Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge

Bright and early at 6:00am on Saturday I caught the bus for my first weekend trip alone. Christina has volunteered at a church to teach English classes for a group of kids on Saturday nights so she will no longer be able to join me on any of the weekend trips. I was headed to el Refugio de Vida Silvestre Cuero y Salado (Cuero y Salado wildlife refuge). I had to take 3 different buses and a trencito (small train).

The final bus was from La Ceiba to La Union. The ride went through the two small communities of El Porvenir and La Union. The dirt roads through both were very dusty. When we arrived in La Union I could see my hand print on the seat and could feel the crunch of dirt in my mouth. Almost everyone who lives in the towns was outside. There is not much to do there but sit on their porches, visit with neighbors, ride their bikes around, and walk to the store for supplies. Life in Honduran villages is simple. The houses are basic. Why do you need glass in the windows or solid walls if it never gets cold? Why do you need a door when you have nothing of value?

Along the way I witnessed: a man just strolling around holding a 3-foot-long fish by the gills, a 3-year-old girl scrubbing the laundry on a washboard, a 5-year-old boy and his dad using their machetes to trim the lawn, signs on bars and pulperias reminding people "no porta armas" (don't carry guns), and a man in his truck with a megaphone enticing people to come out and buy the various wares in the back of his pick-up. We also drove past huge fields growing pinas (pineapples) for the Dole corporation.I exited the bus in a Union to wait for the trencito. These train tracks, remnants of the banana industry, are the only still in use in this area. I had to wait about an hour on the dusty road for the trencito. In the meantime, I spoke with some armed Navy men who are assigned to protect Cuero y Salado and I met some kids who live along the train route. The kids had a burra, a wooden platform attached to train wheels. They have two options for using the burra: either drag it onto the tracks and push it gondola style with thick wooden poles, or wait for the trencito to arrive, drag it onto the tracks behind the trencito, then grab hold of the trencito and let it pull them along. The kids opted for the latter, surely more dangerous, option.When they arrived at their casa, they let go of the trencito and slowly come to a halt. The trencito was barely that. It consisted of two open cars with bench seats. It reminded me of the Calico mine ride at Knott's Berry Farm. Along the way, we rode past houses encompassing many different building styles: solid concrete brick, mud brick, wooden stick with thatched roofs, and pieces of tin and wood nailed together into makeshift dwellings. Long stretches of the track were surrounded by pure nature with savanna-like fields on one side and tropical palm jungles on the other. There were many cows grazing, pigs rooting, horses wandering, dogs relaxing, birds gracefully flying, and chickens pecking. Click on the link for a video of some scenes along the train ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhRM6UcoyxE Along the ride, the train would occasionally stop to let passengers off near their houses. Many of these passengers had large ice chests with them. Since the only stores are in La Union, the residents along the tracks and in Salado must grab their coolers, ride the train into La Union, stuff their coolers full with needed supplies, and ride back to drag the heavy coolers to their houses.After about an hour train ride, we pulled into Salado. On the left of the train was the huge estuary. In front of the train was the main visitors center. It was a large wooden cabin built on stilts housing an information center with posters, displays, and facts about the park and a restaurant with quaint wooden tables and checkered tablecloths. Out front it had a spacious balcony looking onto the dock and lagoon.I headed into the visitors center. There I, of course, explained my current impoverished situation and displayed my volunteer ID card to verify my status. They agreed to give me discounted prices for almost everything. The train round-trip was 200 Lemps (L) ($10.53), the room for the night in the hospedaje (guest house) came to 150L ($7.90), the park entrance fee was 95L ($5), the canoe trip was 120L ($6.30) and the guide was 200L ($10.53). So my total came to 765L ($40.26). A little more than I had planned to spend but still not so bad for a weekend trip.

They walked me down the lovely garden path lined with painted white stones to the hospedaje behind the main building. Along the path was a coconut garden. The hospedaje was also a large wooden cabin built on stilts. The cabin had seven dorm rooms with 4-6 bunk beds in each room. Lucky for me, they had one room with a single bed. This was great because although I appeared to be the only tourist so far, it was still reassuring knowing I could lock my stuff in a room and not worry about other people keeping me up at night. The room was basic with a bed, a sheet, a pillow, a window with wooden slats, and a small dresser. No towel. The shared bathroom was right next door with a flushing toilet, sink, and cold water shower (with a shower curtain and toilet paper).I unloaded and then went back to the restaurant to order up some grub. For vegetarians they offered a plate of refried beans, rice, and greasy scrambled eggs (oh, and a chunk of that nasty Honduran cheese which I didn't touch). It wasn't the best but since I hadn't eaten since breakfast, about 7 hours earlier, I gobbled it up.

