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Published: January 18th 2007
Hi all
I have just been reading about the bad storms in the UK. Hope you're all wrapped up with a mug of cocoa. I'll try not to mention the weather here in this blog.
As you know if you've read the last blog, it was time for me to get moving through central America towards Panama. I opted to catch the Friday boat from Placencia to Puerto Cortes in Honduras. Around 25 passengers nestled into the small boat and, after an hour waiting for Belizean immigration to give us exit stamps in our passports, we were off. As usual, I got talking to people on board and was amused to discover that some of the Honduran members of the crew had just been released from a 30 day stretch in Belize City jail for the crime of illegal fishing. Having some crims on board gave the whole journey a slightly pirate feel. I was tempted to crack open the rum but thought better of it.
I've always been fascinated by Honduras ever since they qualified for the 1982 World Cup finals, together with El Salvador. I remember looking the countries up in an atlas and wondering how such small countries could have teams capable of qualifying for the World Cup. In reaching the dockside at Puerto Cortes, I suppose I was achieving one of my ambitions in life in visiting Honduras. That's not a bad way to start a Friday.
On board the boat, I had been talking to Randy and Denise Umberger, an American couple, who were travelling with two of their daughters. They live in Honduras but have to leave for 72 hours every 3 months so that the entry stamps in their passports do not expire. Whilst a journey to Belize had been an adventure for me, it was a bit of a chore for them to have to uproot from their home every few weeks. After obtaining an entry stamp for Honduras from a building that was marginally bigger than an average garden shed, Randy asked where I was headed and kindly offered me a lift. My original plan had been to travel towards the Bay of Islands, possibly on board the only train service in Honduras. (Pat and Tommo - I'll have to send you a special train email as I know you love trains so much). A few days before arriving, I had found out the train service had been discontinued. I though about where I should head as I stretched out in the people carrier that Randy's Honduran friend was driving. As the air conditiong cooled my fevered brow, Randy suggested that there was not much to see in Puerto Cortes so why didn't I ride a bit further with his family. I looked at the crowd of other passengers busily negotiating fares with taxi drivers and took him up on his very kind offer.
So, I spent an extremely enjoyable four hours journeying with the Umberger family to the capital of Honduras. The daughters were called Ana (I think - apologies if that's wrong) and Raquel. I think my English accent amused them and I learned that Raquel was married to Henry, a footballer for a team in the Honduran second division. We also found out that the power of Bluetooth worked on our mobile phones. Thanks to Raquel, my phone now has more of a 2007 feel to it with ringtones from The Black Eyed Peas and a theme from Kill Bill. I'm not sure whether she was quite so impressed with my theme tune from Magnum. And keep your eyes peeled for a future film about the wild history of some of the family's ancient relatives. Raquel told some great ghostly stories and has promised to work on turning the story into a film. Don't forget to mention me in your Oscar-winning speech.
They really were the most kind family. They took me all the way to my hotel and made sure I had a room for the night. Denise even offered to do my washing and cook me bacon and eggs. I'll gladly give them a tour of London if ever they visit. Thanks guys.
I was not quite sure what to expect from the city of Tegucigalpa (pop 1.1 million). The name means "Silver Hill" in the ancient indiginous language used here. It is actually two cities, ancient Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela, which are divided by a puny looking river. The river wasn't so puny when Hurricane Mitch ripped through Honduras in 1998, causing the river to burst its banks. Some of the damage can still be seen today. The guide books generally report that the capital cities of the countries in this part of the world are not that special. Well, I disagree.
Firstly, I felt completely safe. This was largely due to the presence of 2 or 3 armed policeman on almost every street corner. These were backed up my military police with even bigger shooters. Every shop of decent size had an armed guard, including a shoe shop! As I drank my morning coffee in a modest little place, I noticed that the elderly security guard had a small pistol tucked away. I was not about to misbehave in this city. I crossed the river and visited the San Isidro market. It was a perfect example of a bustling, crowded market in a Latin American city. I thought I could not have been having a more Latin experience as I reached the fruit and vegetable section. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a tiny TV that was showing football. When I got there, I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked at my watch. It was about 10.30am so 4.30 pm in England. The TV was showing live coverage of Man Utd v Aston Villa in the Premiership. In the middle of this crazy market. And it was there that I discovered that Utd had signed Henrik Larsson. Crazy world. The market stall holders were very friendly when I explained that Man Utd were my favourite team. There were shouts and cheers when I told them that Olimpia, a Honduran team, were my second favourite team. The language of football works everywhere.
I had a great couple of days in Tegus. There's probably more to tell but this is turning into a long one and I know how much you guys have to get back to your work. So I'll save the rest for later.
Next time - it's time to hit another country and there's some volcano action!
Be good to yourselves and each other
Joff
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Its worth mentioning that you are probably missing the most controversial Celebrity Big Brother ever (so I've heard). The contestants include Jermaine "I want you back" Jackson, Dirk "the fac man" Benedict , Jade "horse's arse" Goodie, Teddy Sheringham's bird and a bollywood actress. Claims of rasicm against said bollywood actress by Jade and Teddy's bird have caused an uproar resulting in Carphone Warehouse withdrawing their sponsorship, Teddy's bird losing a modelling contract and the Perfume Shop stopping sales of Jade's perfume (relief!). Plus its become a political issue, Inda has even released a statement. You should know that when you get back there may be no more Big Brother, or even Channel 4 for that matter! I'm only watching it for your benefit of course.