Blogs from Honduras, Central America Caribbean - page 9

Yesterday was an uneventful, but long travel day. Flights were on time, but the lines in Honduran immigration were almost 90 minutes long. Our drive from San Pedro Sula to Santa Rosa was close to 4 hours in a 15 passenger van, with 15 passengers. Not quite my new SUV, but it worked. The lush landscape and mountainous views made the drive interesting. We checked into our comfortable welcoming hotel, "Hotel San Jorge". They provided a delicious dinner of chicken, beans and rice. Today was a day to acclimate and explore the local culture. We started with an orientation to Habitat Honduras provided by our in country host, Luis. We reviewed the history of Habitat, safety concerns and learned a few 'Luisisms'. My favorite for today. . . "Remember to 'squeeze the lemon' before getting in ... read more

La ropa. Clothing. It is proving to be an ordeal at the hospital. As a volunteer it is expected that I wear "formal" clothing to the hospital, which was loosely defined as no flip flops, no "tourist" clothes, and no t-shirts. Dresses, pants, blouses, and skirts would be acceptable. As I was packing, I tried to figure out what I own that fits that vague description (not much). On my first day, I curiously observed what the two girls that had been here for a month wore to the hospital: nice sandals, casual pants, and dressy sleeveless tops. I thought I could match that. Except, when the director came to meet me before my first day, my outfit of a long printed skirt, my Birkenstock sandals, and a plain black tank top was deemed inappropriate. Easily ... read more

My dreams are vivid because of my malaria medication. I love it. I am living in another world both by day and by night. But I had one very unsettling night. We took a weekend trip to the tiny island of Utila. It perfectly exuded sleepy carribbean charm. We stayed with an acquaintance of our host grandma. His house was on the beach, sandwiched between two bars, which were constantly blaring music on the weekend from early morning until late night. We went to bed around midnight. It was hot and stuffy in the room, and it had a moderately assaulting musty cat pee smell. We kept the fan off to save electricity out of courtesy. Our room throbbed from the music next door. We put in ear plugs, although I'm not accustomed to sleeping with ... read more

Little French Key Island Resort Last month I had the most wonderful experience during my trip to Bay Islands. I´ve decided to visit once again the beautiful island of Roatan. I consider this place as the most relaxing place on Earth! I really enjoy travelling here because I get out of the routine, breathe fresh air, eat delicious food, and relax in front of the sea. It´s a wonderful experience! When you get to Roatan, people feel like being in another country. This time I went to Bay Islands with my big sister. It was her first time travelling by plane as well as by boat. We had much fun. We really had a great time together because we don't share much time at home. Our daily routine activities don't let us share much time, so ... read more

It's a HOT one Started at the beach this morning and stayed for a while. We walked down the beach to the Thirsty Turtle for lunch. The view was delightful but wow is it hot. I had chicken tenders and A had a fish sandwich and B had a hot dog. I guess all that playing on the beach makes him hungry because he ate the whole thing with fries! It is very hot I have to say, the Mexican sweat was abundant today starting at the restaurant. Water Taxi After nap time (for Mr. B, although A joined him) we took a water taxi ($3 pp, if you have 3 or more people, Mr. B was free) to West End to look around and get a couple groceries. Let me tell you about the grocery ... read more