Saturday, June 26, 2004

What a splendid Saturday afternoon in La Ceiba! But I'll get to that later. First, I should spend some time writing about the events since my last post.

The week in Dallas was great! In fact, I don't know how things could have turned out better. I managed to sell the Prelude within a day, I found out I passed the P.E. exam (finally!), and I had a very brief-and by all accounts successful-interview with the INS (or bureau of citizenship and immigration services as they like to be called these days). To cap it all off, I managed to meet the first-born son of Arthur and Juliette before I left!

Then one morning I woke up in Dallas and before I knew it I was touching down in San Pedro Sula. I'll never get over the extraordinary feat of jumping across space and time like that. Anyway, since I got in on a late flight, the connections to La Ceiba by air and bus were gone and I had some decisions to make. I had to either stay in a hotel (and make another series of decisions), and then determine whether to take the bus or the plane in the morning. The other option was to hire a taxi to take me, but the trip involves two and a half hours in a rather well-used station wagon, $120 US, and the risks of driving at night. These include, but are certainly not limited to, hijackings, stray cattle on the road, dangerous potholes, and some that my imagination is incapable of conjuring, but the taxi driver and the Spaniard I ended up sharing the ride with were more than eager to share.

It was good to be back and I was able to spend a day with the Bourochers before they headed back to the continent (and we drove once again to San Pedro to drop them off). An amusing little tidbit that sent the B's into unrest and a fitful sleep on the eve of their 28 hour voyage back to Avrille was that (thanks again to Sophie being right on time) we found out there was a strong chance that the highway would be blocked at one or more points due to a massive teacher's strike. There had been blockages that paralyzed traffic for the better part of a day for the past week and there wasn't any end in sight. The options were:
a) get to the strike line before the La Ceiba airport and walk across to take a taxi on the other side and fly to SAP,
b) same but take a taxi on the other side to SAP and repeat as needed for other strike lines, or
c) go for it in the Jimmy and take our chances.

That last one was too much fun to pass and anyway, just to be on the safe side, we checked with the bus companies and the police to see if they had any info on ongoing or planned strikes. They knew of none so off we went.

The ride went off smoothly (except that the Jimmy's A/C is now a distant memory) and the Bourochers got to the airport with time to spare.

Today we spend the bulk of our waking hours cleaning house and settling into our de facto home for the summer. It's great to finally have one's own space and stop living in suitcases. That is how we came to come out of our clean and comfy nest into a spectacular La Ceiba afternoon with a stiff breeze blowing in from the sea and nothing to do. Well, the night has arrived and we're off to see where it catches up to us.

Monday, June 21, 2004

New Bells and Whistles

I've added a commenting option on the blog for those with questions or would like clarifications or simply comment on a particular post. Simply click on the "comment" link at the bottom of the post and then click "post a comment" to post a comment on the blog. The comments will appear on each post's comment page, not on the blog's front page to minimize clutter. I'll run with this for a while and see how it works; meaning if it spirals out of control and gets away from me I might have to pull the plug on it. For now: have at it.

Finally, after much anticipation (not unlike that for the new Clinton Book) I have a handful of snapshots from Mexico to share with you. I've added the link to the list of links on the right hand side, but if it's too much effort to flick the wrist toward that side of the screen, you can just go ahead and click on: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=82nxgnrb.4o5rq7s7&x=0&y=-1rmqvy (it's all about convenience).

I'm still in Dallas recovering from the weekend's activities. Steph and the Bourochers are in Roatan right now and as I write are probably struggling with one of the toughest decisions they'll face today: Have breakfast on West end or take the water taxi to West Bay and eat there? Life is tough. Anyway, I'll be heading back to Honduras on Wednesday after cowtowing to the folks in the Dept. of Homeland Security for my interview.

Saturday, June 19, 2004

Saturday morning finds me in Dallas, Texas once again for a brief one week stay with my most gracious hosts and very dear friends, Sara and Chon. I've been at the north Texas "centre of operations" since Wednesday night. Wednesday morning we woke up in Copan Ruinas and a world away. By driving to Honduras we did not go through the time-space compression phenomenon one usually experiences when flying between the US and Honduras or any other developing country. However, the flight from Honduras to Miami (where I re-entered the industrialized world) only takes about two hours, but I may as well have been sucked through a portal into a parallel universe where things might be similar, but never quite the same.

Some of the more notable differences are the abundance of food in the supermarket, the good state of repair of the built environment, the orderly nature in which traffic flows, and the dimensions of a Texas-size city that manifests itself in the distances one routinely travels within the city. However, there's something missing. Always noticeable is the emotional distance between individuals and the surroundings. You don't get the noise, chaos, and friction of daily life that reminds you at every moment (whether you want to be or not) that you, those around you, the city, and even the air and the earth, are very much alive.

For the time being though, I have to admit that I'm enjoying immersing myself in the tranquility (splendid isolation as well?) of lazing away the days poolside with my beverage of choice not too far away and always at optimal temperature. The rigor of today's activities will be limited to preparing and consuming obscene quantities of an assortment of avian and mammal carcasses lubricated with fermented, brewed, and/or distilled spirits. To be sure, our own noise-chaos-friction micro-bubble of sun, water, food, music, and most importantly, good company is a given.

