Here in the Peace Corps, there’s nothing more intersting than meeting another volunteer’s family - biological and otherwise. I had the pleasure of spending time with Niccis mom who was visiting from California, as well as her host family who live in a small town outside of Choluteca. In honor of family visiting from the states, the whole gang went on an overnight topical island vacay and natrually I tagged along (:
Amapala is the only island belonging to Honduras on the south coast, the Gulf of Fonseca, and it is surprisingly small. One of the
lancha captains told us it was 18 kilometers wide and there are only about 2,500* permanent residents, including one of our own H16 Peace Corps Volunteers. There are several little islands scattered in the area but the others belong to either El Salvador or Nicaragua. That said, from just about any vantage point on the island you can very clearly see coasts of the other two countries near by.
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Some more history – Back at the turn of the 19th century, Amapala was a pretty happening place, considered a thriving port town and one of the biggest cities in all of Honduras. But since the 1950s, the once-thriving shipping industry has moved elsewhere and left this island to rely on tourism alone. Check out the pictures I found online of the puerta (main dock) back in 1910, conpared with mine from last weekend.
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We stayed at a nice little hotel on the opposite side of the island from what is considered “downtown”. It was a quaint little spot. La Playa Negra has probably seen better days (the 70s perhaps?) but we were pretty much the only one’s there so we had the beautiful black-sand beach all to ourselves. Plus the kids were delighted to take over the pool and run around like we owned the place.
Can you believe this picture was taken with a Blackberry? (Click to enlarge) Clearly technology has been improving by leaps and bounds in my absence.
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Niccis host family is probably one of the most kind and generous Honduran families I have ever met. I had the pleasure of
meeting them once before when some friends and I came to visit and even though that was nearly a year ago, they all remembered me and are now plotting ways to set me up with one of the single sons back home (
fijise ain’t gonna happen). This time around group consisted of the three sisters and their younger children who range from 3rd grade to 17. This particular trip was touching because the kids had never stayed in a hotel before, much less been on a full-fledged vacation. They were super appreciative and about as stoked as I was to be there.
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Can you spot the gringos?
[A side note: I don't know what it is about Honduran women getting such a kick out of trying to teach white girls to dance. It seems every time I get together with a group of Honduran women, they threaten to put on some punta music and "teach" me to dance. Don't be fooled however. There's never any actual teaching going on. They obviously just mean to laugh at me while I prove that I cannot move my hips the way they have been brought up to. I am pretty sure other white girls have been subject to this same humiliation and we should ban together ladies, and say no more! Its not fair and I will not stand for it. Humph.]
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Sopa Marinera.
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The second animal massacre in recent memory…
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Truly amazing company, new sights, black-sand beaches, seafood everywhere you turn. What could be better? Oh wait, I know what… 48 hours from now I will be IN AMERICA for ELEVEN WHOLE DAYS. I’ve never been so excited to freeze my ass off in my whole life. (Btw I just got done watching last years Glee Christmas Special on my computer -the one where Artie walks- and if last weekend’s liquor-themed Hanukkah party didn’t put me in the holiday spirit, this definitely did.)
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I’m comin home!!
Hasta la proxima vez
-Sarah
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*I just saw a number on a different website that was vastly different which reminds me you can’t believe
everything you read online. Even you, Wikipedia.
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