Back on the Road Again...

After too long of a hiatus, I finally got back on my bicycle yesterday.  No, really, you don't want to know how long it's been.  Seriously.  I found divorce papers on my bike.  "Neglect and abandonment."

I wish I could say that the time off the bike has been because of the rotator cuff injury I've been dealing with.  Yup, I'd really like to use that as an excuse, but I can't.  The doctor told me it was okay to ride my bike.  But I didn't.  Until yesterday.

I'm kind of surprised I even remembered how to throw my leg over the top tube.  But I did it.  And, there's still nothing like the sound of clipping in.  It's even better when you hear about 500 cyclists clip in at the start of a good ride, but just hearing that familiar sound come from my pedals and I knew that all was forgiven.  My bike and I were friends again!

Oh, the sights and sounds.  Sometimes even the smells.  But yesterday was a great day to ease back into it.  I decided that I was only going to ride between 5 and 8 miles so that I didn't overdo it on my first day.  I rode for a little over 6 and a half miles.  OK, it was 6.6 miles, but who's counting?

I started out on my traditional loop on the boulevard and then made the turn to head up to El Volcan for a while.  I figured I'd just go until I got tired and then turn around, knowing that most of the way back would be downhill.  I never had to dodge a dog, pig, or a cow.  I never even had to dodge a person or a taxi.  In fact, the only obstacle I faced was a 'water hazard'.  Unfortunately, when they are working on the street here and there's water on the road, you never know if it's a water line or sewer line.

Several people waved or said good morning as I rode by.  And I only got one "Hey, Baby".  But then, in only 6.6 miles what do you expect?

Time on the bike is always prayer time for me ~~ not just prayer for safety ~~ but I use the time to pray for others.  That's what I was doing when I ended up passing a funeral procession going the opposite direction.  It brought tears to my eyes because it was the funeral of someone I knew, the father of one of my former students.  He had been murdered just 36 hours earlier.  My final mile home was a tearful one as I prayed for young Jorgito and his family.

Free Books are Good...

Did you know that if you own an Amazon Kindle there are tons of free books available?  And many, many books in the under $5 category.  I subscribe to the Kindle Daily Deal, where most books are 99¢ or $1.99. Each day I get notified of the book that is being offered and then decide if I want to buy it or not.  Some times the books are awesome, other times they don't appeal to me, so I pass on those.  It's a great way to get in lots of reading for not a lot of money.  And let's face it ~ not spending tons of money is important to a missionary!  (Especially when there's not tons to be had.)

On Facebook, I subscribe to Kindle Tips & Tricks.  Lots of great books are listed there.  Some free, some for just a few bucks.  I "buy" lots of free books.  I've even downloaded some freebies in Spanish as I work on improving my language skills.

Today, Kindle Tips & Tricks is having a giveaway contest.  To gain two more entries, I'm posting the Facebook link here.  Check it out if you're so inclined...  http://www.facebook.com/eReader1

Remember, free books are good!

Biker Chicks, Unite...

Although there aren't a lot of us, there are women here who ride motorcycles or scooters.  In the last week, though, I've seen more ladies riding than ever before.  Last Friday when I went to the motorcycle store to buy my baúl, I saw three different ladies just on my way TO the store.  And one of them was on a big, and I do mean BIG, quadrunner.  One of the other ladies was on a 200cc dirt bike.  200cc's is actually a large bike for Honduras.  Most motorcycles are 125 or 150cc's.  And you can still find lots of 100s.  More 200s are starting to hit the stores and streets, but they're pricey motorcycles.

I was just amazed to see three ladies within about a 3km ride.  ¡Qué raro!  How strange. But in a good way.

As far as I know, I'm the only moto-riding gringa around here, though. That seems to have some advantages.  In the two years since I've owned my motorcycle, I've only been pulled over once in a routine traffic stop -- one of the stops where they are checking paperwork and licenses.  It was a day when they were pulling over everyone, so I was okay with that.  There have been other times when the police are stopping all motorcycles, but they always just wave me through, and that's fine by me.

