Where do I begin . . .
First things first: I need some plans for New Year's Eve that do not involve me sitting alone in my house (or being alone anywhere, for that matter). I'm not great fun at parties, but I don't get drunk and try to makeout with someone's boyfriend, either. So, if calm and drama-free is a plus for your gathering, please let me know. It's gotten to the point where I dread this holiday simply because getting something together requires effort, now that my college friends seem to have abandoned our New Year Reunion tradition.
Okay, on to Honduras. I haven't blogged in 11 days, but that was mostly because I was lazy, not because I didn't have a computer. So I'll be posting in stages. First, Day 1 and 2.
December 19-20, 2007.
I had to take a little side jaunt to Chicago on my way to Miami to catch my flight to Honduras (did you catch that) and I had just taken my seat in the plane from DC to Chicago when the flight attendant announced that the plane was "out of service" and we all needed to get off. We all looked at each other like she must be kidding, but nope. Off we went. And I called and rebooked myself (after some stress) on a flight directly to Miami, bypassing Chicago altogether, which is what I wanted all along. Trouble is, I had to abandon my luggage and hope for the best. But . . . a Christmas miracle! When I exited customs in San Pedro Sula, there was my luggage. Both bags! So, I grabbed them and went to meet Jen.
Jen splits her time between life in the city (San Pedro Sula) and the country (the camp where she works). We were spending the night in SPS because it was already 7:30 by the time I arrived, and because of safety issues, giant potholes, and ridiculous dark tinting on her car windows, Jen prefers not to drive anywhere at night. She did drive me back to the house she is currently living in (while house-sitting) in the dark, and I got to see a little of the city. Mostly I counted US restaurant chains: Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway, Wendy's, etc. When we got to the house I was introduced to Baxter and Biscuit (dog security) and the giant metal gates, padlocks, and concertina wire that seem to surround the houses in SPS. Robbery must be a major problem, because the house we stayed in had all of the above, plus a neighborhood watchman armed with a handgun.
San Pedro Sula is very much like the bad future in Back to the Future 2--the one where Biff is in charge and there are bars on the window of Marty's old house.
Biscuit and Baxter
But . . . I digress. We stayed at the house (very nice, by Honduran standards) that night and then got up and drove to Tela the next morning. Tela is a beach town, and we stayed in a very tall pink hotel on a hill, with an awesome view of the water. It reminded me of the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. We walked into town to buy sunscreen ($11!) and then laid in the hammocks at the hotel for the rest of the afternoon. Later, a friend of Jen's named Mark joined us, and we went to dinner at a local restaurant near the beach where we were entertained by a fire-breather.
Me in a hole-y hammock
The three hammocks
Part of the pink hotel
View from a hammock
Okay, on to Honduras. I haven't blogged in 11 days, but that was mostly because I was lazy, not because I didn't have a computer. So I'll be posting in stages. First, Day 1 and 2.
December 19-20, 2007.
I had to take a little side jaunt to Chicago on my way to Miami to catch my flight to Honduras (did you catch that) and I had just taken my seat in the plane from DC to Chicago when the flight attendant announced that the plane was "out of service" and we all needed to get off. We all looked at each other like she must be kidding, but nope. Off we went. And I called and rebooked myself (after some stress) on a flight directly to Miami, bypassing Chicago altogether, which is what I wanted all along. Trouble is, I had to abandon my luggage and hope for the best. But . . . a Christmas miracle! When I exited customs in San Pedro Sula, there was my luggage. Both bags! So, I grabbed them and went to meet Jen.
Jen splits her time between life in the city (San Pedro Sula) and the country (the camp where she works). We were spending the night in SPS because it was already 7:30 by the time I arrived, and because of safety issues, giant potholes, and ridiculous dark tinting on her car windows, Jen prefers not to drive anywhere at night. She did drive me back to the house she is currently living in (while house-sitting) in the dark, and I got to see a little of the city. Mostly I counted US restaurant chains: Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway, Wendy's, etc. When we got to the house I was introduced to Baxter and Biscuit (dog security) and the giant metal gates, padlocks, and concertina wire that seem to surround the houses in SPS. Robbery must be a major problem, because the house we stayed in had all of the above, plus a neighborhood watchman armed with a handgun.
San Pedro Sula is very much like the bad future in Back to the Future 2--the one where Biff is in charge and there are bars on the window of Marty's old house.
Biscuit and Baxter
But . . . I digress. We stayed at the house (very nice, by Honduran standards) that night and then got up and drove to Tela the next morning. Tela is a beach town, and we stayed in a very tall pink hotel on a hill, with an awesome view of the water. It reminded me of the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. We walked into town to buy sunscreen ($11!) and then laid in the hammocks at the hotel for the rest of the afternoon. Later, a friend of Jen's named Mark joined us, and we went to dinner at a local restaurant near the beach where we were entertained by a fire-breather.
Me in a hole-y hammock
The three hammocks
Part of the pink hotel
View from a hammock
Labels: Family, Good Times
posted by Melanie at 11:00 PM
