Amapala

This past weekend, all volunteers had "salida"/free. So, a group of nine of us headed down to Amapala on Isla del Tigre, which is on the Pacific coast. We took a jalon/back of a truck part of the way and bused it the rest of the way to get there. Afterwards we hopped into a lancha/boat, which took us to the island. The island is an extinct volcano; it's not touristy at all; it's a small, poor, fishing town. It was a nice getaway for sure. We splurged on a nice hotel, which cost 150 lempiras/person/night (~$7.50/night). It had a swimming pool, a restaurant, a workout room, cable TV, hot water, and air conditioning. I should mention, however, that the electricity was out most of the weekend, so we didn't get to enjoy all of these amenities. In fact, they had to bring us a bucket of water so we could flush the toilet manually. On Saturday, after being awakened by gallos/roosters, Aline (France), Eliu (ex-pequeno), and I attempted to hike to the top of the volcano. About 45 minutes into the climb we lost the path, so we didn't make it all the way. It was a beautiful hike though through dense forests. We saw lizards, colorful birds, and a huge spider. It is so hot in Amapala! I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my life. We met up with the rest of the group at Playa Negra (so named for it's black sand beach). We spent the afternoon swimming in the Golfo de Fonseca. Two of the volunteers, Annemarie (Minnesota) and Franca (Germany) were stung by jellyfish. We headed to Playa Grande for dinner. It was a long, hot walk, but it was worth it. We sat right on the beach and ate fresh fish. There was even a man chopping coconuts to drink and eat as well. The beaches are a little different here in Honduras. People swim in their clothes, there are pigs on the beach, and lots and lots of dogs. All in all, it was a nice weekend. Definitely a needed and appreciated getaway.