Today while I was out I saw several ladies on motos or scooters.  It always catches my attention.  And makes me smile!  I don't know, maybe we should form a club or something.

OH!  Here's an update to the "No Coca Cola" scandal ~~  Yesterday when I was at the store, I asked (again) why they had no Coke products.  The girl at the checkout didn't know, but immediately asked someone near her.  The second girl informed me that the Coca Cola warehouse had raised the prices and many of the stores were fighting the price hike by not accepting shipments.  (So the story I was told the day before, that the Coke would be here mañana was bogus.) 

Then, back here at Enlaces, later yesterday afternoon, Charly told me that he finally got Coca Cola on the phone and they will be making their delivery to us on Wednesday, which is now mañana. Ha!  I asked him if that included my Coca Light and he told me, "Yes.  Two cases."  When I asked him what the new price will be, he told me that our prices are the same.  Thank God for the simple things in life.  Like Coca Light.

Now to see if it really gets here mañana.

Seriously? Again?...

Sometimes I get so hacked off at the idiocy that goes on in this country that I can hardly stand it.  Idiocy.  Pure, unadulterated idiocy.

Today started like many others.  The power went off a few minutes after 8 this morning.  We didn't know about it in advance, but you deal.  Thankfully, I had just finished printing something that I needed for church.  With the power off, that meant I didn't have to set up sound equipment for church.  No computer and overhead projector to get ready, either.  That made things easy!

After church, I heated up some leftover arroz con pollo, chicken and rice.  Even with the power off, I can still cook because I have a gas stove.  I just need to light it with a match.  I couldn't wash the dishes, though, because our well has a pump which needs electricity.  That wasn't a big deal, either.  I just put the dirty dishes in the fridge to keep the ants away.

Then it was hammock time!! I grabbed my freshly charged Kindle and iPod and climbed into the hammock.  I read for a while until my eyes just couldn't stay open any more. So I put the Kindle into screensaver mode and took a nap.  I mean, what could be better than a Sunday afternoon nap, in a hammock, with a gentle breeze blowing?  That's right, it doesn't get much better!

Around 2:30 I went back into the house because it was getting pretty warm in the hammock.  I found that the power had come back on.  At least I could get the dishes done.

So what about the idiocy?  I'm getting to it.

I needed to pick up a few groceries and wanted to get out on my motorcycle for a while to enjoy the sunshine.  I grabbed my keys and my helmet and set out.

No real destination in mind, just a little cruisin'.  On a Sunday afternoon.  (Yes, I know the song is really Groovin'.)   I stopped by the movie theater to see what's playing tomorrow night:  Alvin and the Chipmunks 3.  Hmmm, I think I'll pass.  Then past the park and cathedral.  The park was pretty empty.   I finally wound my way back around to Maxi Dispensa.  Time to get my Diet Coke fix!!  Oh, and a few other groceries.

My visit to Maxi Dispensa was short-lived.  They didn't have any Coca Light.  In fact, they didn't have ANY Coca Cola products.  The 3 Coca Cola-branded display cases they have were all facing each other, unplugged.  Strange.  I asked about it and they told me that they would receive their Coca Cola shipment mañana.  Tomorrow.  I've heard that before.  No big deal, I thought.   I'll head over to Del Corral.

I drove to the Mall, thinking that I shouldn't have any problem parking since it's Sunday afternoon and most people are at home.  I mean, the streets were fairly empty.  The park was fairly empty.  Maxi Dispensa was very empty.

Wrong!  I get to the Mall and reach out my hand to take the parking pass.  The security guard said, "Excuse me while I call to make sure there are moto spaces."  There weren't.  Again.  I asked the guy to let me in anyway because the parking lot was less than half full.  "But the motorcycle area is full" I was told.  "¡Pero, mira!  El parqueo está muy vacío."  But, look!  The parking lot is very empty.  It didn't matter.