Since it was hot and humid and I was all dusty, I decided to follow the path that lead to the beach only 3 min. away. When I arrived, I found the beach was completely deserted save for a few horses. I went for a short swim and laid down to dry off. It was eerie being there all alone and I began questioning my plan. Then one of the navy guys walked up and began chatting with me. He seemed polite at first but then turned kinda creepy repeatedly trying to convince me to swim with him and asking about my (made-up) boyfriend. He wouldn't leave me alone so I put my clothes on and gathered my things to skedaddle. I felt really uncomfortable and vulnerable given that there was no one within hearing distance.Heading back down the path to a more populated area, he followed me a little while. He asked if I was leaving because I was scared of him and I thought "well, now I am". There was a fork in the path and he thankfully decided to go down the other one. When parting, he shook my hand, which I consented to hoping it would get rid of him, and he tried to pull me in for a kiss! I pushed him away while forcefully saying "no". Luckily he just walked off. The rest of the weekend the other navy guys would talk to me and they were all very nice but whenever he came around I would turn the other way or leave.

I still wanted to cool off from the heat so I swam in the estuary instead. It was squishy and warm on the bottom but I just lifted up my feet and floated around. I was a little paranoid about caimans or snakes but there were a few kids swimming nearby so I figured it was safe. Afterward, I wandered around some of the other trails (not too far!) through the scenic surroundings. I was still hot and sweaty so I took a cold shower back at the hospedaje.

I was beginning to realize there is nothing to do here except go on the boat tours. No wonder most people just come here on packaged day trips. But then again... they would miss the trencito, meeting the locals (and by consequence practicing Spanish), and really getting into the vibe of living in a place where life is very simple. I walked down to the waterfront and some kids started talking and playing with me. They were hilarious and, like most kids, kept doing silly things and asking me to take their pictures. (Many children in Honduras have decaying teeth because all they ever seem to eat is soda, candy, cookies, and chips.) They rode their bikes, tackled each other, hunted for crabs in the lagoon, and were just having fun being kids. I started to feel like I was a child on summer vacation again. I used to just pursue whatever interest came up without a care in the world but to be home when the streetlights came on: hunting for tadpoles, drawing up plans to build a clubhouse, searching for the perfect pebble to play hopscotch with. I miss those days, although my year here feels almost like I am reliving them... just minus the friends. As with every child I have asked here, they all said they go to school, which was surprisingly within walking distance.

After the kids got bored of me, I got a beverage from the pulperia next door to the visitors center. There was a shack next to the pulperia with a few men playing on the two billiard tables. Other people would bicycle by on the paths. I sat on the large porch of the visitors center to watch the sunset. There was nothing else to do there. It was nice in a way but after a week I think I would go insane. I'm glad Tela has at least some variety.As I sat there, everyone kept commenting on the zancudos (mosquitoes), which I hadn't noticed. I immediately thought of poor Christina and how miserable she would have been sitting out there. I still haven't gotten one sting the entire time I've been here and she is constantly bitten despite her bug spray (which I have never applied). After their comments, I noticed many mosquitoes, june bugs (yuck), and those magical fireflies (to my delight) all over the place. I headed back to my room to read and then get some sleep. I had been up since 5:00am and the next morning, Sunday, I had to wake up at 5:00am again to get ready for my canoe ride.

The night was uneventful and relatively quiet. The hospedaje had two car batteries that stored the energy being captured in solar panels on the roof. This powered the lights in each room. (They had the same set-up when I was in Miami.) I awoke while it was still dark, ate a package of dry oatmeal and a cranberry granola bar (since the restaurant was not open and I get nauseas when I skip breakfast), brushed my teeth, slathered on sunblock, and headed off to meet my guia ("guide") at the dock. He looked to be about 15. We both dawned life jackets (for a canoe ride in a calm estuary?) and shoved off, just the two of us. He silently rowed us throughout different channels of the reserve. It was so dreamy and tranquil: the sun was just rising, the placid water reflected perfect mirror images, and the only sounds were the animals and the paddle gently sweeping through the water. So serene.The guide paddled us into narrow channels where the canopy completely engulfed us. Then we would just sit still, take in the sounds, and try to spot animals. I saw numerous howler monkeys climbing through the treetops for their vegetarian diet, two iguanas dove into the water from branches above, and countless different birds (toucans with their over-sized yellow beaks, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, birds with long skinny necks, birds with brightly colored breast or tail feathers, birds with very curious calls) perched in the trees and flying above. There are also manatees here but they are rarely seen (probably since they are endangered). And I happily did not see any caimans while in the small canoe. There were a few bats sleeping on the tree trunks. After awhile they would fly right over our heads. Click on the link for a short video of sounds and scenes from the canoe ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQrinQ9b5ns. Back on shore, I ate some breakfast (more greasy eggs, refried beans, tortillas, and crema- a very soupy sour cream), packed my things, and jumped back on the trencito. Before leaving, the kids from the day before came to say adios and inquired as to when I would be returning again. After arriving back in La Union, I took the 2 buses back to Tela. Along the way, I noticed a great shot capturing some essence of Honduras: the bus sign states to put trash here and is clearly pointing to the open window, where everyone does indeed put it, and out the window you can see the meat hung out in the open air along the dusty roadside. In Tela I stopped by the beach on the way home to people watch, reflect, and enjoy a refreshment.