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On Saturday morning we hopped on the bus to Triunfo de la Cruz. We had heard it was a small Garifuna beach town. 
By the way, on the public buses (all of which are old US school buses) you do not pay when you get on. As the ride proceeds, a man will come by and collect your fare (the amount varies depending on how far you are traveling). There are also no designated stops. Anywhere along the bus's route, you just flag it down to get on and when you want to get off, just let them know. Triunfo was about a 20 min. bus ride away.
It turned out to be a fairly small town with about 50 houses (some concrete block and some thatched wood huts),
a few pulperias (convenience stores), a church, a cemetery (once again right next to the beach), 
5 restaurants, and 2 small hotels. We got a room with one double bed to share and a private bath for 200 lemps (100 lemps each: $5.25). I inquired as to whether the shower had hot or cold water and the reply was "normal" (translation: cold). The shower didn't even have a shower head, it was just a pipe, but they had towels.
We walked around the town which was inhabited solely by Garifunas. We were the only tourists. As almost everywhere in Honduras, no one spoke English so we got to practice our Spanish a lot. The beach was okay but nothing spectacular. We did get to witness 4 men making a palm tree roof for a beach hut. If you look close you can see the ever-present machete. 
We walked all the way down the beach (about 30 min.) to Punta Triunfo (Triumph point). It was an immense jungle-covered hill (Cerro El Triunfo de la Cruz) ending at the shore in a rocky point (which the locals referred to as piedras negras: black rocks) around which is another beach, Ensenada, (but you can't get there that way).
On the way back to our hotel, we stopped off for a refreshment and to scope out dinner options. 
None of the restaurants we passed had anything vegetarian, not even rice or beans or tortillas. I was getting a little worried. When we finally reached the hotel, the owner was very gracious and said the restaurant down the beach, Merendero Don Pocho's, could make me something.
The whole situation was very strange. 2 young girls were put in charge of us and led us (holding our hands and hugging their arms around our waists) to Don Pocho's. I ordered my meal and our escorts explained it was to be delivered to the restaurant at our hotel which caused the "waitress" there to roll her eyes. We were then led to a pulperia, owned by one of the girl's aunts, to pick out our beverage of choice. When we got back to our hotel, the girls entertained us while we waited for our food. They even spotted a water tornado over the ocean to show us (even though it looks cold, it was still about 73 degrees F). 
Christina had ordered fried fish and the whole fish, head and all, were delivered on her plate with fried plantains and a tiny salad (100 lemps - $5.25). I had rice and beans and tortillas (40 lemps - $2.10).
After dinner, we returned to our room to "shower". I am not sure which is preferable, our bucket shower at home or this shower's pipe that pours out water like a hose. That night we both had a miserable time trying to sleep. At one point it was suffocatingly hot so I opened the windows. Then it began pouring rain which beat down, echoing off the tin roof (this happens at our house too). Then at about 4:00am a rooster began obnoxiously crowing for about 45 min. It was all very maddening and by the time we "woke up" we were exhausted.
Time for breakfast... except our hotel only had coffee. We walked down to Don Pocho's and we were met by the same exasperated look in the "waitresses" eyes as the previous night. Oh, great, she actually has to work. Sorry that we want to eat at your restaurant. I asked if she had pancakes and she said no and told us our limited choices. I ordered eggs, refried beans, and tortillas and Christina ordered eggs, fried plantains (we've found the Garifuna do not make the sweet kind but cook them like potato chips), and tortillas. We sat down and witnessed the girl leave to go to the pulperia to get supplies. If she was going to buy stuff, why couldn't we have pancakes? Whatever. When she brought our food, the plates were identical: two fried eggs and tortillas. At this point we just said "gracias" and ate it. It was 25 lemps each ($1.30).
We wanted to see the next town over, Ensenada, so we decided to walk. It was only about a 30 minute walk. Since it had been raining the last few nights, most of the streets were muddy. Many we could get around on the side but we finally came to one we couldn't. 
We had 2 choices: go back, take a taxi, and miss the sights, or walk through the mud. We chose the latter. At times, our feet we submerged in the muck all the way to our ankles. I actually found it rather enjoyable.
Along the way we stumbled upon a huge lake. I barely spotted it between a small space in the trees. It was gorgeous and completely still. I was shocked that no one was there and we had never heard of this before. I very much wanted to rent a boat and paddle around a bit.
When we reached Ensenada, we both realized this was the beach village we should have come to instead of the mediocre Triunfo. 
Ensenada is also a Garifuna village but it is smaller, more authentic (re: less concrete block houses), and the beach is gorgeous. 
They even had public restrooms (which many beaches even in the states lack). 
We were still the only foreign tourists which was nice. Everyone we have spoken to said the tourists only come to the north coast during Semana Santa (spring break/Easter week) and for the feria (or carnival) week in May/June. 