No amount of my trying to reason with him was going to get him to give in.  Absolutely ridiculous!!  Empty parking lot, but because the motorcycle spots were full (filled by employees, I might add) I can't park.  I was not a happy camper.  See what happens when I'm on my 3rd day of Coca Light deficiency?

I left so angry I couldn't see straight.  "Calm down, Susan.  It's not the end of the world."  That's not until December 21st anyway, right?    I took a few deep breaths and decided to go over to Jumbo.  Now, I HAD to have Coca Light, just on general principle.

I pulled into the Jumbo parking lot, which had about 3 cars in it, and parked next to a car near the entrance.  As I was getting off my motorcycle, I noticed that Jumbo did have a motorcycle area, but I wasn't in it.  In fact, there was a guard who appeared to be walking toward me from the motorcycle parking.  I acted as if I hadn't seen him and just continued into the store.  Actually, the guard and I got to the entrance of the store at the same time and all he said to me was, "Hello.  How are you this afternoon?"  Whew!  No need for an ugly confrontation.

I don't shop at Jumbo much, but managed to find a few things I needed.  I was having trouble finding the pop, though, so I asked where it was.  All their pop was in one of the refrigerated cases and they didn't really have much of a selection.  In fact, they didn't have ANY Coca Cola products.  I asked them about that and was told that the Coca Cola products should be arriving mañana.  Of course, tomorrow.  I settled for a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi Light.  Yes, it's a diet product, but it's not Coca Light.

This evening I was relaying all of this to Sandi and Currie.  We laughed and shook our heads about the sheer idiocy of not allowing someone into the parking lot when there are more than enough spots.  Idiocy.  Lunacy.

Sandi also told me that Charly has called Coca Cola every day this past week, since we have no Coca Cola at the Center, and no one is answering the phone.

Maybe it's time to give up my Coca Light habit?

Mañana...

Mañana.  Tomorrow.  That's the answer you most often hear when wanting to know when something will happen, or when a store will get that special item you've been asking for for quite a while.  Mañana. It's when the Coca Cola man will show up.  It's even when the students will have their homework done.

You can probably guess how that turns out.  Mañana rarely arrives.  At least, not on time. The Coca Cola man?  We've been waiting for him for three weeks.  It means that we only have Pepsi products for sale in the pulpería in the Center.  More than that, it means I don't have any Coca Light in glass bottles!  ¡Qué bárbaro!  How barbaric!  While I wait for my lovely nectar of the gods, I have been buying Coca Light in 1 1/2 liter plastic bottles at the grocery store.  I'd much rather have 12 ounce glass bottles in my fridge.  Oh, well.

Recently, I had another mañana experience. Although instead of hearing the answer mañana, I was being told, "la próxima semana".  Next week.  For FIVE weeks!!

I wanted to buy a baúl, a trunk, for my motorcycle. I have had a little blue basket on the back of it for almost the whole time I've owned it, but the basket just isn't very strong and I've felt leery about putting too much in it.  So, I went to one of the motorcycle shops I've used before.  I saw that they had some small trunks on the back of several of their scooters, but thought that they were a bit small.  I asked about the price of them, and even tried putting my helmet inside.  The helmet wouldn't fit.  OK, that baúl is definitely out.  I asked if they had any other ones and was told they have a larger size in the warehouse in Tegucigalpa.  They told me it only comes in black, with a reflector.  I was okay with that.  They told me the price and I said that I really wanted to see it first, before committing to buying it.  That was fine.  I asked when they would have the baúl in their store.  Next week, on Monday, I was told.

Well, this being Honduras, I knew that 'next Monday' really meant on Wednesday, maybe, so I showed up on Thursday. No baúl, but it will be here next week I was assured.  So, I went back the next week and they told me, well, with Christmas being in two days, it won't be here until after New Year's.  It will be here on that Tuesday, they insisted.  So, I asked, 'do you mean on Tuesday, January 3rd?'  Yes, it will be here.

