Blogs from Western, Honduras, Central America Caribbean - page 39

The last time I tried to use the internet it was really slow and expensive. But we have found an internet cafe that is cheap and fast. But I don´t think I can upload pictures. So, I will run through day by day real quick. I only have 13 minutes remaining! Sat- arrived in San Pedro Sula. Customs took forever--like two hours or something. Jennifer rented a van kinda thingie and we all jumped in after changing a little money and headed toward Copan. I already didn´t feel so good cause I was hungry and tired since I had been up since 4AM. And the heat was stifling. San Pedro Sula looked pretty ugly and very poor. The drive took a long time because there was a bad accident that tied traffic up. People drive like ... read more

Does anybody know what gunshots sound like? 'Cause I swear, last night there was a shootout going on in the neighbourhood around our hostel last night. It doesn't make any sense at all, we're in what is probably Honduras' biggest tourist destination, a sleepy but prosperous little colonial town on the border of Guatemala, known primarily for being right next to the ruins of one of the major Mayan cities. We've been here for three days while Vanessa was recovering from a bit of fever, and the people here have struck me as leading as peaceful and relaxed a life as anywhere we've been so far this trip. I don't know, maybe it was the bikers. See, last night there was some kind of fiesta going on in town. There was a little charity event just ... read more

We left Guatemala today, after a trying day yesterday wandering around Guatemala City picking up my passport, trying to get my plane ticket replaced, and getting a special stamp in my new passport to confirm that I was in fact in Guatemala legally. I just wanted to leave you with a few parting thoughts about Guatemala, in no particular order and not at all related. Ten years ago, Guatemala ended its thirty-year civil war. That means that everyone you meet here between the ages of 15 and 45 grew up in an environment that threatened, and frequently erupted in, violence that remains practically unimaginable to us. This holds particularly true for the Mayan communities of the Altiplano, where a large number of massacres were perpetrated by the military (and occasionally by the guerillas) and entire towns ... read more

I have been a teacher for six years, and every year I love it even more than the previous year. For the past few years I have been teaching English as a Second Language at an elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa. Over 80 percent of my students were Spanish speakers, and I had the opportunity to work with the families of these students as well as with the students themselves and the community. When an opportunity to teach in Honduras I came up, I jumped at it. I flew down to San Pedro Sula to originally teach first grade, however, upon arrival, I was informed that I would be teaching kindergarten. I was also told that my students would be fluent in English. The first day of classes, however, I discovered that the word fluent ... read more

On my continuous walks in and around Copan, there have been very few surprises.  Yet I came upon one monday in a place that is called a "recreation area" for locals and tourists.  While Copan itself is very nice, this few acres on the outskirts of town is magnificent.  It is called the "Camina Maya"  and it is a combination bar, restaurant, discoteque (is this the only place left in the world that calls a dance club a "discoteque"?), swimming pool and garden.  One is able to just come in and sit and enjoy without paying anything.  The location makes it more breezy and cooler than the rest of town.  One can swim all day for thirty lempiras (a little more than a dollar and a half).  That's not what really interests me, though.  Cuba Libres ... read more