Lively House...

I got up at 6am this morning because I wanted to get my laundry washed and on the line before Jenny even got up.  Well, that didn't quite work.  I had started my laundry and was back in my room about 6:20 and heard Jenny get up.  She went back to her room and I went out to the kitchen to put away the dry dishes.  A few minutes later Jenny was also in the kitchen.

It's a big day today: New Year's Eve.  There are eggs to boil. Corn casserole to prepare.  An old man to make.  Etc. Etc.  And, we've got the easy part.  Sandi is making the turkey and ham, plus lots more side dishes.  Char is making the cheesecake, but she did that last night.  And, Autumn made a batch of chocobananos.


Jenny's got the eggs already hard boiled and cooling so that she can make deviled eggs.  Plus, the old man is pretty well stuffed.  And it's only 7:30am.  My laundry was on the line by 7:00 and last night I got out most of the ingredients I'll need for the corn casserole.  I'm going to make two pans of it: one with salsa verde and a little kick of hot sauce and the other one plain.  I'm also going to make a batch of punch and need to walk down to the supe (grocery store, short for supermercado) to get a few more ingredients.

Poor Autumn!  I'm sure she's wishing we weren't up and around so early this morning.  But, actually, this is pretty much normal for us; the past two weeks have been the aberration where we didn't really get going until 7:00 or later.

Later this morning, we're all going to La Princesita for baleadas.  Yum.  I'll bet I could eat baleadas there every morning and not get sick of them.  The comical part will be loading 11 of us into the pickup truck.  We've been doing quite a bit of that the last week or so and we draw a bit of attention to ourselves since we're a T.L.O.G. ~~ Truck Load Of Gringos.  Heck, I even have a T-shirt to prove it.  (Thanks, Luda!)

Full Week...

We've had a full week of celebrating Christmas with friends and family.  Most of Sandi's children are able to be here this week, so Currie and Sandi definitely have a full house.  Last night, we celebrated our Christmas, opening the mountain of gifts that had accumulated under the tree in Currie and Sandi's house.  That took quite a while, but there were lots of laughs and lots of photos involved!!

Late in the evening, some friends called.  They had been planning to stop here at Enlaces and visit on their way through to Tegucigalpa.  Well, they got stuck in pretty much every one of the construction stops on the highway, for a total of about 4-5 hours.  By the time they (3 cars full) made it to Comayagua, they decided to stop at Pollo Campero, which is just "three houses away" from us.  So, we walked over there to see everyone.  We ended up standing around outside Pollo Campero for over an hour, just laughing, talking and taking more pictures. There must have been 25-30 of us, all speaking Spanish and English.  I'm sure it made for quite a sight to the employees inside.  Yes, a few people went in to get some food and drink for the rest of the drive (and construction stops) to Tegus.

This morning I got up early and, after having my quiet time, decided that I needed some tamales for breakfast.  Yum.  I ended up eating two since mine weren't nearly as large as the ones I bought at Fincas El Carmen.  Later this morning we're off to the pool for a few hours.  I'm bringing my bathing suit, but if it doesn't warm up substantially, I doubt I'll dive in.  However, just being out there, at Campo de Golf, is very relaxing.  I'm going to bring a book and some note cards. 

 

Now, we get to celebrate the New Year.  We're planning to have a party tomorrow.  First, we're starting with dinner for some members of the team and some close friends.  The menu is going to be a great mix if Honduran and North American food.  Then, we've decided to take the party to the streets.  We're going to build un hombre viejo -- an old man.  The old man is kind of like a scarecrow, except that you also stuff him with firecrackers... LOTS of firecrackers!  At midnight, as fireworks and firecrackers go off everywhere, you light up the old man and watch him explode, as well.  If, after all the fireworks in him go off, there's anything left of him, you douse him with gasoline or kerosene and add a match.  It's a way of totally letting go of the old year.  I've been told that some years there's even a theme to the old man.  For instance, one year everyone did Osama bin Laden.  I don't think there's a theme this year, but Sandi and I have joked that we should make the old man be Mel.  The problem with that, is that we want to reach out to our neighbors and don't want to offend them if they happen to be Mel supporters.  We're also planning on having lots of cookies available to share with our neighbors as we all bring in the New Year.

Ist Die Post Offen?...

Sorry for the German, but that's what came to mind as I saw that the post office is closed today.  Next door, a man was cleaning the wrought iron on his pharmacy gate, so I asked him if the post office would be open today.  Nope.  Oh, well.  I guess I'll wait until Monday.