I didn't make it to the store until that Friday, January 6th.  As you have probably already guessed, no baúl.  I was told that things were a little slow coming from the warehouse because they were in the middle of inventory.  Certainly it will be here next week, they told me.  I went back the next week, but apparently one day too early because I heard, "it will be here later this afternoon."  Hmmm, well at least we're making progress.  I left my phone number with the girl who had been helping me this whole time and said, "please call me when it gets here."

No call.  For over a week and a half.  OK, I decided to give them one more shot.  Last Thursday, Jan. 19th, I went back to the store.  Instead of the usual girl, a guy was at the counter.  I told him what I was looking for, what I had been waiting for, and that I had left my phone number.  I told him I was getting tired of waiting and should probably just go to another shop to find the product.  That was all it took.  The guy got out his phone right then, called the warehouse in Tegucigalpa, asked a few questions and then told me that there would be two baúles there tomorrow for me to choose from. I asked him, "what time?"  This same time tomorrow, I was told.

Yesterday afternoon I jumped on my motorcycle, hopeful that the store would finally have a trunk for me to buy.  I pulled up to the store, hopped off the bike and as I walked inside, there on the counter, were two trunks, as promised.  I decided on the larger one and asked if they would install it for me, which they were very happy to do.  A few minutes later, the man who was installing the trunk told me that it wouldn't fit on the back of my motorcycle because of the back rest.  ¡Puchica!  I hadn't counted on that.

When I asked the guy what he thought, he said there were two options: remove the back rest or build an extension onto the little cargo platform that was already there.  I opted for the former and he quickly removed the back rest and installed the trunk.  I'm a happy camper now.

Mañana.  La próxima semana.  It doesn't really matter.  Stuff will show up when it shows up.

Oh yeah, I'm still waiting for my Coca Light...



 

The Kool-Aid Mom...

Growing up, did your neighborhood have a Kool-Aid mom?    You know, the house where all the kids congregated to play?  The mom who could always be counted on for Kool-Aid, a snack, or the bathroom?  Well, in my neighborhood, that was my mom.  "Mrs. Smith, can we have popsicles?"  "Sure, just remember to bring the plastic sticks back."

Last week it dawned on me that I'M the Kool-Aid mom around here.  "Susan, can we watch a movie?"  "Susan, is there any iced tea?"  "Susan, can we have some cookies?"  And I like it.  The kids of several of our staff members seem to gravitate over to my house during the day when school is not in session, and many days after school.

When the parents are ready to leave, if they can't find their kids, they come knocking on my door.

My latest kitchen adventure has been making paletas, homemade ice pops. They're so simple: fruit and water or milk.  Of course, that's just one more thing for the kids to enjoy.  "Susan, can we have a paleta?"

The kids come over to hang out in my hammock and talk.  "Susan, when are we going to start your classes again?"  I have been offering short classes for the children of our staff during the school break, to help keep their skills sharp.  Thankfully, they seem to love them.

I wonder if kids in the States even have Kool-Aid moms anymore.  It seems that kids just don't, or can't, play outside in the neighborhood like they used to.  More innocence lost.

So, here at Enlaces, I'm the Kool-Aid mom.  And that's TOTALLY okay with me!

Ants-Be-Gone...

I've had an ongoing battle with ants for the whole time I've lived here.  My windows are open 362 days per year.  Yes, I have to close the windows for about three days when it's cold!  Other than that, the windows are open.  I have screens, but they're not sealed like you would find in the States.  Even when the windows are closed, they're not sealed tightly.  The ants can pretty much come and go at will.

