It's a Miracle...

If you read my 'borrowed' post and watched the video about dealing with the government, you may get a kick out of this.

Back in January 2010, I bought a motorcycle to use as my primary means of transportation. Like most stores advertise, a helmet, registration and license plate are included gratis, free. So, along with all of my paperwork, receipts, manual, etc., I received a paper that was my 'provisional permission to circulate without plates.' That temporary permit was good for two months.

The only problem was, at the end of those two months, my license plate (or anyone else's) were not ready. The standing story was that the government was not releasing new plates because it was still in transition of the new presidency. OK, I guess that's somewhat understandable. Somewhat.

Unfortunately, that has meant that every two months I have had to go to Tegucigalpa, back to the store where I bought the motorcycle, to get my temporary permit extended. There's no cost, but it's a HUGE hassle to go to Tegus, to Comayaguela (really bad 'burb' of Tegus), to get my renewal. Last time I was there, just two months ago, I asked them if there was anywhere in Comayagua that could issue my temporary permit. I was told 'no' it had to be at the store where you bought your vehicle.

Then I asked if they could please issue my permit for more than two months at a time, because it was very obvious that the government was not in any hurry to release license plates and I'm sure that they, as a store, had much more important things to do than deal with the inefficiencies of the government ~ a tactic used to deflect blame from the store and its employees and put it squarely on the shoulders of the government in an "I sympathize with you and what you have to deal with" attempt. (Whew! That was one long, rambling, run-on sentence.) But, no, they couldn't do that, either.

OK, gonna pull out the big guns here... Well, I wondered, is there any way that they can SEND me my permit by courier every two months so that we don't have to take an entire day to come from Comayagua all the way to Comayaguela? Imagine my surprise when the woman in charge said, "Yes, we can do that!" I was overjoyed. The woman told me to just call about 5 days in advance and she would take care of things. I did some quick mental calculating and realized that I would be in the States when my permit would expire in August.

So I decided to go for broke. "In August, I will be in the United States when my permit expires. Can Trify call in August and will you be able to send the permit to him?" Trify was right there with me. Once again, I heard, "Yes, we can do that!" Twice in one day. I was definitely on a roll.

Fast forward to Tuesday of last week and it was time for me to put my new found 'freedom' to work. I called Didemo, the store, and spoke with Damaris, the woman who was helping me. I identified myself as Susan, from Comayagua. Immediately, Damaris said, "And you have the red Honda V-men." Yes, that was me. Well, Damaris told me that she had already started to work on my next permit, but the person who signs them was out of the office and wouldn't be in until the next day. (Uh oh, sound familiar?) She told me that she would make sure that he signed my permit right away and she would have it sent to me at Enlaces by courier. I thanked her for her time and attention and then reminded her that in August Trify would call since I would be out of the country. Damaris said that would not be a problem.

After my phone call, I went to the school office and talked to Dayanara, our incredible secretary, who is SO MUCH more than a secretary. I let her know that a courier would be coming with my permit and that my guess was that it would arrive on Thursday. Sure enough, it did. The cost of the courier service was 45 Lempiras ($2.38 USD), but that was a pleasure to pay and not have to head to Tegus.

My miracle? That someone in a position of authority did exactly what they said they would do, WHEN they said they would do it! But wait, it gets better. Remember when I was told that they could not issue the permit for more than two months at a time? I received another miracle: My temporary permit was issued for FIVE AND A HALF MONTHS!!! It doesn't expire until 31 November. Thank You, Jesus!

And another miracle? My phone call to Damaris took place all in Spanish, although I did have to ask her to speak a bit slower.

These may seem like small miracles, but to me, they're huge!

Back in the Saddle Again...

Ah, in the last 9 days I've been on my bicycle 7 times. Feels great!

On Saturday, I put in a little more than 20 miles. I rode to Ajuterique, then on to Lejamaní and even a bit past there before turning around to head back. It really was a wonderful ride. I passed quite a few fields being worked by farm hands. Row after row, all being worked by hand.

