Part 2: El Sur

My dad wanted to take us to the ocean to see the really pretty view of the nearby island of Amapala. We drove through a pretty good road to coyolito, a small town on the edge of the bay and it was beautiful! The road literally ended at the ocean and we drove right up to the end of it. On our way back my dad still wanted us to see a beach and when my dad sets his mind on something, nothing can stop him...literally :) We took the first turn that he thought led to the beach. The road was paved, but narrow and curvy and at times the foliage blocked part of the road. It looked like it had been built for a reason that never happened. When we got to the end of the road, there was no beach and no view of the ocean; just a small electrical substation. At this point Matt theorized that this road may have been built by thieves to trap unsuspecting tourists, so we quickly turned around and headed back to the main road. Rebekah had fallen asleep by this time and we thought we were headed back home on the smooth highway; however, my dad had set his mind on getting us to the beach so we were going to try all the possible side roads.

We then saw a sign that said Playa something and before we could say, ¨HOLY FRIJOLES!¨my dad had made the dreadful turn unto the bumpiest road of Central America...No joke! There were HUGE boulders, potholes and cows and we only saw one or two cars struggling to get out. All of this delighted my dad as we all bounced and bumped along waiting for a tire to blow out that my dad said Matt would be the one to change :) Through all this Rebekah surprisingly did not wake up. After what seemed like an hour of creeping along we finally made it to La Playa. My dad was ready to get in the water but with Rebekah and Matt. It was actually a pretty nice beach, but I am not sure it was worth all the sacrifice. After a short swim, we made the bumpy ride to the main road and we again thought we were headed for home.

But oh no, my dad still had to get another plate of Curiles and watch the final soccer game of the season at his usual stopping point :) Under much protest from the women, we still stopped to watch the second half of the game. Rebekah just crawled around and was content and that was a blessing. As we watched the game, we saw a lizard hunting a insect on the wall above the tv. Believe me, this was the place to be ;)

It was dark by the time we were leaving and Matt decided to take driving lessons from my dad and drive us the rest of the way home. Knowing how dangerous those roads were and how inexperienced Matt was at driving in Honduras made me almost puke and it improved my prayer life! He did great though and later told me there was a huge spider crawling across the dashboard trying to distract him...and that improved his prayer life ;)

When we were almost home Matt had to find El Baño and my dad wanted some food, so we stopped at a road side comedor (small diner). Matt had to go twice that time in less than sanitary conditions and was getting used to the phrase, ¨no hay papel¨which means there is no toilet paper and when he asked for napkins, he got two really thin ones :)

We finally arrived to our longed-for home and bed where we put Rebekah down and Matt headed for the bathroom, which is where our story began :) Matt had a rough night and two more days of recovery. He was so weak for those couple of days. However, he is quite the trooper and continues to enjoy the Honduran food. He is a blessing to my family. They have accepted him as another odd addition to the clan :)

So much to tell...part 1: El Sur

It was Sunday night, finally. Matt had made his temporary home in the bathroom, alternating between sitting and kneeling before the porcelain throne...I had put Rebekah down and was in shock as I thougth about all that happened that day :) It all started early Sunday morning.

My dad wanted Matt to experience the unique culture of El Sur (the southern country of Honduras). We had decided to make a day trip since it was about a two and a half hour drive. After breakfast we set out for El Sur, driving through the winding mountain roads. The views of the rolling mountains were beautiful. As we drove we saw poinsettia trees in full bloom, which Matt had never seen. Since the sky was so clear, we caught glimpses of the Gulf as we rounded the mountain tops. We passed several small villages where my dad had worked as a young doctor. My dad loves this part of the country and he was proud to show it off. Some of the villages are known for their fresh fruit and the Jicaro, which is a tree that produces big round fruit that has seeds inside used for making Horchata (a sweet drink).

We stopped at a place called Jicaro Galan, where we always stop when my dad is driving to have a plate of Curiles (Curiles are clams that are eaten raw (alive) either out of the shell or out of a bowl). As we were chowing down on them, Matt was persuaded to try one. Matt, wanting to experience the culture to the fullest was brave enough to try a Curil ;) My dad put one on a cracker with onion, tomato and worchestershire sauce and when he squeezed the lime juice on it, the clam contracted in retaliation...then Matt took it and down the hatch it went. My mom, dad and I were watching intently to see what his reaction would be...laughing inside :) Matt did`t have a big reaction...he just said that he didn`t like it nor did he want more.

After the plate of Curiles, we drove a half an hour further to have lunch on the bay, San Lorenzo. We stopped at an outdoor restaurant and sat down under a thatched roof to eat. We ordered fried fish which comes with fried platanos and a salad. In the meantime we paid a roaming band of two to sing and play some rancheras for us. We had to undress Rebekah because it was really hot. She adapted really well like she had lived there her whole life :=) After eating, Matt asked for the first of many times, adonde esta el baño? If you don´t know this phrase, learn it before visiting Latin America ;)

We then took a boat tour on the bay and then got back on the road to head to the ocean...to be continued!!! Check back soon. It gets more interesting!

Viva Honduras!

We have been in Honduras for about a week and a half and it has been great. Matty joined us 4 days ago!!! Rebekah is doing wonderful. She loves the food and she loves to walk everywhere (with our help) :) She has adjusted really well. We have had a very relaxing time, visited and seen lots of family, and have been eating LOTS of good food :) There is no place like home!

The weather here is perfect :) It is 75 in the daytime and 60 in the evenings. We are loving it! My mom´s house is really open and is up on a hill so the breeze flows through the house, keeping it fresh and comfortable. The only distraction from the calm is the construction workers adding on to the back of the house. There are 3 men working to add a two story addition so the sawing and hammering is fairly constant. They say they should finish by December 23rd and we can´t wait for that to happen. The men working are hardworking, humble, kind and have servants´ hearts. They love it when Rebekah greets them with, ¨hola, hola!¨

Two days ago we went to my grandma´s house because they had made some arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) for all of us. We had a blast. Picture 7 wild kids under the age of 7, and 12 adults in a 10´by 14´room eating and talking while Lidia and Grandma dance to the Christmas merengue in front of the Christmas tree ;) Pretty wild, yet fun! We bought paletas (homemade popsicles) for everyone for 2 cents each from the next door neighbor! Can´t beat that! Later we had coffee and pan dulce (Sweet bread)...yummy...yummy!!! What a joyful time to be around all those kids and family; everybody sharing what little they have. This is a picture of a normal family gathering in Honduras.

Last night Matty, Rebebah and I went on a walk around the neighborhood. First we went down the really steep hill by the house and then went through the neighborhood where the trees where carved into archways. At the end of that street some of the children asked for a lempira...which is equivalent to five cents. We enjoyed looking at the different bright colors and styles of houses and daydreamed about what kind of house we would like if we lived down here. We then huffed and puffed our way back up the big hill. (Tegucigalpa is about 3,800 ft elevation so Matt´s Tulsa lungs are working overtime). All the way Rebekah was munching on a big rosquilla (hard, round bisquit with a hole in the middle). Rebekah has become fond of the rosquillas because she can chew on one for an hour or more. We give her one every day and that makes her happy :) As we walked, pushing her in her stroller, she was happy and content to look at all the cars and people and stray dogs along the way.

So far we have been safe and healthy and enjoying our time. We should be heading to La Ceiba to visit my brother and the Arevalos next week! We are excited! We appreciate your prayers. Check back for more updates in the days to come!