So, I battle ants.  I don't mind them too much on my floors.  I just step on them and sweep them up.  The ones I most battle are in my kitchen.  I DON'T LIKE ANTS IN THE KITCHEN!!  My kitchen is kept clean.  I'm washing dishes while I'm cooking.  As soon as I'm done with a particular pot, pan, utensil, whatever, it's washed. I wipe the counters continually.  Yet, the ants take over my counters.

If I happen to miss a spot where some food has been, perhaps a bit of fruit juice, or a splatter of grease, forget it.  I come back to a black blob of ants.  Hundreds, thousands or maybe even millions of them.

And the ants come in many varieties, too.  I'm not sure, but it must depend on the season.  I've seen at least 4 or 5 different types of ant in the kitchen.  Thankfully, no fire ants.  I still have scars on one foot from where I found the fire ants at my parents' house last January.

I've tried several different ant remedies, commercial and homemade.  I've sprayed the counter with straight vinegar, with bleach, tried homemade Terro, roach sprays, and a Terro-type ant gel called Combat.  They all met with mixed results -- none of which were really satisfactory.

Yesterday I was at Maxi Dispensa, the new Wal-Mart subsidiary store that is across the street, next to Pizza Hut.  (Comayagua is growing!)  Anyway, I decided to look at the bug spray shelf to see if I could find something that might work.  I've checked before and nothing has caught my eye.  Yesterday was different.

I spied a product in a spray bottle, called Baygon.  The label says it's for "cucarachas e insectos rastreros".   I wasn't quite sure what the "rastreros" meant, but thought it might mean 'crawling'.  I looked at the back of the bottle and it had drawings of lots of insects, all the ones it's effective on.   Right there in the middle of the drawings I saw "hormigas", ants.  I quickly put the bottle in my cart.

I sprayed the Baygon at the bottom part of the window above my kitchen sink.  Squirt, squirt, squirt.  And  a bit on the outside ledge.

Well, here it is 29 hours later, and I'm happy to report that I'm ant-free.  With just that one application.  I keep going over to the counter and sink to check for ants.  None.  Nada. Zip. Zilch.  I don't know how long it will last, or if the efficacy of the spray will diminish over time. I don't know how often I'm going to have to respray.  I don't know if the ants will build up some kind of mutant-like immunity to the stuff.  But until that happens, I'm going to enjoy an ant-free zone.

Baygon has made my ants-be-gone...

Pretending to be Poor...

A few days ago, I had one of the cutest, funniest, and just a little sad things happen that I've experienced in quite a while.  Some of you know that I've been dealing with an injury to my rotator cuff.  After several doctor visits and a few weeks of physical therapy, it's not really getting much better.  A little, but not as quickly as I'd like.

The doctor told me that I really need to rest my arm, not to use my shoulder so much.  When I asked him about riding my bike and motorcycle, and about playing guitar, he said those were all okay activities.  That kind of surprised me and flies in the face of what I know it traditionally done for this type of injury, so I've been limiting all of those a bit.  Heck, being honest, I haven't been on my bicycle in more months than I'm willing to admit here. But I have been riding my motorcycle some and playing guitar for church and a little practice.

In order to consciously try to give my shoulder the rest it needs to try to heal, I started wearing a sling this week.  Just around our property.  When I go out, the sling comes off.  The sling is a constant reminder to try not to use my arm so much.  I think it's helping some.

Yes, I'm getting to the crux of my story. Really.

On Thursday morning I went to the school office to check on some things.  While I was there, I saw a young girl, about 6 or 7 years old, taking her entrance test.  (New kids enrolling in the school need to take a test to make sure they are put in the proper grade level if they haven't been attending here from the beginning of their school years.)  I watched her for a few seconds and almost instantly sized her up as pretty classic ADHD:  Get up, sit down, look at this, look at that, write for two seconds, comment about the buttons on the teacher's blouse, etc..