Sunday, June 13, 2004

Hi all. We're in Copan Ruinas tonight. Friday morning Steph and I headed to San Pedro Sula to pick up her folks who were arriving on the 6pm flight. On our way we managed to stop off in Tela for a lunch on the beach of some extremely fresh and tasty fish. The combination of the fresh fish and natural fruit juices as well as sand, sun, and wind made it very hard to tear ourselves away and get back on the road. We went to dip our feet in the water and it was almost impossible to not run for our swimsuits and jump in, but we managed. The fact that Steph didn't have her suit probably helped.

Anyway, we got into SPS around 4 and found a hotel. The place was not exactly winning any awards in cleanliness, customer service, or ammenities, and the location right in the middle of town added a certain sense of adventure usually reserved for individuals enlisted in shadowy paramilitary units. However, it did have secure private parking, which is an automatic premium in San Pedro. One curious item is that all the rooms we saw had large plastic containers (the type usually used to collect garbage) in the showers filled with water. After asking about this we were told that it was because the water supply was subject to frequent failures. Rather than fixing the problem, this was the hotels ingenious way of solving it: pass the hassle on to the guest. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a "tercermundiada".

This was to be the welcome my in-laws would receive to Honduras and we were not too pleased. In the end, after luggage related hassles at the airport (It seems the TSA in MIA saw it fit to cut open any luggage they couldn't otherwise get into), we called an audible and chose an American-style chain hotel that offered services and accomodations more in keeping with those one might be accustomed to in a developed country...almost.

Anyway, the Bourochers are doing great and we made it to Copan Saturday afternoon with little more trouble than a mild sunburn from the ride over.

It's been four years since the last ime Steph and I were here. The town looks great. The main square has been completely remodeled to look nothing like the traditional spanish plaza, but it works! We'll go to the archeological park tomorrow and will most likely not have time nor legs for anything else after that. Tuesday is another day of low impact tourism (maybe a visit to hot springs, maybe) and then it's back to SPS. I'll be catching the human relay that the flight to Dallas has become and Steph will be moving on the LCE with her folks. Also, we managed to find an apartment to sublease for the remainder of the summer in La Ceiba (aknowledgements to Sophia for the quick and efficient work), so Steph will be moving that afternoon.

Wednesday, June 09, 2004

Hi All! Sorry for the delay in blogging but we've been pretty busy the last few days. Saturday morning we got up bright and early and loaded up the Jimmy (we gassed up the night before) and headed to the Border with Honduras. The trip was great despite 1.5 hours to get through Guatemala City. We were told later that that's actually pretty good.

Anyway we got to the Honduran border about noon and we decided then that we should go for it and try to get to La Ceiba that same night! The border crossing there was by far the lengthiest and most frustrating, taking a full hour and a half. A fitting welcome. After crossing over to the Patria Mater, we started to get a sense of accomplishment. We were in the home stretch of a 4000+ mile journey.

After leaving Antigua that morning, after Texas and Chihuahua, after Zacatecas and Jalisco, mountains and canyons, desert, ocean, forest and sun and rain, we were pulling into my grandmother's house in the neighborhood where I grew up just after 6 that evening! We made it and have spent the days since getting ourselves settled in and taking care of random business. While there's been work done, play has not been entirely absent. Without having any phone numbers or precise addresses, Pat managed to find us Sunday evening just in time for a barbecue. An even more fitting welcome I would say.

La Ceiba has definitely continued to grow in the four years since we were here last. There's certainly more commerce and activity, but also more people and chaos. I'll be spending many days here getting reacquainted with my home town and perhaps eventually reaching a state somewhere between visitor and local, but certainly never fully one nor the other.

Friday, June 04, 2004

Hi all: We're in Antigua, Guatemala! We left Panajachel this morning for the two hour drive. Pana, was pretty cool and it made for a great stop on the way here. It's a small town of a couple of thousand on the shores of lake Atitlan. While both Pana and Antigua have a fair amount of foreigners roaming the streets (yours truly included), they don't have the overly touristy feel to them. The remoteness definitely helps. Also, many of the foreigners that we encounter in these places actually live here.

Tomorrow we head further down the Gringo Trail to: Copan!!! It's kind of weird to think that by this time tomorrow we'll actually be in Honduras. Things seem to be moving quite quickly these last few days. We're covering similar distances between towns as we were in Mexico, but the diversity in terrain, people, and cultures is very noticeable from one day to the next. One of the things we noticed as soon as we got into Guate is the striking difference between Mexico (North America) and Central America. You can see it, feel it, and definitely taste it.

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Bonjour tout le monde!

Une p'tite pause pour les français et un peu de travail de traduction pour les autres!

