Tegucigalpa, Honduras

The 7 day hiatus is over and I am finally back to writing. The difficulty in posting to the blog is due to the sloooooow speed of the computers in this part of the country. Also, after exhausting myself on the Nicaragua diatribe I needed a small break.

At 4am we eagerly left Managua following that intense night among the Sandinistas. The following day proceeded as follows: 4 hours, border crossing, 4 hours, Tegucigalpa, Pizza Hut. Yes, Max discovered Pizza Hut, the food of our childhood, and we downed an entire large.

Tegus is a busy bustling city that lacks the silhouette of a city. The usual tall buildings and skyscrapers that are found in most major cities and capitals were lacking here. Only the exhaust, noise, plazas, and buses really let you know that you are in a metropolis. I was to find out early the next day that the radicalism in Nicaraguas capital would follow us to the next capital city.

We arose early to explore what little we believed to exist in the area pertinent to the tourist. Before departing for the artesania town of Valle de Angeles, Max stopped in to get a haircut from the local barber. While waiting patiently on the couch of the shop a hoard of high school students sprinted past the shop windows filling the streets in front of us. Rocks were being hurled in the area and the students projected taunts toward one specific building. The owner quickly moved outside of his peluqueria to close the shutters in order to prevent his windows from being smashed. Of course, I moved just as quckly outside the shop to attempt to get a nobel prize winning photo (The photo never presented itself). As I clicked away with my Canon semi-oblivious to what was occuring behind me, a plastic coke bottle filled with water exploded a foot above my head. I assume the riot spurred others to act foolishly and I became a target to the mayhem. Having barely dodged the projectile cast from the 4th floor behind me I safely moved back into the shop. The students amassed in front of the building and in unision cast insults toward the people inside.

We would later be informed that the students in the street were assembling in protest of a government initiative - or lack thereof. The Honduran politicians had promised a subsidy of some sort to the local students to compensate for the increase in gas prices. The students were having a hard time covering the cost of transportation. If I understood correctly, only the school that was receiving the brunt of the rocks and insults had been granted the subsidy so far. We watched for a little while longer as the students huddled with a Honduran flag planning their next move.

A more calm trip to the local National Art Gallery was next. The pieces were well worth the entrance fee and the peaceful depictions were soothing in comparison to the chaos still ongoing outside. My favorite work was a self-portrait painted by a local Honduran artist. I still believe the best art involves the human body - especially this one.

We then attempted to get out to a small town on the outskirts of the big city. Arriving at Valle de Angeles presented more difficulty than previously assumed. We transferred several buses and eventually befriended a resident of the area who would give us a lift after our bus broke down.

The city of Valle de Angeles is a beautiful cobble stoned puebla set in the Honduran mountains. An entire street caters to tourists looking to buy artesanias. We were most enamored with the mayan wood carvings. Our interest in the wooden ornate door pieces helped gain us entry into the back of the carpentery shop. We were allowed to see how the carvings were done, which is an incredible feat. I will certainly be ordering custom doors from Honduras if I ever buy a home.

Due to the layout of the city we spent the night interneting away. A spur of the moment change in our itinerary would necessitate an early departure the next day; we were headed to the island paradise of Utila.