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Gracias a dios

November 2nd, 2005

I left the Garifuna village and went by taxi, bus, taxi, bus, bus to my next destination, Gracias a Dios (thanks to god), which is in the mountains in the western part of Honduras. I was absolutely after the second taxi driver charged me 50 Lempiras for a cab ride…I thought it was worth 20 Lempiras at best…the next bus I took cost 50 Lempiras, and was at least 2 hours long…how could a cab cost just as much? Now, 20 Lempiras is just over a dollar, and 50Lems is just over $2.50, so if you do the math, you can see that I got ripped off a whole $1.50, so it’s not all that big of a deal, I know. The guy needs that $1.50 more than I do. But, it’s the principle of the matter that he upcharged me 150% just for being a tourist. But enough of that… Continue reading this entry »

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Arumuga beyabu quei mebebegui.

October 31st, 2005

So, I’ve done a little bit of research on the Garífuna culture. Undoubtedly, they found themselves here as a result of slave operations, but how? And I’ve learned that they have some indigenous carribean blood in them, but what’s the story there? So, apparently, they were deported from Caribbean islands (mostly, I think, the British island of St. Vincent). Most of them were either escaped or just stranded due to shipwrecks. On these islands is where they married and mixed with the indigenous Caribbeans (who I don’t know much about either; like, how do they differ from Central American indigenous, such as the Mayans?) Continue reading this entry »

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I get off at the correct stop this time!

October 30th, 2005

So, I did make it off the bus at Tela this time, and realized that I wasn’t asleep the last time, but rather remember the stop quite well, and thought it was strange that these white people were just getting off the bus in the middle of the highway…like, where were they going? Who special did they know? Well, apparently they just knew that this was the stop for Tela (as opposed to pulling into town and into a bus station, which I had expected to happen). Continue reading this entry »

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Harold and Kumar go to Honduras

October 29th, 2005

After leaving the Jungle River Lodge, we (the 2 Israeli couples and I) tried to take the ferry out to the Bay Islands. This was, after all, the reason I came to the north of Honduras – to learn how to scuba dive. The Bay Islands are supposed to have the cheapest diving in the world, so I figured if I was going to do it, might as well be here and now. Well, the ferries weren’t leaving for the islands, due to Hurricane Wilma, which was headed straight for that area. We all headed for the center of La Ceiba to grab a hotel for the night and decide our next moves. Continue reading this entry »

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Rafting at the Jungle River Lodge

October 27th, 2005

So, the Jungle River Lodge was a pretty cool place…electricity powered by solar panels, biodegradable toilet, a pair of macaws as pets, and a cool group of guys who run the place. When I arrived I was the only person there…two Israeli couples arrived within an hour after me. I did indeed have a few beers with the boys, and tried some ‘jungle juice’ offered to me by the owner, Oscar. This jungle juice is concoction of rum, wine, and honey with a whole bunch of herbs and plants and other floaty things in it. It was quite tasty, albeit a bit chunky. Continue reading this entry »

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Pictures

October 25th, 2005

OK. I’ve gotten several inquiries asking where the heck the photos are. Well, people, it’s a busy life sleeping on the beach, exploring caves, and hiking up volcanoes…patience, patience.

Actually, I’ve been trying for a while to figure out the best way to do this, and I think I’ve got it. After realizing that I had my camera set on the best of the best of settings (meaning each photo was about 2MB and took half a year to upload), and finding a site to host my pictures like a webpage, I think I’ve got it.

Check this link: http://taniastravelphotos.shutterfly.com

Not all the photos are here. I will be updating them perhaps even later today (Wed. 10/25). I’ve also put in a comment for each of the picture, explaining what it is. I’m limited to 120 characters, so that may explain why some of them sound dumb.

Save this link, and enjoy.

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On the road to who knows where in Honduras

October 23rd, 2005

So, the day after getting up at 5:30 in the morning to climb up a volcano, I got up at 3:30 to catch a 4am shuttle to Honduras. In Guatemala, things run a little behind (around 30 minutes), so I suppose the shuttle was almost a little early when it arrived at 4:20. When it pulled up, some guy opened the window and shouted “Only 4 people!”. Well, when I got on, it was quite obvious that I was the 4th passenger getting on this shuttle to Honduras, which means lots of stretching room, quite luxurious, if such a concept exists in Guatemala…this may be it: leg room + reclining seat in an uncrowded van = luxury in Guatemala. Continue reading this entry »

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A little more on Antigua

October 20th, 2005

Mayan culture
After the disappointing attempt to help the mud-stricken, I decided to participate in some of the local activities. On Thursday, I went with a group of students from my school to this Mayan village called San Francisco Agua Calientes. We went to this little cooperative whose taught us about the Mayan culture. We ate this typical mayan dish, which was chicken and rice, with a very different sauce…it was really great. We also got a shot at making tortillas. This little old lady did it with such ease – just take a little ball of maiz dough, dip your hands in water, and pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat it into shape. Then, put it onto this metal plate over the fire (like a campfire). Well, it looks a lot easier than it looks. My pat-pat-pat’ing ain’t so good. I ended up with too much water on mine because it kept sticking to my hands, and then it took forever to cook. It still tasted like a tortilla, though, but that’s probably because they made the dough. Continue reading this entry »

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Knee deep in mud (you think that’s bad?)

October 19th, 2005

As I hope you’ve heard, Guatemala has recently been slammed by flooding and mudslides throughout the entire southwestern part of the country. I first heard about this in terms of the road from Guatemala City to Antigua being out due to a mudslide and thinking, damn, I really wanted to go over there. Well, that road was nothing and I did make it to Antigua. As time went on, I learned more information and that the situation was was graver than just a few roads out. Thousands lost their homes, their families, everything they had to raging rivers and mud. Most of their homes were nothing more than one room shelters, where the whole family ate, slept, lived…it seems as if the smaller the loss, the bigger it really is. Continue reading this entry »

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Living in a Guatemalan home

October 14th, 2005

Hey y’all.

So, I signed up for this Spanish class to help with my understaning of what the hell people are saying to me and to avoid asking old women if they’re lactating when I just want coffee for my milk (yes, that did happen). I signed up for one week, and I also had the option to live with a family, which I totally jumped on. I moved in with my family on Sunday morning. The lady of the house is Sanda, who is a Guatemalan woman about 60 years old, and she is really sweet. Her son and daughter also live there, but I’ve hardly met them. Another Guatemalan guy named Augustin lives there, and two other girls who are students…Christine from Norway and I couldn’t remember the other girls name if my life depended on it, but she’s from Israel. Continue reading this entry »

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