As I walked into that room, the girl looked up at me, through her little glasses, and said, "Oooh, show me your arm" in perfect English.  So I did.   I slid the sling back and extended my arm.  Her eyes got huge and she said, "But your arm isn't broken."  Then, before I could reply, she added, "Oh, I know.  You're just pretending to be poor."  She said it so matter-of-factly, so innocently.  I tried telling her that, no, my arm isn't broken, that I need to rest my shoulder, but my explanation fell on deaf ears as she was already commenting about something else that caught her attention.

I tried to bring her back on task, asking for her name: Isabel.  I introduced myself to Isabel and then told her that she needed to listen to the instructions her teacher was giving her.  "OK, I will, but you're sure your arm's really not broken?"  "I'm sure, Isabel.  Now, please pay attention to Miss Yami and finish your pages."

Back out in the main office, I started laughing as I looked out the window, recalling the brief conversation I just had with Isabel.  "You're just pretending to be poor."  The words echoed in my head and I found myself laughing out loud.  Let's face it; that's pretty darn funny.

And just a little sad.  It's sad that a tiny girl has experienced enough of the world to know that there are people who fake an injury in order to beg money.

They're just pretending to be poor...

Creating Jobs Where None Exist...

Last Saturday, we were on our way back to Comayagua from La Paz.  We decided not to go back toward Ajuterique, but just take the road that would take us to the main highway more directly.  Unfortunately, that road is blocked off as you get close to the highway and you need to drive on a dirt road for about 3 or 4 miles.

The normal road is closed while the main highway is being worked on ~ rebuilt, resurfaced and rerouted, whichever is appropriate.  All the highway construction is a precursor to Honduras building the new international airport, which will be about 10 or 15 minutes away from us.  So, we all somewhat willingly put up with the crazy construction traffic, knowing that eventually we'll have a new airport here.  Oh, what a day that will be!!  But I digress...

All the construction has opened up "job" opportunities for anyone with a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit.  Many people travel to the main construction areas, the areas where vehicles often sit in long traffic delays, and sell food and drinks by the side of the road.

On Saturday, I saw something different.  The dirt road that we had to take would normally have almost no traffic on it, only those who lived along the road.  But now, that road is seeing LOTS  of traffic as people make their way between the highway and La Paz.  There's also a cement ditch running along the majority of that road.  It's filled with water, but I'm not sure what the source of the water is.  That doesn't matter.  The kids who live along that stretch of road have managed to find a way to make a little money.

Kids scoop water from the ditch and toss it onto the road, thus keeping down the dust and dirt quite a bit.  Whole stretches of road are moist from this, with the kids there alternately spraying water and yelling out "Pesos, pesos" with their hands extended, hoping to receive a Lempira or two.

As we drove, I asked Adam to slow down even more as I reached into my wallet and got out a few Lemps.  I rolled down the window and two little boys, about 4 or 5 years old, were immediately next to me.  I held out a 2 Lemp bill (10¢) to the first boy.  "Gracias" he said immediately.  I was so impressed that he thanked me, that I held out another Lemp for the other little guy.  Sure enough, he was right there with his "Gracias" as well.

I'm sure that within the next month, maybe less, the effected stretch of highway will be finished and the main road will open back up.  When that happens, there will no longer be any "business" for our little entrepreneurs.  In the meantime, I may just find a need to go back that way a few more times.  And I'll bring a small stack of 1 or 2 Lemp bills to help boost the local economy.

What a Great Day...

Before I get started with the main point of my post, I just want to say that I hope Blogger is playing well with others tonight.  Last night it took me forever to get my post formatted the way I wanted, including the photos.  As it was, I couldn't get the last one right and said, "Ah, screw it!"  (Pardon the French.)  I want to post more photos tonight, so my fingers are crossed ~ even though I don't believe in crossing fingers.

So, yeah, today was a great day.  It started off with a simple breakfast of pancakes, coffee and juice with Brenda and Adam.  Then, I had to go open the building for church and we had worship practice.  After I left the house, Brenda and Adam did the dishes for me.  Gotta love it!

