Visita de mis padres/My parents visit

Well, life is getting back into a routine on the ranch after my little medical emergency, trip to the United States, and visit from my sister Rita. Now it’s time for me to get caught up on some blog writing. Let me back up to the last week of January when my parents came to visit.

My parents were here from January 22-30. I picked them up at the airport in our 2007 Toyota Corolla, we stopped at the Metro Mall for lunch and to buy groceries, and then we headed to the ranch. We went through their goodie-filled luggage when we arrived to my room. They brought granola bars, trail mix, crackers, cookies, an arm band for my iPod, my Indiana University hoodie, pens for my girls, and Fruit by the Foot. This is all very exciting stuff when you’re living on a ranch in Honduras! We took a little drive around with ranch, accompanied by Digna, and we showed my parents la granja/farm, tías houses, internet café, talleres/workshops, and la cocina/kitchen. My parents settled into their room in el anexo/the annex, and before long it was time to head to hogar. They came with all the loza/plates that they had in their room. My dad’s pockets were full of spoons, forks, and they each brought a bowl and plate. Very funny, because there was pizza for dinner. I told them they were lucky; pizza on the ranch is a good meal. However, I don’t think they agreed. They barely ate anything. My dad told me he was planning on losing weight during his week in Honduras. Plus, watching all the kids eating with their hands, sharing food, etc. wasn’t the most appetizing sight for them. After dinner we headed to the sala/living room, where we set up the iPod, played Blackjack, and listened to the punta (Honduran music). The girls were all over my parents. After hogar we relaxed in Casa Personal with some other volunteers and my parents had their first Honduran beers.

Early the next morning, we headed out…destination Copán. Kris, the art therapist from Belgium, caught a jalón/ride from us. It was a curvy, windy, mountainous seven hour drive. In Honduras there is no direct way to get anywhere; there are only a certain number of paved roads. So, in order to get from point A to point B, you often times have to pass through point D, E, and F first. We finally made it, dropped Kris off at her hotel El Vía Vía, and then we headed to our Hacienda San Lucas. This place was a little piece of Heaven on Earth. Hacienda San Lucas is tucked away on a mountainside overlooking Copán. It is family-owned and has a lot of history. We were welcomed right away by the owner, who told us to not worry about a thing, to get a glass of wine, and to head out and watch the sunset. Sounded good to us! After enjoying the vistas/views, taking some pictures, having a beer, and talking with other visitors, we headed to our room…the Mayan number 12. Everything was candlelit, the bathroom was amazing, and it was very cozy. We showered, relaxed for a bit, and then headed down to dinner, where our table was waiting for us. We enjoyed a great three-course meal and then called it a day.

The next morning we woke up early, went down to our assigned table, had breakfast, and then headed out in a group of tourists to the Ruínas de Copán/Copan ruins. We ended up meeting the mother of Carl, who is a volunteer from Maine. She had been on the ranch and was now doing some traveling with a friend. We met up with our tour guide, Julio, and began our tour of the Mayan ruins. We learned that everything points west to where the sun sets, and that marks the underworld. After touring the ruins, we headed to the bird park. This place was absolutely beautiful. It is owned by an American guy and is a great place to walk trails, see toucans, macaws, eat a good lunch, and go swimming in the river. We also had a coffee and bought some Noni tea. Afterwards, we met up with Kris and did some walking around the town of Copán, bought some souvenirs and had a great dinner at Twisted Tanya’s. After our long, touristy day, it was time to head back to Hacienda San Lucas and pass out. The next morning we had breakfast and then headed out on a walking trail to see Los Sapos/the frogs. These are Mayan ruins on the property of Hacienda San Lucas, where women used to go and give birth. They are actually rocks carved into the shape of frogs. My mom was interested in doing some eco-tourism as well, so this was a good outing. We were offered a trail guide, but we decided we’d be just fine with the little hand-drawn map the hotel had to offer. We found los sapos no problem. It was getting back that turned into the adventure. We ended up off the map (actually heading in the direction where it said NOT to go). On our way we ran into a local girl named Rosa who tried (and succeeded) in selling us crafts made from cornstalks. We made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. She leads us back to the Hacienda San Lucas, we buy her goods. Well, we made it back…all sweaty and gross, but it was a fun little adventure. We showered, packed up our things, and then headed back on the road…destination Tela.

