El Sauce

After 15 dives, 13 boats, 9 hostels, 6 buses, 3 countries, and 1 tractor we have made it safe and sound to La Ceiba, Honduras. Before getting too settled in our new digs, we took a 3 day trip to Roatan, Honduras - one of the Bay Islands. Roatan is a fairly large rainforest island that has 1 main road and lots of beaches and great diving. Since we have been doing a lot of diving lately, and are planning to return to Roatan and Utila during our stay in La Ceiba (the islands are about an hour boat ride from the main land), we decided to forgo diving this trip and so some above water exploring. We rented a scooter and traversed the island from one end to the other in search of the perfect wedding spot. We found 2 spots that we loved, and next time we go back we are meeting with a wedding planner to help us paint a picture of what the day would actually look like.

So now, back to La Ceiba. We've spent the last 2 days getting to know our housesitting hosts, Ruby their dog, and getting acquainted with the area. La Ceiba is the third largest city in Honduras, with Dole being one of the main industries. They grow bananas and pineapples in the surrounding regions, and their headquarters are close to the city center. Dole is kind of an establishment here, our hosts Karine and Tom are in fact teachers at Dole's private school. You can learn more about them at their Blog. There are little neighborhoods surrounding La Ceiba's city center - we will be living in El Sauce (pronounced El Sow-Say). It is a nicer neighborhood, about 7 square blocks of pastel houses with gated front yards and guard dog sentinels. Some houses have Pulperias (pronounced poolperias) - a section of the building right up to the sidewalk from which they sell "corner store" type products. Within walking distance of the house is a street-long market with a dozen different vendors selling fruit, veggies, cheese, eggs, flour, and sugar for next to nothing. Also close to our house is a big mall with department stores, boutiques, a supermarket, and cinema. With all these conveniences AND Internet in the house, we don't feel half as isolated as we thought we would.

Last night we all had shish-kabobs and headed out to a "friendly" soccer match between Honduras's national team, and Haiti's national team. The streets were filled with vendors, and fans dressed in Blue and White regalia. The 20,000-25,000 person stadium was filled with a thriving mass even an hour before the game (when we got there). There was a tall riot fence with barbed wire around the field, guarded by riot police and Honduran army soldiers. Beers cost a dollar each, and there were even kids who would take your order from your seats. Honduras dominated the game, especially in the 2nd half when all there better players took the field. Final score was 3-1, with two of Honduras's goals being penalties kicks. People stood throughout the game, blew horns, and threw half empty beers into the air after goals. During the game we also discovered our new favorite snack. It consists of a bag of barley ripe mangoes, doused in spicy vinegar and a salt spice (raw salt and crushed, roasted, gourd seeds). Kinda sounds gross now that we write it down, but its a tasty balance of sweat, sour, and salt with a shot of fiber and vitamin C.

Here are some pictures from the game:

With one of the Honduran soldiers


Food Stand


Us with Karine and Tom


The crowd


Mango Delight


Right now we are cooking breakfast, drinking coffee and enjoying the heat of the day. We'll probably go to the fruit stands and grocery store, and then enjoy a quite evening at home. After 3 weeks of traveling, we have come to appreicate some things that we took for granted before - a clean kitchen with silverware, sleeping in a quiet place, air conditioning, our own cooking, and lime juice.