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Published: June 29th 2009
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Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love a new adventure for the experience´s sake. Strangely, one thing that was definitely NOT on my list of things to experience in this lifetime was the violent overthrow of a third world country with a front row seat. Yet, here I am, and I´m left wondering if I should begin warning future nations of my impending travel plans as my dear old friend Michael suggests. Last year, we left Thailand only a few days before a massive armed insurrection that closed all the airports for several weeks. This year, a massive earthquake and a full blown Coup d´etat. It´s not my fault, I swear... then again, everyone knows that everything in the world is all Greg´s fault. Perhaps I´ll resurrect the old www.gregsfault.com website. I think I have plenty of additional new material.
We left the Bay islands on Saturday afternoon with the intention of travelling to Guatemala and seeing some ancient Mayan ruins. We made it as far as San Pedro Sula, a large industrial city full of modern Honduran ruins, when the bus service was cancelled for the rest of the day. Apparently, word of the Coup had spread
before it happened. Early Sunday morning, soldiers loyal to the recently fired top General stormed the Palace and took the President into custody. He was immediately deported to Costa Rica, presumably to prevent his supporters from attempting any rescue of him in custody. The army closed all major highways, installed a curfew, and closed the aiports. So we are now trapped in a big, dirty, crime filled city where it is unsafe to walk the streets at night in the best of times, and have been informed by the U.S. Embassy in Tagucigalpa to remain in our hotel.
Sunday afternoon, before we knew about the Coup, Tricia and I went for a walk to the local city market. A typical large market of small tables and umbrellas covering everything from fresh fruit, to slightly less fresh fish, to socks and cell phones. We turned a corner and found the city centre and main park, next to the main government buildings, where a large crowd of supporters of the deposed president were holding a rally. Several hundreds of people were chanting in the streets (I didn´t catch the words) and young men with t-shirts pulled over their heads and concealing
their faces were chasing down anyone who looked like a supporter of the Coup. Some scuffles and outright body beatings were taking place off in the distance. The young me were breaking bricks on the pavement into conveniently sized throwing weapons and the energy of an unruly crowd was beginning to fill the air. Tricia and I decided escape was the better part of valor that afternoon, and made our way quickly back into the crowded stalls and out the other side where we hailed a taxi for our hotel.
The small hotel we were staying in was a bit close to that crowd and in a very unsavory part of town, which isn´t saying much for this place, so we checked out and made our way to another neighborhood where we felt safer in larger, newer, and more expensive hotel. Now our only hope is the roads and/or airports open before we completely run out of travel funds. We´ll let you all know if help is needed, but until we hear from the State department or the local officials that it is safe to travel, we are trapped in San Pedro Sula. Why can´t we have a normal vacation like everyone else?
It is, of course, all Greg´s fault.
Peace and be well. I´ll write more when I have more information or news of our safe return to the states. For now, things seem relatively peaceful on this side of town and we are safe behind the walled garden of a midize hotel. Till then, travel safe (or at least safer than us).
Greg and Tricia
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Matt B.
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GregFault
Dude-- stop fomenting global insurrection... sheesh. Seriously, I hope you both get home as uneventfully as possible. Did you take the photos? Matt