We swam in the warm, clear water, read, and relaxed the day away soaking in the sun. 
When it was time to leave, we were informed there are no buses on Sundays so we had to take a taxi back to Tela. Luckily it is only about 20 min. It should have only been 20-30 lemps but the driver decided he could get more from us foreigners and demanded 50 lemps ($2.60). When protesting that we are poor volunteers didn't work, we had to accept... he was the only taxi driver there. Then he proceeded to pick up 2 more passengers, both Honduran, and had the nerve to only charge them 20 lemps ($1.00) right in front of us. (In Honduras when taking a taxi, instead of mileage meters, you negotiate the price ahead of time. Oh, and the taxis here are easy to spot because they are all identical: 4-door sedan, at least 3 doors must be broken, painted white with one orange stripe, and the driver signs some contract that states he must honk his horn constantly. Yes, a bit sarcastic but no less accurate. Stranger still, the drivers often have a friend in the front seat just riding along for companionship. Who gets to bring their friends to work?)
When we got home we were salty and covered in greasy sunblock and the first thing we wanted to do was "shower". I bet you can already guess... yup, the water was shut off yet again. Well, at least we had enough water left in our bucket for both of us to take brief showers. One of our co-teachers, Mr. Marlon, is supposedly bringing by a large water storage container but we have yet to see it.
We are both so glad we discovered this little gem so close to Tela. 
I am certain we will end up spending many weekends in lovely Ensenada. Wish you were here!
(Sorry it is sideways but it won't rotate, maybe she is tired and wants to lie down.)
A few days ago our friend, Axel, took Christina and me to Tela's cemetery.
We were surprised that it was only a block from the beach. 
You would think with all the rain and flooding they would want it in higher ground. 
For the same reason, I was also surprised at how many of the graves were not above ground.
Leaving the cemetery, we passed one of Tela's numerous futbol (soccer) fields with a few grazing horses, 
a typical newer-style concrete house with the ubiquitous laundry hung up to dry, 
and a typical older-style wooden house. 
Then we headed off to enjoy the beach and swim for a few hours. Once again saying "no gracias" to the Garifuna people selling agua de coco (coconut milk), pan de coco (sweet bread), and trenzitas (hair braids). 
On the way home we stopped off to get a refreshment at our favorite hangout. Most of the establishments here are open air. You should see the bathroom in the back. In an unattached tin shed there is a toilet without a flush handle (I don't think it actually has running water. I think you have to bucket flush it... except there was no bucket to be found). (A merendero is a small restaurant that serves drinks and only one or two typical dishes.) 
The weather here really is so strange. Saturday was a lovely 85 degree F day at the beach. Blues skies and no clouds. Then Sunday was stormy. Dark skies and pouring rain all day. The electricity went out for awhile so I took a very enchanting candlelit bucket shower. With no shelves in the shower, the candle had to go on the ground. Try pouring water on yourself without letting the water splash the candle out while also making sure the candle does not catch the shower curtain on fire.
The gloomy gray weather continued on Monday. By then the electricity had come back on but the water turned very brown and then was shut off for the entire day and night. No washing dishes, flushing the toilet (except in an emergency we can use our precious bucket water to fill the tank and flush it), or washing hands. I took a 'shower' in the brown murky water we had saved in the bucket from Sunday night. There was even debris floating in it. I like to assume the water is just brown from mud and dirt and not from a sewage leak but who knows. Before we left in December Christina was developing a slight rash which may or may not have been from the shower.
By Tuesday morning, the water was still off but the skies were blue, cloudless, and sunny once more. We are going to get another larger container for storing water. Luckily when we got home from work the water was back on.
Wednesday morning I awoke to sunny blue skies and headed off to the beach to swim for a few hours before work. Can you find the crab? Good camouflaging. (Just for best friend Garrett, I made sure to include a cigarette butt (not mine) for scale.) 
Later at work, maybe about 3:00pm, the sky turned black and it started pouring again. After work we walked behind the school to see Mauricio's newly completed house (he is the founder's son and he teaches high school). He is 24 and him, his wife, Paola, and his 4 year old daughter, Paolita, just moved into the 3 bedroom house last weekend. They built the house in 4 months and Mauricio said the land and building costs came to about 700,00 lemps ($36,850). Try to do that in the states. It is just a concrete house but the inside has immaculate white marble floors. Most of the newer houses here build in stairs inside so they can add a second story when they save more money. Right now Mauricio's stairs lead to a tin roof. Eventually it will be painted, by and by. 
Only the main roads in Tela are paved so when leaving Mauricio's house we had to walk down a dirt road which was now muddy from the rain. You really have to plan out your path when the roads are muddy to avoid getting yourself muddy. Well, Christina somehow got trapped in a squishy patch and her foot was completely submerged in the muck. It was so thick she had to really pull to get her flip flop out.