Church was great, but I will admit that I was a bit distracted.  Quite a bit.  Earlier this week, I found out about an 8-day coast-to-coast bicycle tour in the country and they were supposed to be coming through Comayagua and doing a presentation in the park tonight at 8:00 pm.  I felt prompted this morning to check the website and I'm so glad I did:  the presentation in the park was moved to 12 noon and then they would be in La Paz at 4:00 this afternoon.  Before heading over to the Center to open it up, I got my motorcycle helmet and backpack together to leave right after church.  Right after I could get all the sound equipment put away, my guitar back to my house and everything locked up.

When I got to the park, our break dancers were performing.  OK, so they're not really "ours", but they spend so much time dancing here at Enlaces and have their Bible study here that the feel like "ours".  I'm sure I had a huge grin on my face as I was walking up to the gazebo.  Bikes. Helmets. Jerseys.  All over.  It made my heart soar.  Really, it did.  I mean, it was a bike tour and it's here in Honduras.  I had lots of questions to ask.

I was standing there, near the information table, and someone turned to me and asked, in Spanish, if I spoke English.  I said, "yes" and then she said, "Oh, I wasn't sure.  You looked like maybe you're from the States, but I also thought you might be Honduran."  That was a huge compliment to me.  Elise was one of the support team traveling with the group.  Score!  I could ask questions to my heart's content.  And I did.  I met several of the people that are supporting the group, and they all went to school at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI.  Small world.  I asked them about a friend of mine who is a professor there and several of them know his name.

It's a very small group.  There are only about 45 riders this year. And they represent all skill levels and all bike styles. I talked with some of the riders and found out that there were even some professionals riding, using the trip as training.  It's an annual trip, so I signed up for the email list for next year.  Seriously, I'm stoked to find out about an event like this.  I even bought one of the jerseys.  Heck, they were only L.410 ($21).  When was the last time you bought a cycling jersey for $21?  I'll be sporting it at AMBA this year!!

Well, here are a few photos I took today.

From left, Jill, woman whose name I didn't get, Elise, and Amy. They are all part of the support team.  The husband of the woman in green is riding and he's a professor at Calvin College.

Doesn't matter the country, cell phones are everywhere!

Just seeing all the bikes got my heart racing.

A couple of guys relaxing and watching the entertainment.  (No the pink bike was not being ridden by one of the group members.)

And, no, Blogger is not playing well with others tonight and is being super persnickety about me inserting photos.  Maybe it's time for WordPress?  Feel free to weigh in if you have any opinions about blog hosting sites.

Copyright Infringement Anyone?...

Today we (me, Brenda and Adam) were on our way to the falls at Pulhapanzak, but first we needed to go to LaPaz to pick up Brenda's sister, Annie.  LaPaz is about 20-30 minutes away and it's a nice drive.  Because of all the construction on the highway, we went through Ajuterique and Lajamani -- the same route that I take on my motorcycle and on my bicycle.  It's more scenic, anyway.

We got to Annie's apartment and as I was getting out of the car, I laughed at the bar across the street.

And just in case you can't see the sign very well, maybe this will be better:

Don't have a cow, Man!  This kind of blatant copyright infringement happens all the time.

We had a great time at the falls.  I'll write more about that in a future post.  I even have more pics.  One thing I will say, is that I'm glad I brought my trekking poles.  It made maneuvering around a lot easier!

After we got back to LaPaz, Adam pointed out the name of the little restaurant next to Annie's apartment.

Now, I don't care how good the food is ~ I'm not eating at a restaurant named "Aunt Poo".  Maybe if she added an 'H' to her name and had picture of a Hunny pot on the sign it might be better.  No, this isn't copyright infringement, but it's pretty darn funny.  Well, at least I don't think it's copyright infringement. Um, I hope it's not copyright infringement.

