catching up on things

(top to bottom this time)

A couple weeks ago we had the week off for the Central American independence day and Dia de la Maestro (Day of the Teacher).

So we took off on a bus at 4:45 in the morning to the north coast to a small city called Trujillo.

It took us about 7 or 8 hours on a cramped, hot, yellow school bus during which I had horrible stomach gas from something I had eaten.

Getting to the beautiful beach was worth it though.

With a bit of luck we found a cheap hotel on the beach called Casa Kiwi.

Two awesome ladies from New Zealand, Joy and Jazz, run the place. They made us 3 meals a day, provided us with snorkel gear and charged us a whopping 100 limpiras (about $5.00) a night. Highly recommend this place.

It really was beautiful location right on the beach.

But you have to be careful about laying on the beach because there are vicious sand fleas.

and stinging jellyfish.

These guys didn't bother us though.

We knew we had done good when the gave us the room key.

Teresa, Beth and Sarah (my travel companeras) getting used to the room.

It could have held 10 people, but we had it all to ourselves.

The view from our room.

Which was a hundred feet from the beach.

Days started with breakfasts like these banana pancakes.

The afternoon's were difficult ... but someone had to do it.

One day the four of us decided to explore the town of Trujillo.

Smoothies are crucial with the heat.

We saw the old fort that used to defend the town from pirates of the carribean, literally.

statues in the central park

central park

The Catholic church.

The cool thing we learned was that on Christopher Columbus's fourth voyage to the Americas, which the first time he landed on Continental America, he landed very close to Trujillo. It was here 500 (V Centenario) years ago that the first Cathloic mass (primera misa) was said.

This is the door on the church, a tribute to this 500 year mark.

I took this because everyone drinks soda down here. It is more common than water.

William Walker, a crazy American who tried to conquer Central America, is buried here.

How about these beams...think they would pass building code in the states?

Then we walked a bit outside of town to check out this cool hotel we were told about.

A local Honduran had spent 8 years carving the wood inside the hotel lobby.

I took this just before we got to the hotel which was a long way up a hill. But on the way back from the hotel, a guy was waiting on the intersection you see above. We didn't think anything of it, but the next thing we knew he pulled out a pistol and made us give him our belongings. No one got hurt and everything that was taken was replaceable. We were pretty shaken up for the rest of the day though. He didn't get the camera hidden in my pocket though, haha.

We didn't let that keep our spirits down though. Joy and Chazz let us (including a British couple we became friends with at Casa Kiwi) paint the pillars in the bar/restaurant.

Helen was probably the most talented.

I should stick with math and leave the art to those who know what they are doing.

Tim, is a veteranarian, who is now living in Indiana with his wife Helen where he teaches at Tufts University.

Nice Beth.

You too Sarah.

Overall, it was a great week off even with the robbery. We all hope to return to Casa Kiwi someday and get some more of that great Kiwi hospitality and sunny beaches.