Before heading back home, I walked to another store that someone told me might have the type of motorcycle I'm looking for.  They didn't, but I did find out that, in addition to free registration, they also give TWO free helmets when you buy a bike there.  Most of the other places that I've been to all give one helmet.  One place only does the free registration, but does not give helmets.  I've already scratched that place off my list.

Walking through the market today was such a pleasure.  I'm not sure if the lack of huge crowds was because it's the day after Christmas or that it was fairly early.  My guess is 'fairly early', since as I walked back toward home, it was much busier.  I stopped to say hello to my friend, Walter, at his fruit stand and ask him about his Christmas.  He told me it was not a good day because he was missing his mother, who recently passed away.  I felt bad for him, but appreciated the fact that he was so willing to share with me.

Then, when I was near the mall, I saw one of our teachers and talked to her for a few minutes.  I like being out and seeing people I know.  Sometimes when I'm walking by somewhere or riding in the back of the truck, I'll hear, "Hello, Miss Susan!" coming from somewhere.  Usually, I don't see who it is, but assume that it's a student, so I just call out, "Hello!"  Although, it was pretty cool the night I was riding on the back of Hector's moto, heading toward the cathedral and saw Omar and his family driving in their truck.  We waved and said hello to each other from the road.

It's only 10:30am, and it's already 80°, so it looks like it's going to be a pretty warm day!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot...

Yes, it looks like Christmas here in Comayagua, Honduras.  Of course, Christmas is celebrated differently here than in the States.  The biggest difference is that Christmas isn't so completely commercialized here (yet).  There is much more emphasis on family and friends, less on gifts and going into deeper debt trying to buy those gifts.

Food... Yes, much of the Christmas celebration centers around food ~~ both the making and the eating.  Two days ago, Sandi and Jenny made 60 or so tamales.  Since I missed out on that because of a dentist's appointment, I made some yesterday, under Sandi's tutelage.  My batch was another 39, so I think we're set on tamales.  Sandi also taught Jenny how to make torrejas.  There are two types of torrejas: the french toast type and the pancake type.  I've had both and they're both good.  Basically, the special bread or special pancake is soaked in a syrup of dulce and spices, then eaten.  I won't go into all the details of making the bread or the pancake, since it's pretty similar to making them anywhere.  It's just that different ingredients are used.

The majority of the Christmas celebration takes place on Christmas Eve.  Most families will have dinner together at 7:00 or 8:00pm.  Then, starting around 9:00 or 10:00pm, people will begin to 'pass from house to house', visiting each other.  You are usually offered food at each house you visit, especially tamales and torrejas.   At midnight, there will be a huge round of fireworks and firecrackers set off.  The firecrackers will last well into the early morning hours, but that's okay because you are still out visiting others.  Generally, you don't get home until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning.  There are still lots of firecrackers going off, but that will continue for days anyway.  Yes, everyone sleeps in on Christmas day.  Christmas day itself is much more low key.

Another tradition here that I really like are the nativity scenes.  Putting up a nativity scene can be a really big deal for families.  Some families will even clear out their entire living room to convert it to a stable, suitable for the birth of Christ.  In addition to the usual nativity figures of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, wise men, shepherds, angels and assorted animals, nativities here also include a slice of daily life.  They're more like a huge diorama.  I've seen nativities that include the cathedral downtown, the mercado, schools, mountain villages, etc. It's very cool to see.

So, with all of that said, I hope that each of you reading this has an incredibly blessed Christmas!  May each of you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, remembering His supreme sacrifice for each of us!

No Jayhawk Basketball Today...

I thought I might be able to watch the Jayhawks play Michigan in basketball today.  The game was on ESPN, and since we get ESPN, I was hopeful.  Alas, my hopes have been dashed.  Thankfully, I was able to follow the game on the Journal World website.  Even more thankfully, the Jayhawks beat the Wolverines!  I'm still hopeful that somehow there will be a programming glitch and I'll be able to catch one of the games.  Maybe against MU?  K-State?  A girl can dream, can't she?

Earlier today, I walked to the mercado with Sandi and Autumn.  Autumn was trying to find a pair of shoes to wear this evening to a wedding.  She found a pair in Carrion's, in the mall, but we still decided to check out the mercado to see if they had any that she liked better.  They didn't.

