new family

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I hope this blog gets through, as the previous one that i posted did not make it to the site.
After three weeks of spanish language school, my head was about to explode.  So i decided to take a little break from school and check out the beach.  My original plan was to spend two weeks travelling up and down the caribbean coast of honduras.  My first stop (which turned out to be my only stop) was in Tela, a small beach town on the north coast of Honduras.  The beaches there are absolutely beautiful, with clear water and white sands.  But the clean beaches only applies when you get away from the larger hotels on the beach.  It seems that the locals don't take much pride in their beautiful oceanfront town, as they will drop trash on the beach when there is a trashcan just a few feet away...very disappointing.  But if one is willing to walk down the beach away from the touristy areas, they will find some of the most beautiful beaches around.  The town itself is relatively dirty compared to Copan.
Stayed at the Hotel Cesar Marisco (recommended) and was lucky to get a room overlooking the beach from the top (third) floor balcony.  I was a really nice hotel with a restaurant that served famously wonderful seafood.  Was planning to stay for two days and move down to the town of La Ceiba, but on the second day I came down with small case of the flu.  I stayed another day hoping to shake the symptoms, but was only worse the next day.  So to make a long story short, I pretty much hung out at the hotel for four days.  It wasn't all bad as I was able to relax and refocus, as well as practice my newly learned spanish on the locals (they understand me!).  I was still feeling bad after the fourth day and didn't want to waste the money going to the Bay Islands if I was only going to be ill the whole time.  So i decided to return to Copan Ruinas. I still may go to the Bay Island my last week in Honduras if I have the money. 
Upon returning to Copan, I stayed in a hotel until Cathy, who runs the school, found me another family to live with.  My new family is great.  They own a little store and take in students and tourists in small hotel-like rooms attached to house.  They are really good about talking to me in spanish, and help me out with just about anything I need.  I seems as though the whole extended family lives there together.  The locals call them "The Kennedy's of Copan"....maybe in their clannish living arrangements, but not in their wealth.  While they are well-off by Honduran standard, live simply and comfortably. 
Feeling a lot like an expatriate down here, as there are very few people who stay in Copan for any real extended period of time.  I see many people come and go, and have gotten to know some of the local business owners by frequenting their establishments often.  There are a couple of people that are here for extended periods as students that i have made friends with...Kelly from Duke University is working on her master's degree in environmental management....and Marcus, from Denmark, who is freakishly smart, speaks five languages, and i think is working on his third or fourth graduate degree. 
Interstingly, but not surprisingly, most travellers I run into are highly educated and quite liberal in their politics and thinking....Not a lot of Bush fans (actually, I have not met one person from abroad that supports him) but believe it or not (for those who know me) I do my best to avoid political conversations with people....I just want to have fun. 
Well, hope everybody is doing well and hope to have more exciting information next time....maybe a neardeath experience or something of the sort.
peace and love to all
Kevin

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Comments

[anonymous]

You Go Boy
Hey Kevin, Doug here. Glad to see you're still alive and with an internet connection, no less! Sorry to hear about your illness but that's just a war travel story that you can tell, right? I hope you're getting that expatriate feeling that you've wanted for a long time. :) Later

[anonymous]

hey Kevin, Cindy here well sorry for the flu. But I lived ther for almost 2 annd a half years I lived with my mom and dads moms so it was preety cool. I went to private schools were you have to pay monthly it wasnt the same I had some boyfriends here and there but was a great experiance living there peace out