I think that this will be the last entry of the year -- a year that passed by very quickly. I will at least begin the stories of the Christmas travels. My cousin, Mel, arrived in Honduras on Wednesday the 19th and I found her at the airport with no troubles. I thought that I was going to be late and she would get a taste of waiting around (for which I also felt bad because who wants to be standing alone in an airport with no phone number to call, no phone to call from, and no Spanish to communicate with) b
ecause I tried to be the usual me and do some research at a store I drove past, forgetting that comparing prices on fridges would not be a quick task. Thankfully I got to the airport before she cleared customs and all was well.The next day we headed off to Tela, one of the northern towns on the Caribbian coast. Relaxing would be the word I would use to characterize the first few days of our trip. We were not in a hurry. We even took our time leaving the city, not worrying about the fac that it meant less time on the beach. Our hotel was a neat pink building that boasted the highest roof in the town from which you could watch the sunrise and sunset. The last morning I got up for the sunrise and enjoyed the tranquility of the moment until the morning traffic got underway. Mel and I spent a lot of time just relaxing in the hammocks. Another friend of mine met up with us later that day and joined in the adventures of the next few days.
Friday morning we got up and had breakfast at the hotel on the porch that overlooked the water. We then hopped on the tour "van" that took us to Triunfo de la Cruz, a Garifuna Village not too far away. There we ordered our lunch and then headed to Punto Izopo and a mangrove swamp where we were to kayak for the next few hours. Though the tour lasted from 8:00-3:30 we soon discovered that the kayaking was only to last about 2 hours which from our North American perspective did not seem sufficient forr the money we were paying. But in the end the guide's times were off and we kayaked for almost 2 1/2 hours. Weaving in among the mangrove trees, fighting the current, and attempting not to run into the hanging branches (a great place for poisonous snakes to hang out) was quite fun. Upon occasion Mel and I were reminded of "The Swiss Family Robinson." I had never been in such a setting so I loved it. We saw a few crocodiles but only from a distance. Towards the end of the time on the water we came upon a large family of white-faced monkeys and spent some time observing how they jump with such agility from one tree to the next, creating lots of noise while traveling.
After the kayking we returned to the Garifuna village and had our lunch. (Chicken for me of course, but I was excited about the Caribbean rice and beans). We then headed into the water and jumped the waves. I had to abandon Mel though when I saw some of the rest of the group throwing a frisbee around. We even managed to play a short game of Ultimate Frisbee.
When the tour ended, I headed into Tela to print pictures while Mel and Mark relaxed in hammocks or on the roof. I made my way back to the hotel via the beach and took some time to just sit by the water. Later we played a game of Settler's which was nice to add to the activities of the vacation since I always play that with famil around Christmas (and whenever we get together). That evening we tried out another restaurant near the beach. The night before we had been entertained by flame throwers but this evening was a little more tranquil.
Saturday morning we took our time in leaving and on our way out of town (in reality our way back into town since I missed the turn on th way out) we stopped at the Lancetilla Botanical Gardens, one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. I could have spent a lot more time there and will have to go back another time. I am amazed at the number of poisonous trees that they have in the gardens with very little warning to keep people from touching them. The strychnine tree can kill you if you just touch it (I was so tempted to touch it because it is hard to believe you could die from touching it, but I stayed away except for the picture). When the tree is flowering, it is dangerous to be anywhere near it because of inhaling the pollen. Yet the only thing designating the tree as poisonous is the black sign. Definitely not a place to let children walk around unsupervised. The Melaleuca tree was another highlight because of the reminder of my mom and how she stands behind almost all melaleuca products.
The day culminated with a very wild soccer game. On our way back to the city some of Mark's friends called him and invited him to a soccer game (the Honduran Cup game we later discovered). He then invited us and though it was last minute, we said sure. After a quick dinner and getting rid of our bags, we headed to the stadium. I had not been thinking right and so I drove to the game only to find myself in horrendous traffic and no parking. We ended up parking alongside a road across a field from the stadium. I was not too excited about the location because I could just imagine the car disappearing while we were inside. That thought was in the back of my mind all evening. (I of course need to stop worrying). Much to my surprise we were able to find the other people and squeezed our way into the bleacher like seats. I was at a soccer game in Costa Rica but I think we must have had good seats or the crowds are calmer there because this game was wild. Everytime the team Marathon scored, a shower of beer, or whatever other liquid was in the hands of the fans, would fall around us. I began to wish for a very large hat. The game itself was good but I could have done without some of the excitement of the fans.
Thankfully when we left and made it across the field without getting mugged my car was still there. Traffic leaving the area was not bad at all and we made it home safely. I think it will be a while till I go to another game though.
Although I will try to put more pictures on this blog, a place to go and see more of the photos is:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34079&l=e1a1e&id=678836347
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