Friday, July 14, 2006

July 14, 2006 Friday- 1st night in La Ceiba, Honduras


la ceiba beach 15
Originally uploaded by zelaya.
I can't believe its been just over 24 hours since I've been here in Honduras. Everything is so amazing.
I have not seen such extreme disparity in a country. A very nice looking place on a corner, and nothing but a dump and debris all around it. Its hard to know where the good spots are from the maybe not so good ones. We met a young guy tonight who was just recovering from gun shot wounds to his hips. He was robbed and shot. But at night in La Ceiba the shabby side of things look a little less run down.
We stayed in a nice hotel in San Pedro Sula last night. I was sooo exhausted so we just chilled after dinner. Very happy to be next to my husband again. We were being pathetically gushy, so I'll spare the details.

We got up this morning in San Pedro Sula and had breakfast at the hotel. It was my first Honduran oatmeal (Avena). This was not like American oatmeal. Made hot with milk, which I'm certain was whole. And they chipped cinnamon sticks on top. But there was something else in it that gave it a certain flavor. (update- I later learned that it is made with powdered milk they have for toddlers here. Obviously a need if milk gets scarce.) We took a bus from San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba at about 10:30am. About 3 hours. The bus line is very reliable and a clean run business. At the bus station they wand the men (not women) with metal detectors as you walk in. They check through the purses and carry ons as you get on the bus.

As we are pulling into La Ceiba Papa strikes up a conversation with a man on the bus and it continues while we are collecting our luggage. This man has a friend picking him up. They offer to bring us to a good hotel and do a quick pass through town to point out where to go. Ha! It pays to have a chatty husband I guess.
Turns out these men work for Habitat for Humanity all over Honduras. They are good souls. Papa sits on the bed of the truck with his new friend and I sit in front with Gustavo and he takes the opportunity to practice his English with me. We get dropped off at an over-rated seafood joint and share a meal then back to the hotel to change and run to the beach.
So the beach is not that great, but the ocean is pretty. There is a professional soccer team practicing on the beach and we watch them and chillout before going up to a beach front bar for a drink.

We head back to the hotel and get ready for dinner. Now I'm here writing while Papa dozes with our bellies full. Wanted the salad bar at the restaurant but didn't dare.
We just shared very yummy chicken fajitas and fried yucca.

It's been amazing to meet the family here in Honduras, to see where the family comes from. I'm a little culture shocked still.
I'm really enjoying being with my husband. He's a good travel partner. Easy to hang out with, we enjoy a lot of the same things and foods and he likes to make conversation with strangers which is not only a very nice quality, it makes things much more interesting too.
Write more later...
Goodnight.

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