Since it's Saturday, the mercado is particularly packed.  This meant that we had to dodge cars and bikes, swim upstream through the sea of people, and just generally stay on our toes while walking -- lest our toes get trampled on.  But it was fun, at least for me.  I always enjoy being out in the mercado.  Sometimes I see someone (or several someones) I know; sometimes not.  Today was 'not', but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment.

After I got back home and after I realized that I wasn't going to get to watch the Jayhawks game, I made a makeshift practice mute from a kitchen towel and elastic band.  I've been practicing the cornet a bit since I'm going to play a few songs in church tomorrow.  Yes, all these years later, I still play trumpet!  Well, I'll play trumpet once mine gets here, but in the meantime, the cornet that was left behind by one of the interns does quite nicely.  The valve action is good, which is important.  Hopefully tomorrow will go well.  I'm even going to try to get some pics of me playing.

 

What a Day...

This morning started out with me, Currie, Sandi, Samuel and Autumn going to La Princesita for baleadas.  I ordered the baleada sencilla, which is basically a large homemade flour tortilla filled with refried beans, mantequilla (sour cream-like product), and grated queso (parmesan style cheese). You can also get them with scrambled eggs, chicken or sausage added.

After breakfast, we did a  little shopping at the hardware store.  When we parked at the hardware store, Sandi and I walked about two blocks away to try to book some dentist appointments.  On Monday I'll be getting my teeth cleaned, for 400 Lempiras ($21.17).  I'll let you know how it turns out.  We also stopped by the post office so that Autumn could mail some post cards.  I found out that post card stamps are 15 Lps (79¢) each.  Plus, at the post office, you affix the stamps with a little container of glue and a popsicle stick.  

We came back home and a few minutes later Sandi, Autumn and I went out to see if another friend was home.  She wasn't, so we came back, then Sandi & I started to walk down to the mercado.  We stopped in a few shops, looking around and checking some prices.  We weren't really looking for anything in particular, just window shopping.  We made it down to the parque central and stopped in a store for a couple bottles of water.  As we went to sit down on one of the benches, Sandi recognized a friend, so we talked to her for a few minutes.  

Back at Enlaces, we left again, this time headed to the 'zoo'.  Samuel's friend, Adán is spending a few days, so we loaded the truck up and zipped down the highway.  Well, to call it the zoo is such a misnomer.  Actually, it's a slice of Honduran culture.  It's a place to get corn food products: atol, elote, tamalitos, etc., etc.  They also have a small menagerie of caged animals out back.  The ASPCA would have a field day in that place: cages are way too small, there are too many animals in several of the cages, etc.  But, it's still fun.

After our time at the zoo, we drove the short distance to Fincas del Carmen, mainly to buy nacatamales.  Fincas del Carmen has 'borrowed' the Famous Dave's logo.  All of it: pig, ribs, font.  I think it's pretty funny.  I bought 12 tamales and even a half-pound of chicharonnes.  The tamales are in the fridge until they are cold enough to freeze, but the chicharonnes did not last long at all.

She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain...

Driving here is quite an adventure.  Always.  Yesterday I went with Sandi to the airport in San Pedro Sula to pick up her daughter, Autumn.  We left Comayagua about 7:15am or so because we wanted to stop at PriceSmart first.   Thankfully, we didn't get caught in construction traffic for nearly as long as Hermes did just two days earlier.  He was stopped and waiting for almost two hours in the one-way construction zone in between Siguatepeque and Taulabé.  Two hours, just sitting there.  Waiting.  In your car.  No thanks.  And that was just on the way there.


On our way up to San Pedro, we had to wait for maybe 10 minutes.  On the way back, it was more like 20 or 25 minutes, but we still considered ourselves lucky.

From Comayagua, no matter which direction you drive, you are shortly in the mountains, since we sit in a valley.  Driving in the mountains, here, is so much different than in the States.  First, there's no guard rail.  Well, almost never.  Then, there's passing other vehicles.  Here, you pass on blind curves, just because you can.  Never mind if you can't see and it's only a two-lane highway, and there are big trucks and buses on the road, or that when you can see, two cars are coming straight at you.  You pass.  Never mind that you're in a construction zone and you have an eight inch drop off on one side of you, with no guard rail and a long way down the mountain. You pass.  Never mind that on the other side of the lane you have re-bar spikes sticking out of the raised lane, kind of like the chariot in "Ben Hur", ready to tear your tire and car to shreds. You pass.  Never mind that if the re-bar isn't sticking straight out from the concrete slab, it's sticking straight up like a villainous stop stick.  You pass.

