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Hello everybody. I’ve moved north a country. I'm now in Honduras, which I'm cruising through very quickly. My last entry was made in Managua. From there I went up to León. I stayed four nights, not really doing a whole lot. I saw some really good live music, and a few movies in the theatre. It costs about $1.50 to see a movie and if you’re hanging around León during the day it’s a good cheap way to get out of the heat for a couple hours. So it's not a huge disappointment when the movie ends up being crappy. Out of the movies I saw "Capote" was my favorite. “MI3” was my least favourite. Leon is a lot like Granada, but it seems more alive to me. It's very politically charged, and is home to the FSLN Sandinista party, which is still very much alive and trying to gain power democratically rather than by coup. I went on a hike near León up a volcano called Cerro Negro. It's an interesting volcano. It's only 120 years old and still extremely active. It grows more and more with each eruption. It’s made completely with black rock and sand. The best thing
about it is that it's a one-way hike. We brought sleds up with us and slid down the smooth sandy side, which is the same slope that a french mountain biker set the word record for speed on a bicycle. He got going 176kph before biting the dust, but he did live through it. So after I'd had enough time loafing around León I decided to get my ass into gear and head up to Honduras. I've realized that if I want to see all of the things that I really want to see, there isn't really any time to waste. So I'm spending every day and dollar wisely from now on. After a hectic boarder crossing and hours on bus, I made it to the capital city Of Tegucigalpa. The city is extremely gritty in some parts and surprisingly modern in others. I only stayed a night and left for Lago De Yajoa, which is a beautiful area with a lot of Mayan history. I stayed at a place called D&D brewery, which is owned by an Oregonian and his Honduran wife. He brews some tasty beers, and as far as I know, it's the only place in all of Central America that one can get a micro brew. About a half hour down the road is a spectacular waterfall called Puhapanzak. You can go behind the fall to a cave and there are some good swimming holes. If I would have known then what I know now. I would have stayed there at Yajoa and skipped Tela. I'm in Tela at the moment and I'm not impressed. The tours are out of my price range and the beach isn't anything worth sitting and staring at like some others I’ve seen. I'm at the moment travelling solo, and I have no idea where to meet other travellers here. The locals are very friendly but with my limited Spanish I can only go so far in a conversation. The people here do speak very clear Spanish, which is a relief coming from Nicaragua. Almost everyone I meet has worked in the U.S. and or has family living there. So the U.S. must have a fairly open border to Honduras. The largest source of income in Honduras is money sent from family members working in the U.S. When I got up this morning I passed three banks with a Western Union sign and a line of people wrapping around the building. I'm assuming they were waiting for there trickle of wealth. The sad thing, and this is according to the guy that told me all of this, is that only 2.9% of the money is invested. So there are family members working their ass off in the states and sending $100 a week back to their family in Honduras, so the family doesn't have to work very much to get by. Hopefully that's not completely true. Overall I've really enjoyed my brief visit here to Honduras. It's got a very lush climate, much like Costa Rica and Panama, and, besides the north coast, is fairly off the path for tourists. Oh yeah and it's also dirt cheap. I can stay full all day on Mangos and street food for less than $4. There is a street specialty here in Tela called Baleares. Kind of like a taco, but better, and fairly nutritious. They're 3/$1 and 3 is enough. So at least Tela's got that going for it. Tomorrow I head off to Copan. One of the more famous Mayan sites. After that its to Guatemala. Until then - Ciao.
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Keturah
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Honduras -- cool!
Hey man, Sounds like you are having a good time. This travelling really does suit you. Honduras sounds great; I have known a few americans who have lived there, and/or own property, and I work with about 5 people from Honduras, who do exactly that: work, send money to their family and future brides. What do you mean by "invested" as far as money goes? I love you, have fun! Let me know when you know your return flight back; it's not for another month or so, but just the same. By the way, I know you're going to HATE it here when you get back. Just saying. *Kisses*! Your sister, K.