On Thursday I woke up early to go to the beach but it was gloomy and rainy so instead I hand washed some dirty laundry in the sink and hung them to dry out back. Come on in and take a tour of my house. Click on the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac1tAyzBMN4 
Click on this link to see my brief walk to work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhEEAfwqh-I
When I got to work my classroom was still locked. Apparently the key had broken so they tried to slide a plastic card through it, they tried some pliers and a wire, and finally they took part of the screen off the window and a high school students reached his arm through and turned the knob. While waiting, the kids and I played. 
Friday was sunny and a bit more humid but even with almost no clouds and blue skies it still managed to rain. On the way to dinner we passed some animals (of course). Apparently, the chickens sleep in the trees. 
Almost every Friday we go out to dinner at the same restaurant, Paseo Junior 's, and order the same thing. I get two cheese pupusas which come with pickled onions and cabbage (it is heavenly) and it is only 30 lemps ($1.60). We also stopped by the Gran Central hotel to visit our 84 year old friend, Manuel (the one with a 15 year old daughter. Refer to Dec. blog about Jimmy Durante). He was telling us about his wife (his 2nd wife, his 1st wife passed away 13 years ago today). They have been married 23 years and she is 50. So... when they got married, she was 27 and he was 61. I told you, he's got the magic charisma.
Work related comments:
* Most of the classrooms have a bulletin board that is titled at the top "Bulletin Board" (in case you weren't sure what it was? So what are all their other bulletin boards called?).
* Our Mon. - Wed. uniform has changed. We no longer wear the white button up shirts. Now we wear red polo shirts (still with navy blue pants or skirts). So everyday I now feel like I am going to work at Target. We still wear the P.E. shirt and jeans on Thursdays and have free dress on Fridays.
* Since there are no Ellison die cuts here, the students and teachers are all experts at hand-cutting letters. They make them for all the bulletin boards and posters. In the high school science room there is even a handmade periodic table of elements. They also make their own intricately decorated borders.
Happy New Year!
I have been back in Honduras about a week and a half now. The weather has been very nice. It has been 85 degrees F everyday with no rain. The humidity has not been too bad either. I hope it stays nice like this for awhile. Everyone keeps telling us that April, May, and June are unimaginably hot and humid. Of course I have been going to the beach almost every morning and on the weekend. The water has been clearer than ever and is the perfect temperature. One day I swear I saw a sting ray so I have been careful to shuffle my feet in the sand. I got stung by a stingray about 6 years ago and I am not about to let it happen again. It was a miserable experience which included my foot becoming hugely swollen and me getting 6 shots. Ouch!
We began teaching again on Wed. Jan. 9. My students are doing great. I have convinced a few of the lower students to come in for extra tutoring in the mornings and they have been showing up. I can't believe the year is already half over! We have so little teaching time I get frustrated with how little progress we are making. I was looking over my science materials... there are 6 units and we have only had time to cover 1 1/2 so far! At least the math, reading, and writing are moving along a bit better. When I was back in San Diego, I got some new pen pal letters from the students there (thank you Mrs. Miller's 4th graders and Miss Sokoun's 2nd graders!). When my students got them, they excitedly opened the envelopes and read them, sharing parts with their friends. They immediately began writing replies with no prompting from me.
This is only our first full week back and already classes were canceled for 2 days. How surprising! Wed. Jan. 16 was the anniversary of our school. Each grade was told to choose one girl to be the princess. Great... reinforcing the whole cultural idea that girls are only meant to be pretty. If they insist on competitions, why can't they be academic like spelling bees or math bees? To make it fair, I had each girl who wanted to be princess write their name on a slip of paper and ball it up. I put them in a can and had a boy pick one out. One of the girls who was not chosen was very upset and went to the principal claiming it was an unfair way to choose a princess. Luckily, the principal backed me up and declared the princess valid.
On Wed. the students could wear free dress and had no classes. The first half of the day was set aside for grades to compete in futbol (soccer) games. Of course, the students that were not currently playing just ran around the school. And it happened to be the hottest day since we have been back.
After 2 1/2 hours of futbol, we all went upstairs to the 'auditorium' for the princess contest. I did not want to have anything to do with it but I also wanted to support the poor girls who were chosen. The contest started with the kinder and prepa. They had about 8 girls parade up and down the 'runway'. The little girls even walked with struts and wore makeup. One girl was so nervous she started crying. The 'princesses' had 3 parts. First they wore casual clothes and paraded up and down one by one. Then they changed clothes and each performed either a lip sync or a dance. Finally, they put on their best dresses, did up their hair, and strutted one last time. After the little girls, it was the elementary 'princesses' turn. They proceeded with the same 3 segments. It was a nightmare. The dancing was so inappropriate (as was the whole concept). Afterward, the principal had the audience clap and shout for their choices and the three judges announced the winners. I wish I had just called in sick because that is what I felt like at the end. What a waste of a school day.