Two-lane highway?  No such thing.  We all know that if there happen to be any lane markings on the highway, they are merely a suggestion and if 5 vehicles can all fit in that space, then so be it.  It's all about proving the laws of physics obsolete!  Two solid objects CAN, indeed, occupy the same space at the same time.  At least until such a time as one of them goes 'crunch'.  Yes, that happens a lot here, too.


So, yesterday we got to trust God to get us to San Pedro Sula and back.  Today, I got to learn more about trust by going to Tegucigalpa with Hermes.  More mountains, more turns, more twists, more physics-defying car passing!  But, apparently it all had a happy ending, because here I am, sitting home and writing about it.


 

Fresh Fruit Rulz...

Currie and Sandi (Samuel, too, of course) returned to Honduras yesterday.  They got back home to Comayagua just before 6pm.  Jenny and I were just finishing up our dinner, so we went out to greet them, help them unload about a million suitcases and just sit and talk.  It's amazing; they left here 6 1/2 weeks ago, with suitcases loaded with coffee and other things for friends and family in the States.  They returned with one more suitcase than they left with, and their suitcases were filled with food, gifts, and requested items for people here.  I think they even packed some clothes, but I can't be sure.

This morning I went over there about 9am or so and talked with Sandi for a while.  I was getting ready to walk down to the post office and wanted to see if she needed me to pick up anything while I was in the mercado.  Well, she needs lots of groceries, so she decided not to load me down with stuff since I would be en pie (on foot).  Then I had a great idea: I asked Sandi if Samuel might want to go with me.  I thought that would have a double benefit: get Samuel out of the house for a while while Sandi continued to unpack and get the family settled, plus, it would get Samuel a little exercise and fresh(?) air.

Within less than 200 yards of our walking, Samuel said, "Wow!  I think we're going to be walking for miles and miles today."  I told him that it would probably be about 3 miles, round trip.  When I told him that the post office was behind the cathedral, he thought we should be driving instead of walking.  But, I convinced him that the walk would be fun. I learned today that while I love to do it, Samuel thinks walking through the mercado is boring.


We arrived at Parque Central and looked at the Christmas tree that's been put up, then we went to go get something cold to drink.  Even at 10am it was pretty warm (80° or more) and very, very sunny.  So, I got us some drinks and then we went outside to sit at a table in the shade for a bit.  When we started to walk behind the cathedral toward the post office, we decided to go into the cathedral for a few minutes.  Then we were on our way.


I'm so glad I went to the post office today.  I got THREE Christmas cards, from the ladies in the Monday night Bible study in Lawrence, AND a package from Sharon.  That was so cool!  Samuel and I sat on the step outside the post office so that I could open my cards.  I decided not to open the package until we were back home.


On our way home, we stopped for some fruit at my friend Walter's stand.  I bought two sandias (watermelons) and some uvas (grapes).  Samuel started carrying one of the watermelons, but I knew that wouldn't last long.  It didn't.  Soon, I was carrying both sandias and the uvas, but I did have Samuel carry my package, since it wasn't too heavy.


Having such incredible fresh fruits and vegetables available is wonderful.  This afternoon, I devoured two mandarinas (tangerines).  Later tonight, fresh green beans are on the menu.  I don't know what's going with them, but I'll figure something out.  The sandias I bought?  I gave one to Sandi and have the other one here in the house.  I'm thinking, if it makes it that long, it might end up as jugo (juice).  That's if it doesn't get eaten before I get around to throwing it in the blender.  I had every intention of making licuados (smoothies) out of the cantelopes I've been buying.  Care to venture a guess as to how many cantelope licuados I've made?  That's right: exactly zero.  Somehow, the cantelope just doesn't seem to last that long.  Oh, I can hardly wait until mango season!!

I Wonder While I Walk...

OK, not really, but it kind of sounds like a Christmas Carol, right?

This morning, after my student didn't show up for our last day of class, I walked down to the post office.  I've been waiting for a letter from Mom.  It arrived sometime between my last visit on Friday and today.  It's amazing how exciting a letter can be.  Especially when it's got photos and even $5 in it.  Thanks, Mom!!

I always love walking through the mercado.  When the merchants see a gringa coming they seem to get more excitement and animation in their voices as they hawk their wares.  But, let's face it, just how exciting can they make cubitos (bullion cubes) or cinturóns (belts) sound?  After getting the mail, I stopped to buy some fruit.  I picked up a couple of mandarinas (tangerines) for 2 Lps each and then bought 3 minimos (bananas) for 1 Lp each.  From there I stopped by Walter's booth and bought 3 melones (cantelopes) for a total of 40 Lps.  So, for just less than $2.50 I have a nice pile of fruit for a day or two.

