Almost another month has passed since our last post due to varying circumstances. We went home on an unplanned trip after Kevin’s grandmother passed away in March. It was under sad circumstances that we returned home but we were glad to be able to spend time with our family and friends.
The weekend before we went home we participated in a training activity with the new group of volunteers who are currently in training. We represented the married couples support group, one of five support groups that PC Honduras offered. We got to talk about what each of the groups did as well as any other questions the trainees may have had. It was a good 4 hours of interaction with the new group and we think they learned and enjoyed it as well. It was almost two years ago when we were in their positions wondering just what Honduras had in store for us in the future and were full of questions about PC life that were answered on the same activity day.
After being spoiled at home with whatever food we wanted, we flew back overnight to Honduras, caught a ride most of the way home from some nice people we met on the plane, finally got home that night to clean some cat messes that had been created while we were gone and packed our stuff to get ready for our planned vacation to La Moskitia, the wildlands of Central America. If you didn’t read the last blog, it is the largest intact forest in Central America and we went right into the middle of it. It was a lovely nine day trip that we will never forget. We took a plane in and then traveled around in dugout boats on lagoons and rivers until the last day when we rode a vehicle out on the beach. The first day was spent in the Savannah where we saw some huge cranes, caimans, water buffalo and other animals. Day two involved going to more of a beach community and a cultural night of dancing with the locals. Day three was the long, six hour boat ride up river to the community of Las Marias. Day four we went farther upriver and took a short walk in the jungle and saw some ancient petroglyphs. Days five, six, and seven were a camping trip/hike into the jungle and climbing Pico Dama (you cant get up the top rock face but can hike up until that point). During the trip, two types of monkeys, many birds, snakes, lizards and other animals were spotted. We also had to climb up roots ( really fun for Shannon and her broken toe) and use branches at some points to get up the trail. On the hike out we saw wild hog marks and jaguar poop as well. Day eight was back down the river to another beach community where we learned to fish like the locals although only one person caught one (Yay Ana!). We refreshed ourselves with coconut juice and soda and got ready to start our adventure home at three in the morning. Two hours by boat, three and a half hours in the back of a truck on the beach and dusty roads with 14 people packed in the bed. Some waiting, then many more hours on a bus that kept stopping and making us mad. We finally made it home at about seven that night only to find the cats had peed on our bed and we had to clean it off before we could go to sleep. What a trip!
All in all, it was a fabulous trip and a great chance to see a different part of Honduras. All the people speak the local language of Miskito and do not learn Spanish until they enter school. Most speak Miskito in their houses as well and only use Spanish when speaking to non-Miskito people. They were no cars and only a few motorcycles in most of the communities which meant no dust! Everything was green and beautiful and the people were very welcoming. We didn’t feel like we were in Honduras anymore. Now it is back to the real world of dust and heat…
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