Classes were also canceled for Friday in order to have parent conferences. A little more than half of the parents showed up. Most importantly, I convinced the parents of my two lowest students to let their children stay one hour after school on Tuesday and Wednesday for extra tutoring.
Other news:
I cut my hair! It is going to get really hot and humid here and my long hair would have made me miserable so I got up the guts to cut it short. I like my hair better long but this will be much better for the weather here. 
Last night a firefly somehow got into my room and it was so magical just watching it fly around while I fell asleep. I really am enjoying my time here and just wish you all could be here too.
By the way, on the public buses (all of which are old US school buses) you do not pay when you get on. As the ride proceeds, a man will come by and collect your fare (the amount varies depending on how far you are traveling). There are also no designated stops. Anywhere along the bus's route, you just flag it down to get on and when you want to get off, just let them know. Triunfo was about a 20 min. bus ride away.
It turned out to be a fairly small town with about 50 houses (some concrete block and some thatched wood huts),
a few pulperias (convenience stores), a church, a cemetery (once again right next to the beach), 
5 restaurants, and 2 small hotels. We got a room with one double bed to share and a private bath for 200 lemps (100 lemps each: $5.25). I inquired as to whether the shower had hot or cold water and the reply was "normal" (translation: cold). The shower didn't even have a shower head, it was just a pipe, but they had towels.
We walked around the town which was inhabited solely by Garifunas. We were the only tourists. As almost everywhere in Honduras, no one spoke English so we got to practice our Spanish a lot. The beach was okay but nothing spectacular. We did get to witness 4 men making a palm tree roof for a beach hut. If you look close you can see the ever-present machete. 
We walked all the way down the beach (about 30 min.) to Punta Triunfo (Triumph point). It was an immense jungle-covered hill (Cerro El Triunfo de la Cruz) ending at the shore in a rocky point (which the locals referred to as piedras negras: black rocks) around which is another beach, Ensenada, (but you can't get there that way).
On the way back to our hotel, we stopped off for a refreshment and to scope out dinner options. 
None of the restaurants we passed had anything vegetarian, not even rice or beans or tortillas. I was getting a little worried. When we finally reached the hotel, the owner was very gracious and said the restaurant down the beach, Merendero Don Pocho's, could make me something.
Christina had ordered fried fish and the whole fish, head and all, were delivered on her plate with fried plantains and a tiny salad (100 lemps - $5.25). I had rice and beans and tortillas (40 lemps - $2.10).
We wanted to see the next town over, Ensenada, so we decided to walk. It was only about a 30 minute walk. Since it had been raining the last few nights, most of the streets were muddy. Many we could get around on the side but we finally came to one we couldn't. 
We had 2 choices: go back, take a taxi, and miss the sights, or walk through the mud. We chose the latter. At times, our feet we submerged in the muck all the way to our ankles. I actually found it rather enjoyable.
Along the way we stumbled upon a huge lake. I barely spotted it between a small space in the trees. It was gorgeous and completely still. I was shocked that no one was there and we had never heard of this before. I very much wanted to rent a boat and paddle around a bit.
When we reached Ensenada, we both realized this was the beach village we should have come to instead of the mediocre Triunfo. 
Ensenada is also a Garifuna village but it is smaller, more authentic (re: less concrete block houses), and the beach is gorgeous. 
They even had public restrooms (which many beaches even in the states lack). 
We were still the only foreign tourists which was nice. Everyone we have spoken to said the tourists only come to the north coast during Semana Santa (spring break/Easter week) and for the feria (or carnival) week in May/June. 
We swam in the warm, clear water, read, and relaxed the day away soaking in the sun. 
When it was time to leave, we were informed there are no buses on Sundays so we had to take a taxi back to Tela. Luckily it is only about 20 min. It should have only been 20-30 lemps but the driver decided he could get more from us foreigners and demanded 50 lemps ($2.60). When protesting that we are poor volunteers didn't work, we had to accept... he was the only taxi driver there. Then he proceeded to pick up 2 more passengers, both Honduran, and had the nerve to only charge them 20 lemps ($1.00) right in front of us. (In Honduras when taking a taxi, instead of mileage meters, you negotiate the price ahead of time. Oh, and the taxis here are easy to spot because they are all identical: 4-door sedan, at least 3 doors must be broken, painted white with one orange stripe, and the driver signs some contract that states he must honk his horn constantly. Yes, a bit sarcastic but no less accurate. Stranger still, the drivers often have a friend in the front seat just riding along for companionship. Who gets to bring their friends to work?)
I am certain we will end up spending many weekends in lovely Ensenada. Wish you were here!
(Sorry it is sideways but it won't rotate, maybe she is tired and wants to lie down.)