While walking back, I saw that one of my neighbors is doing some kind of addition to his house.  He had about 5 kids helping him.  I recognized one of them as a regular at the Center, so as I was walking by I stopped and commented that he had lots of assistants to help.  He said, "Yes, lots of help."  The boy who I recognized saw that I had a bag of melones and asked me for one.  Well, I decided I could part with a cantalope and asked him if he would share.  He said, "yes" and then started to take the melon.  The other kids started clamoring for one as well, and I told them that it was to share.  Then I cupped my hand to my ear, as if I was waiting to hear something.  The boy said, "thank you", and the man, who I think might be the boy's father, nodded approvingly at me for wanting a 'thank you'.  I think all the kids were pretty shocked that I would give them a melon.

Giving away the fruit may have been a mistake that will haunt me later.  It's entirely possible that every time I walk by with groceries the kids will ask me for something.  Still, I like to think that I was just being nice to the neighborhood kids.  Time will tell.

More Musings From the Road...

Out for another ride today... Ah, it really does feel good.  I saw more farm animals today than I have in a while.  On my first lap, toward the top of the boulevard, there was a cow in the road.  Some cars were honking at her and  I wondered if she was going to get hit.  Before I reached her, she made her way to the side of the road and was heading near some bags of what appeared to be trash.  So, a guy standing near the trash decided it would be best to keep her away from the trash.  He started waving her back out into the road.  Brilliant.  As I passed her, I thought she looked mighty uncomfortable.  She looked like her udders might burst at any second.  She was gone by my second lap.

Ah, the second lap.  It started out okay, but as I was returning, about halfway down the boulevard, I head a huge *BAM*.  Startled, I realized that I was the offender.  I had a rear blowout.  So, I started walking the bike because I knew that 'my mechanic' was a short way ahead.  I brought my bike in and when they started to work on it I saw that my back tire was completely torn apart.  OK, I guess I need to replace more than just the tube.  I picked out a tire, found out the cost of it and a tube, and then explained to the guy that I only had 60 Lps with me, but I could quickly return from Enlaces with the rest.  He seemed fine with that.  The total cost of repairs?  138 Lempiras, or $7.30.  So, with that, I came away with a new tire and tube.

I decided to keep on riding and I'm glad I did.  There were more farm animals to be seen.  On that third lap I looked up one side road and saw three horses, just standing there.  As I was on the backside of the loop, I had to slow down a bit to allow an oxen-drawn cart to cross the boulevard.  Yep, just an average day in Honduras.

Today I also realized why I had never noticed the old shack before:  at that point in each lap, I am usually looking up at a mountain ahead, mesmerized by the village that seemingly hangs on the side of it, hypnotized by the stark beauty of dirt roads that beg cars to defy gravity.  But today, I checked out the shack on three of my four laps.

In addition to garland around the door, there is an artificial tree on the porch.  Yes, it looks just barely better than Charlie Brown's tree, but it's out there with such pride, how can anyone not see how beautiful it is?  Today was also wash day for the woman of the house.  The laundry is all hung, inside out of course, on the line.  She even had four or five clothes pins available to hold some of the smaller items in place.  Yes, I like the shack.  Very much.

For the first time today, I noticed that there is a wooden cover over one of the sewer manholes.  I thought it was interesting that I hadn't seen it before.  So, then I started to look and see if there were any more.  Not that I've noticed so far, but let's see.

As I was riding, I saw beautiful coconut palms in front of dilapidated homes and thought of something Jenny told me this weekend.  She said that when her mom first visited Honduras, she said, "Um, this isn't quite the paradise that I pictured it would be from your description."  Yeah, I get it.  I'm sure it would be difficult for many to see the beauty through the trash, the richness through the poverty, the abundance through the need.  But, mark my words, it's there. 

Random Thoughts From a Bike Ride...

Today's post is a somewhat random collection of thoughts and musings that came to me while I was out riding this morning...  

Let me begin by saying that it's been a while (quite a while, if I'm totally honest) since I was out on my bike.  I was afraid that I would really suck wind today, but thankfully, I didn't.  In fact, the ride felt amazing and I fell in love with riding all over again!