Jeudi 3 juin, nous venons de quitter le Mexique (avec beaucoup de tristesse) et nous venons d'arriver au Guatemala. Nous avons passés de superbes moments à San Cristobal de las Casas dans l'état de Chiapas. Moi qui ne connaissait pas le Mexique, je suis enchantée du voyage. Nous avons vu des paysages magnifiques et nous avons rencontré des personnes très aimables et hospitalières.

Bref, nous voici ce soir à Panajachel sur le bord du lac Atitlán. C'est un lac naturel qui est dans le cratère d'un ancien volcan.

Afin d'arriver à Panajachel nous nous sommes levés à l'aube pour arriver de jour à notre destination. (Au Mexique comme au Guatemala et au Honduras il est fortement déconseillé de rouler la nuit.) Après quelques virages en montagne, nous avons finalement passé la frontière de la ville de Cuauhtemoc au Mexique pour La Mesilla au Guatemala. Une expérience assez authentique étant donné le degré d'activité au mètre carré! Assez affolant aussi car nous étions sollicités de partout pour changer de l'argent ou acheter quelque chose et nous devions en même temps obtenir tous les papiers nécessaires pour la voiture et pour nous.

La route a été très bonne et nous devenons des experts de la montagne! Tout le long de la route nous avons aussi eu la chance de voir les locaux dans leurs habits traditionnels, c'est très très joli (les habits sont différents d'un village à l'autre).

Demain nous partons pour Antigua et ensuite pour l'Honduras.

Gros bisous à tous!

Wednesday, June 02, 2004

Hi all, We're in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas today. We got in Monday night after a long drive from Puerto Angel. The drive took us through the Sierra Madre del Sur once again only this time right where the mountains dive into the Pacific. After that we went through windy inter-mountain plains aptly named La Ventosa. They say the winds here routinely blow vehicles off the road. The government usually post warnings when high winds are expected and even close the road. One anecdote we heard was that a busload of tourists stopped and reversed course after seeing the truck in front of them get flipped over by the winds! Fortunately for us, the winds were calm that day and we managed to get to San Cristobal in one day from the coast.

Some of you, like myself, may have first heard of San Cristobal about ten years ago when the EZLN took over this and several other cities on New Year's Day 1994. The hostilities are somewhat subdued notwithstanding the unresolved issues that sparked the ongoing armed insurgency. There is a large and very visible police/military presence here and in the region and it's said that travel to the north and far east of the state should be made only with caution.

From our vantage point, San Cristobal seems to be taking all this in stride. It is a very vibrant city of about 100k in the Depresión Central de Chiapas, over 2000m in elevation. It always amazes me how cities of this size get built in such remote locations. Oddly enough, it is largely due to this relative geographic isolation that the city has managed to preserve much of its culture. The most distinctive aspect of this is the indigenous Maya population.

We've mostly been taking it easy in San Cristobal resting up before the next leg of our journey: Guatemala. We've outfitted ourselves with the pertinent maps and information, consulted various sources on routes and travel times, and even gave the Jimmy a well earned oil change after roughly 3,500 miles. We'll probably leave San Cristobal tomorrow and spend the night at the border in Ciudad Cuauhtemoc. The following day takes us to Antigua where we'll probably stay a couple of nights to take in the sights. That's our last stop before getting to Honduras. It looks like we'll likely go in through Copan and spend a night there and then it's on to La Ceiba! We should be there by sometime early next week!

The bummer is I'll barely be in LCE for a week before I have to fly back to the US for my assimilation (read: citizenship) interview. I'll be in Big-D from the 16th to the 23rd unless the swearing-in ceremony is soon after my interview in which case I may have to extend my stay. The good thing is that I'll be able to tie up some remaining loose ends while stateside, not the least of which is selling Steph's car (if anyone is in the market for a Prelude, let me know).

For now, we're just taking it easy and savoring our last days in Mexico. Believe it or not,travelingg through an unknown country can be somewhat exhausting. To better navigate through our daily needs, we've developed some efficiencies that have made for smoother travel. Our biggest hassle is always finding food and shelter.

The shelter part consists of identifying hotels in the next town in the guide an hour or two before arriving. The routine involves navigating through the city using maps that aren't always accurate and, once we find the place we're looking for, Steph dashes in to do a quick inspection, negotiate prices, and note any particulars that may become important overnight or during our stay. The basics are hot water, parking, noise level, proximity to city center, and (of course) price. After we do about four or five of these we finally choose one and check in. This process usually takes about two hours from arriving in town toinstallingg ourselves in the room!

For food, the best is to stick to the basics that are hard to screw up and are usually cheap. For the first half of our trip we stuck religiously to this maxim by maintaining a diet almost exclusively of tacos, burritos, and the like. Then we discovered the "comida corrida". That's when a place has a menu for the day that includes a soup, a main dish, desert, juice, and sometimes tea or coffee for a reduced price (usually half what a regular meal would cost). This is always way more economical than ordering a-la-carte from the menu.

Speaking of which, It's about time for us to go take in some comida corrida right about now. We found a place yesterday that in addition of having great food, service, and prices, has the virtue of playing Louis Armstrong: always a plus in my book.

Later