Going on a camera hunt...

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Hola amigos, I know I did an update yesterday, but I wanted to tell you about San Pedro Sula. I love this city! The Dutch guy left really early this morning to go to Guatemala, and I was planning on leaving after I bought a camera but I'm still here. I went on a huge search for a camera this morning. I got up early and decided to walk to find this mall, but when I got there, it was really nothing but a few cell phone shops and some restuarants. It took me about 45 minutes to walk there too. Oh well. I started heading back to the hotel and ran into an office shop on some random street, they didn't have what I was looking for but they told me to go to City Mall. I bought a few bags of sliced mango for my sorrows and walked back to the hotel. I decided I still really wanted to buy a camera, so I caught a cab to this so-called City Mall. This place was huge and just like home, it had all your regular shops and big name stores. And...air conditioning! It's so freakin' hot here, so that was just delightful. It was strange to be in a country like Honduras and feel like I was in Canada. I found a camera shop there, but I couldn't bring myself to drop another 600 dollars on a camera, and then have to buy new memory cards. I could have bought the same camera I already have, but I just couldn't do it. So I bought two more disposables...I have problems making decisions on my own. After that I went back to the hotel and decided to stay here another night because in my ventures to find a camera I saw so much I wanted to check out and take pictures of. It's been a fun day so far, and I haven't even gotten lost once while wondering around this great big city.

So I've been walking around San Pedro Sula aimlessly, shopping, and eating, and taking pictures. The Parque Central is really nice, I'm heading there after this to do some studying in the shade and watch people. There is a huge cathedral overlooking it and lots of palm trees and statues. I went to some really great markets, and although they are sprawling and chaotic, they're so much fun! I haven't had any unwanted attention here, only a few good conversations with some friendly Hondurans. Usually people think I'm American but when I say Canada, they love me. Everyone is so nice, I talked to so many people today and got to practice lots of Spanish. I bought a skirt in one of the mercados, and I had to do a little bargaining for it, that was interesting. I don't feel too bad about paying a little more than I would have to for something that these people made. So I usually just offer a little lower and don't bother trying to hard to get a really cheap price. I had lunch from a local little stand, a huge portion of yummy potatoes, and beans, and a couple fried plantains, all for one measly dollar. The Mercado Guamilito, where I bought the skirt and had lunch, was so much fun. There were tons of little stands selling the same things, lots of Honduran handicrafts, lots of women making tortillas everywhere, tons and tons of fruit and vegetables, and everyone in there was super friendly to me. I don't really know how the tortilla women make money when there are about 50 of them selling the same thing...hmmmm. I haven't seen a single other foreigner here, and I really like that.

This city has some really poor parts, mostly around my hotel 😊, but there are all the big stores around in other parts of the city. It was a little different in the Mercado Municipal, where there seemed to be more poverty. Yesterday when we were passing through Tegucigalpa I saw my first really poor areas, where people were living in crumbling apartment buildings and in little shacks no bigger than your average bathroom. From my hotel room, which is on the third story of the building, you can see little shacks on the tops of surrounding buildings where people live. It's pretty amazing that people live in these conditions. And there is still so many happy, smiling people everywhere. The kids here all like to say "hi" and "bye" and "my name is..." when they see they see you. It's so cute. I haven't gotten too much male attention here, nothing beyond your average "you're beautifuls" and such. Blah, blah, blah. I'm used to it. Anyways, it's still early so I'm going to go wonder around some more. Once again the "100% Mañana" saying kicks in, I'll leave tomorrow, really I will...Adios!!

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Comments

[mom]

i love..
your blog entires!! so much detail and little bits of info to keep our imaginations going...take pics and buy yourself some stuff..you might not get back there!!?? miss you..mom

[Deaner]

Green
I am sooo jealous. I would love to see what you are seeing. All the 'you're beautifuls' and "...i'm used to it.." Had to laugh out loud. That's what I think about you everytime I think of you or read you fantastic writing. You have to be a travel writer, it calls your name, Deryn. Lots of happy thought to you.