On my very first lap I saw a dilapidated shack, someone's home, that was decorated with garland for Christmas.  How have I missed seeing that shack?  Yet, there it was, decorated and even the dirt in front of it was swept clean of trash.

I saw a group of about 8-10 vultures in the median and knew that they were gnawing on something.  That something turned out to be a dead dog.  My guess is that it got hit by a car.  It hadn't been there too long, but it was long enough for rigor to set in.  Is rigor a prerequisite for the vultures?

Fireworks stands are starting to appear.  This morning there were three of them set up in the lot that had the carnival about 6 or 7 weeks ago.  They'll be there until after the New Year, since Christmas and New Year's are two of the biggest nights for fireworks and firecrackers here.  Although, there are LOTS of lesser holidays and celebrations that call for firecrackers.  That also explains why I'm hearing so many more firecrackers being shot off by the neighborhood kids.

While riding I saw two ladies burning trash in front of their homes.  I guess they wanted to get it done early in the morning.

I was once again struck by the incredible beauty of this country.  The mountains are stark, harsh, unforgiving, but majestic.  And the people who eek out a living while living on those mountains are strong and proud.

Rules of the road are really just suggestions and mainly for sissies.  People on bikes ride wherever they want.  It doesn't really matter in which direction the cars are traveling, when you're on a bike, you ride: with traffic, against traffic, through traffic.  It's all good.

Cars are not much better.  Lane markings, if they exist, are followed optionally, as well.  Two lane roads often become three, sometimes four lanes. 

I noticed several Hondurans out jogging this morning, both men and women.  Perhaps that's because there's a gym at the end of the boulevard.

Then I saw a couple walking together, holding hands.  Not odd at all to see young people like that, but this couple was older, perhaps in their forties.  (Determining age is particularly difficult here because the hard lives they lead causes many to age prematurely.)

All in all, it was a good morning.  I'm glad I didn't succumb to the call of the snooze alarm (too much).  At noon, I'm meeting Hermes, Eunice, and a few others for lunch.  We're going to a Chinese restaurant that is right on the boulevard.  I'll walk over there and then after lunch, go talk to the folks in the shop next door.  I've been seriously thinking about buying a motorcycle, but just yesterday added a motor scooter to the mix.  There's a shop next to where we're having lunch that sells scooters and 4-wheelers.  I'll go check into the prices.

No Caves for Us...

Jenny, Mariel, her two boys and I tried to go to las cuevas de Taulabé yesterday.  I guess it wasn't meant to be, but we had a good day, anyway.  I told Mariel that we would be at her house at 8:30am to pick them up.  They were all waiting for us because Mariel said "They are North Americans and they will be on time."  HA!  I guess I'm becoming a good Honduran.  It was closer to 9:00am by the time we got there.  I had been on the phone, and the call took a little longer than I thought it would.  Oh well.  We weren't on any type of tight schedule.  We just needed to be back in Comayagua around 2:00pm so that Mariel could teach at 3:00.

After getting some gas, we were on our way.  The construction on the highway is really making good progress.  Shortly outside of Siguatepeque we ran into our first time to sit and wait while cars went through in the opposite direction.  That didn't really bother us.  Jenny had brought a Christmas CD and by that time we were rocking out to "Feliz Navidad".  It was a lot of fun. 

When we got to the caves, there was no one there and the place was all locked up.  We kept yelling for someone, but the only person who heard us was an old man who had been across the highway selling his wares.  He came over and told us that there was no one there.  That they "were voting".  Um, hello?  The elections were on Sunday, not Monday.  Anyway, we thanked the guy and continued to talk about breaking in.  None of us were serious, but it did make for some fun.

Back in the truck, Kevin (Mariel's 10-year-old son) said that we needed a sad song.  It just so happens that the CD Jenny had brought had Barbra Streisand's version of "My Favorite Things".  It's pretty sad in its own rite, but with my crying along with it, well, it was an absolute tearjerker.

Before reaching Siguat again, we stopped and bought a big sack of oranges.  The guy said there were 90 in each sack and the cost was 80 Lps., which is about  $4.25US.  We also stopped and had lunch at Wendy's in Siguat, which was a huge hit with Saul (3-years-old) and Kevin.  After lunch, on our way back to Comayagua, we played "I spy" with Kevin, in English.  It was a great chance for him to have fun and practice his English at the same time.

So, even though we didn't actually get IN to the caves, here are two pics NEAR the caves... 

Is my sad face convincing?  Next time, we're going to bring a ladder in case we need to jump the fence.