On our way to Tela we stopped at a coffee plantation. At this point, my mom was not handling the terrain so well. She pretty much laid down and slept in the backseat for the majority of the drive. When we arrived in Tela, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. The streets were flooded, it was overcast, and we didn’t have any hotel reservation. We luckily were able to get a room at the Telamar, which is the poshest hotel in all of Honduras if you ask me. I felt like we could’ve been in Cancún. The Telamar is a resort on the Caribbean Sea with three restaurants and two pools. It used to be where the Chiquita banana people lived, so some of the cabins and rooms are renovations of their old houses. Despite our five-star living quarters, the weather definitely impacted our sunning and beaching. That night we decided to head out to dinner. Typical Honduras: right when our food arrives, the power goes out. My mom had ordered a mariscos/seafood soup with claws, shells and all, so there was no way she could eat a thing in the dark! It started raining harder…typical Honduras…that’s all I can say. We looked down the beach and the rest of Tela had electricity, just not the nicest, most expensive hotel where we were staying. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow would bring better weather and better luck.

Not really. The next day was just as overcast, but we still wanted to get our money’s worth. We walked down the beach into town. Because of all the storms and rain, the beach was littered with tons of trash and was not a pretty sight. We braved through it though, made it into the city, and had licuados out of bags. We headed back, accompanied by a group of Garífuna kids selling coconut bread. Even though the weather was crappy, we put on our bathing suits, determined to enjoy what our resort had to offer. We went swimming, went on the water slides, and then decided to call it quits. We attempted to find another hotel to stay in for the night, but everything was booked. So, we enjoyed our last meal in Tela at Cesar Mariscos (yum!) and then hit the road…destination Lago de Yajoa.

By the time we reached el lago, the weather had cleared up and things were lookin good. Bob, the brewer was stuck in Roatán because of the weather, so he wouldn’t be at the brewery until the next day, but that was okay with us. We checked in to our cabaña and then headed right back out to enjoy some brews, dinner, and played Gin. Ahhh, the relaxation of the brewery at el Lago de Yajoa. By far, this is my most favorite place to go in Honduras. The next day was absolutely gorgeous weather wise. We enjoyed blueberry pancakes and fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast and then we headed out to Puthapansak, a park with a river for swimming and waterfalls. We hiked some trails, took pictures, and my mom and I went swimming in the river. Afterwards, we went back to the brewery, laid out by the pool, played more cards, and just relaxed.
The next morning, Bob met up with us for breakfast, as well as Malcolm the 60-something, bird-watching hippie from England. He showed us his collection of gems, rocks, and Mayan artifacts. Then, back on the road…destination Tegucigalpa.

We stayed at the Honduras Maya Hotel, which is one of the nicest hotels Tegucigalpa has to offer. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about bringing my parents into the city of Tegus, but at the Honduras Maya, you could be anywhere but Tegucigalpa. It is really nice. We were upgraded to an executive suite room on the seventh floor in a corner room, with great views of the city. Who knew Tegucigalpa could look so nice from up here??God, I did not want to leave this place!!! Wireless internet in our room, my bed was so high up I had to jump into it, and floor-to-ceiling windows!! My dad was insistent on staying here because attached to this hotel is a casino. We went down to the bar for happy hour, then down to the restaurant where we had a great meal of cheese fondue and shrimp salad. Then off to push our lempira luck at the casino. We played Blackjack for a few hours. I won 500 lempiras/$25 and my parents each won a little bit I think. Some of the rules were a little bit different from the states, but hey, I won, so I don’t care! Plus, my dad is now able to add Honduran chips to his collection, so he was happy too. The next day we had a great breakfast buffet, did some souvenir shopping, and then headed back to the ranch.

That afternoon, Allana, Mariela, and Sandra went on a hike with my parents and me to the ranch cemetery. Okay, it seems grim, but it is a beautiful walk. We played “I Spy”, sang songs, told jokes, and took pictures. That night was my parents last night. They came with me to hogar one last time, my girls exhausted them, and then it was to bed. The next day I took them to the airport, we had our last meal at Burger King, and they were off. Second group of visitors complete. It was a whirlwind tour of Honduras; we saw and did a lot in a short amount of time. I hope that this trip gives some peace of mind to my parents (especially my dad) for the rest of the time that I am here, and that they can see that even though this is considered a third world country, it has so much to offer in beauty, nature, and culture.