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Published: October 15th 2006
The Waterfall
The destination after an hour hike straight up the mountain.Eight in the morning is usually a late morning here for us in Honduras, however it felf very early to me as I had only had two hours of sleep the night prior. It would have been a day for sleeping in had we not had plans to go to the small town (more like village) of Rio Negro, which is about a 2 hour drive up a mountain from the city of Comayagua.
Chris (Mr. Chris, grade 3) had asked around earlier in the week to see if there would be anyone interested in going up to Rio Negro with himself and Hector in Hector's Land Cruiser that usually runs on vegetable oil (I will never get over that. Too cool!). Hector is an acquintance of Chris' who, as I learned on the way up the mountain, organized and educated coffee cultivators around the Comayagua in sustainable, organic techniques for growing coffee. He also had a variety of other environmental projects going on that did not include coffee cultivation. Just in general a really cool guy to talk to.
Anyhow, back to the story. Chris, Jill, Hector and I left for Rio Negro at around 9 a.m. and
More Cloud Forest
View out the window of the Land Cruiser. luckily, I remembered to take dramamine before we started up the mountain dirt road. It was an amazing ride up the mountain due to both the views out our windows and Hector's stories about the area and the projects he had worked on. After about a two hour drive, we had arrived in Rio Negro - a small number of houses scattered on the mountain side.
Once the vehicle was parked (and the parking brake set) we followed Hector to one of those houses, where we found our "guide". The son of one of the coffee cultivators that Hector worked with. We grabbed our bags and were off to the waterfall.
The trail was amazing. Almost straight uphill through cloud forest. It was more climbing that it was hiking but either way it was phenomenal. As we walked, Hector pointed out different plants and trees and their medicinal purposes. He also pointed out which plants were edible and consumed by locals. I had my first forest salad consisting of leaves from I can't remember the name of the plant. Tasty though. I'm still shocked that I didn't get sick.
It was the rainy season and it had
Dirt Road to Rio Negro
Steep, narrow and full of potholes. That's the way we like it. rained almost non stop since we arrived. Although very cool to be in a cloud forest during the rainy season, also very wet and muddy. At one point, we realized that where the trail was, there was now a small waterfall. It had rained so much and the trail was so steep that the water coming down the trail took on the appearance of a waterfall. Not to be disuaded, we climbed up the side until we found stable, slighty less muddy/wet ground. After about an hour of hiking we had reached the waterfall. It was absolutely breathtaking. Not a huge waterfall, but the sound of the water, the forest and the rain, made you feel like you were in paradise.
After we ate lunch, we headed back down. Slightly more difficult on the way down the waterfall/trail. Especially when your legs are shaking and your muscles have decided they would no longer like to support you. We made it though. Although, we stopped far less often to look at things and take pictures on the way back 😊
Upon arriving back at the bottom of the trail, we set out for the school. Chris had been given
A Break From Hiking
Jill, I, Chris, and our "guide" resting at one of the smaller waterfalls. money by the little ladies in his church for his work in Honduras. Being that we work with the richest kids in Comayagua, he decided it would be better spent at the school in Rio Negro. At the school, there was a parents' meeting to decide what the school most needed and how the money that Chris was given should be spent.
I have to say the best part of the meeting was that there were little ones running around everywhere. By far, some of the most beautiful children I have ever seen. Another cool thing about the meeting is that we got to meet a Peace Corps volunteer who was stationed in Rio Negro. Its amazing where you will find Americans in this country.
Anyhow, it was decided that the best way to spend the money was to purchase materials to build a roof on the kindergarten building. I include this just in case anybody knows anybody with money to donate to helping build schools in Honduras. There are a lot of supplies this school could really use. And I could send you pictures of what your money was used for. One step above most charitable organizations.
The Trail
The trail on our way up to the waterfall. It was probably at about this point in the trip, I decided that I would like to live in Rio Negro. No electricity or running water aside, it was, in fact, one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited - not due just to the scenery but to the people as well. During our time at the school, I also talked to one of the teachers, who had originally been from Comayagua and was telling me about his experience working in Rio Negro. Apparently, he takes the kids on nature hikes and they incorperate agricultural examples into many of their subjects in school (He admits that most of the students know more about their environment than he does, however). I'm sure I had a stupid grin on my face the entire time I was listening to him talk. It really was just amazing. I wish I had better words to describe it. For people who don't know me very well, I'm sure this story is just coming out as rambling and I apologize. Although, for those of you who do know me, you probably realize that I am just too in awe to have my thoughts come
Hiking
One of the beautiful pictures captured on our hike to the waterfall. across clearly.
I was also able to talk to several coffee growers from Rio Negro after the meeting was done, as most of the parents at the school made a living cultivating coffee. Its amazing the work that goes into growing coffee in an ecofriendly, organic manner. Unfortunately for these families, however, there is no direct market for their coffee and they are unable to get the prices for organic, shade grown coffee. It is sold to a middle man who mixes the organic stuff in with the regular stuff and then sells it for the regular price. So, (another shameless advertisement on my part) if you know any companies or large organizations that would like to buy organic, shade grown coffee from Rio Negro, Honduras, please contact me. I can also send pictures of what your money is being spent on 😊
Sorry, got off track again. Continuing the trip, we went to have coffee and cookies at the house where the Peace Corps volunteer was living. We were accompanied by our "guide" and his family, consisting of his mom, dad and two younger sisters. I wish I would have taken a picture of the littlest one.
When One Tree Dies, A New World Grows
A sign on our hike up to the waterfall explaining what happens when a tree dies and falls. (Cool, huh, Daddy?) She was about two years old and toddling around and was very attached to mom and dad, unless of course, they ran out of cookies. Then she would be your friend, but only if you had cookies.
As we sat and drank coffee, the rain continued to fall harder and harder. At this point it was about 5 oclock and starting to get dark. There was a serious debate about whether or not we should try to return due to the condition of the dirt road down the mountian. Once the rain let up a bit, we decided to go for it.
It didn't seem like the worst idea in the world until we reached a raging flow of water over the road about a third of the way down the mountain. We had to stop. There was no way that we would make it over it without the vehicle being swept away. It was while we were waiting it out in the Land Cruiser that we encountered The Pantless Wonder.
No joke, he was more or less a superhero without pants. He was taking people from one side of the "river" to the other because the
Outside the School
Rio Negro's elementary school. current was so strong. And I think it was easier not to be weighted down by pants, so he wasn't wearing any. We watched him take about a half dozen people from one side to the other. I was biting my nails the entire time. The pantless wonder was really quite brave.
After about an hour of thinking we were going to have tho spend the night there, the volume of water slowed down and we attempted to cross. I think I probably broke Jill and Chris' fingers, I was holding them so tight as the Land Cruiser navigated its way across. We made it and were able to take deep breaths again, only to find a tree in the middle of the road a minute later. So, Hector, Chris, and I hopped out of the car once again into the downpour and pushed most of it out of the way.
We drove over the remaining tree parts in the road and were off to Comayagua. After the excitement, Chris, Jill, and I slept a good portion of the rest of the way. Once we arrived safely home, we dispersed to our rooms and promptly crashed. Zzzzzzzz.
Inside the School in Rio Negro
Grades 1-6 have school inside this two room school. Certain grades have class in the morning, the others in the afternoon.
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mom
non-member comment
yes, I want coffee...please be careful
Wow, the pics were fantastic, and I definitly would like to help with the school. But, you are the one that has to bring empty suitcases home to be filled. Ouch, the mail is expensive!