upright) and toothpaste. Jeans were folded on top of the suitcases and Wilson was given a very special place on the desk. We travelled around town on foot for quite some time. The roads are uneven stone, but we have learned to maneuver in ... read more

6 hours bus ride and I finally arrived in the small town of Copan. To get through the boarder overland, we were asked by the shuttle driver to fill-up 2 custom papers. The declaration questions I find quite bizarre; I must declare about anything and everything I am bringing to Honduras with no exception to my personal belongings. Maybe it was just me or the alcohol still floating in my system from the night before in Antigua but I found myself repeating the declaration statements over and over again. In my head: how the heck do I answer this!? ... Anyways, confused and feeling like an idiot, I just declared the gifts I purchased in Guatemala and see how it goes. To exit the Guatemalan boarder, I was asked to pay 10Q about roughly $1.40 US. ... read more