After leaving LaPaz, and back out on the highway, we stopped at Finca el Carmen.  I wanted to buy some chicharrón and some chicharrón to make pupusas. I ended up buying some tamales, too.

Talk about blatant copyright infringement:

Anyone hungry for some Famous Dave's?

Apparently Finca knows they're doing something they shouldn't.  Their product that is packed and marketed for export, like tamales, has a totally different logo.

A Morning in the Park...

I went to breakfast with Brenda and Adam today.  La Princesita.  For baleadas.  On our way home, we were passing the park and there were a few open parking spaces.  That almost never happens at 10:30 in the morning, so I told Adam to pull in to one.

We took the opportunity to go into the cathedral.  There was some kind of service just finishing and people were leaving.  I don't know if it was Mass, because I never saw a priest in the front.  But I did see a gentleman that many people were greeting.  It looked like the way you would greet a visiting family member.  Lots of hugs and lot of laughs.  In the side chapel, there were several people kneeling and praying.

Back outside, we knocked on the door to the bell tower.  It was quickly opened and Brenda and Adam went up.  I decided not to go up the tower since I was in flip flops.  Flip flops and four flights of uneven, stone stairs don't mix real well.  So, I waited for them outside.

Sitting on the steps of the cathedral, I settled in for one of my favorite activities: people watching. 

I watched the two men nearby selling ice cream cones with their competing appeals of "¡Conos! ¡Conos!"  They didn't seem pleased at all when a third ice cream vendor showed up with his little cart.  I thought it was a little chilly to be eating ice cream.

A minute later, a woman and young boy, maybe three years old, walked by me carrying ice cream they had purchased at the nearby ice cream shop.  They brought an ice cream to another woman who was also sitting on the cathedral steps and soon all three of them were enjoying their treats.  I wondered how long it would be before the little boy would be wearing more of the ice cream than he was eating. I was surprised when they were joined by another woman, maybe Grandma, and she whipped out a wash cloth from her purse and gave it to the boy.  Instant napkin!

More people were going in and out of the cathedral.  Some people just crossed themselves as they walked by.  I saw the usual photographers in the park, the guys who set up tiny little rocking horses for kids to sit on while their pictures are taken.

What I didn't see were the guys who normally sell cotton candy.  They're usually as plentiful as the ice cream guys.

Oh, well.  Perhaps another day...

Blowing Up the Old Man to Ring in the New Year...

New Year's Eve in Honduras is a great celebration.  Like Christmas Eve, it involves a lot of food, family, friends and fireworks.  But it adds something else: the old man.

El viejto or El pichingo is a great tradition.  Basically, the old man is a bit like a scare crow.  Kind of.  Except that he's stuffed full of firecrackers, lots and lots of firecrackers.  Lots!!  You don't even bother to open the individual packages of firecrackers.  Just stuff whole packages into the old man.  When you don't think there's room for any more, stuff in some more.

The old man then goes out on the street somewhere, hopefully a safe distance away from the house, overhead wires, and any nearby grass or vegetation that may catch fire.

Here's what our old man looked like this year while the guys were trying to get him situated for "the big moment"...

 Yes, that's a University of Florida sweatshirt being used.  I'm actually soliciting for a K-State one for next year!  Bwahahaha!

Then it's time for his shower:  Gasoline shower. All over him, head to toe.  Add match and step back!

At midnight, fireworks, firecrackers, gun shot and old men are lighting up the sky all over town.  Heck, all over the country!  It's a lot of fun as long as you stay a safe distance from the old man; he shoots out quite a bit of debris.

Our old man burned for over 15 minutes before there was nothing left but cinders, soot, and a few unexploded firecrackers.  I taped most of it, but will only subject you to a little less than two minutes.

I know at times it sounds more like corn popping than firecrackers, but that's because of the microphone on the video camera.

By 12:30am, the sky over the whole city is nothing but a smoke-filled haze.  At least it keeps the mosquitoes at bay!

Happy New Year!