Today I rode a few laps on the boulevard and then went up toward El Volcan. When I was just a bit out of town, I was coming up toward a young boy walking his bike. As I passed him, he mounted the bike and rode along with me for a while. His name is David. David is 9 years old and is in third grade. I asked him if he speaks any English. He told me "no", but that he wants to learn. Then I asked him why he wants to learn English. David said that it's important to learn English. So, again, I asked him why. He told me that his mother told him he needs to learn English and computers so that he can get a good job. I told David that his mother is very intelligent. He said, "I know." So, I'm sure that somewhere in his future, David is going to learn English and computers so that he can get a good job.

David and I rode together for a little while until I needed a break. I told David that I was going to stop, rest and then head back down the mountain toward Comayagua. We said our good-byes and then David continued riding for a bit. I pulled off to the side of the road, under the only shade that was around. David rode on about 20 yards or so and then dismounted his bike. He started walking it again. I guess he was tired, too.

Best wishes, David! It was nice to meet you today.

Dealing with the Honduran Government...

HUGE disclaimer: I am "borrowing" this post, word for word, from La Gringa's Blogicito. She said it all so perfectly that there's no need to add anything else!


(Video in Spanish with English subtitles)

"This video will give you a taste of what it is like to deal with the Honduran government. Hee-larious! I'm not sure what country this is from, but while this has a happy ending (oops, I shouldn't have given it away), these guys were wusses compared to Honduras.

In the end, no matter how many hoops you've jumped through, no matter how well prepared you are, no matter how much time you've allotted to your tramite, they always have the trump card (the system is down, come back mañana; we are out of paper, come back mañana; the only person in the entire world who is authorized to sign your document is a) in San Pedro (substitute any city you are not currently in), b) out to lunch, or c) on vacation, come back next week.

I have to say that I've experienced that look of disappointment and even annoyance when I've arrived at the window with all my paperwork in order. Even worse, don't dare to bring something to read while you are waiting — it's highly frowned upon.

Just expect it and get used to it. You have no control over it."

Again, I "borrowed" this post from La Gringa. Every word of it. ~Susan

Las Cuevas de Taulabe...

Last Monday I went to Las Cuevas de Taulabe (the caves of Taulabe) with my friends Brenda and Sara. I hadn't been there in about 16 years. Things have really changed since then. I mean, the last time I was there, the caves were nothing more than a whole in the wall. Literally. They were still famous. But they were just a cave. You could just walk in. If you paid the guy at the mouth of the cave a few Lempiras, he would turn on the 3 or 4 light bulbs that were strung up and went back about 50 feet or so. After that, you were on your own. You and your flashlight.

Now, there's a gate to let you in off the highway. Then, you have to pay. Thankfully, I have residency status and only needed to pay 30 Lempiras ($1.58 USD). The cost for extranjeros (foreigners) is $4. And that's the way they have it posted on the sign. All the prices are in Lempiras except for 'foreigners', that's in US dollars. Interesting. What if someone from Europe is visiting?

Anyway, after paying your entrance fee, a guide tries to convince you that you need a guide and they can give you the history of the caves. No, thanks. Not this time. Then you walk up some steps (which were not there 16 years ago), and see this:

The stairs leading down and the wrought iron gate at the mouth of the cave didn't exist 16 years ago, either.

The changes that have been made are definitely for the better. There is a walkway and colored lights that go quite a ways back. It was great. Especially this view:

Interestingly, it wasn't cool inside the caves, like I thought it would be. In fact, it was hot and humid. Stiflingly so. But I did manage to get a photo of me:

I wasn't paying close attention, but my guess is that the walkway and lights go back about 500 yards or so.

Spending some time at the caves was definitely a lot of fun. It's something I'll do again.

By the way, the caves of Taulabe are about 2, maybe 3, miles away from the property where I stayed on my first two trips here to Honduras. We even got some gas at the Texaco that is across from the property. The Texaco didn't exist 16 years ago, either.

A Disturbing Image...

I saw some photos posted on Facebook last Sunday which really disturbed me. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe not. I'll tell you about it and let you decide. Feel free to comment:

Last Saturday, former president Mel Zelaya returned to Honduras after more than a year away. Early in the morning, I was at our front gate, awaiting the arrival of students who had detention. While waiting, I saw a few buses, pickup trucks and cars pass, all sporting the red and white flag that signifies support of Mel. I knew that there was going to be some kind of rally (whether official or not, I wasn't sure) in Tegucigalpa and figured that those vehicle and their inhabitants were probably heading to the capital city.

The news later in the evening showed some of the crowds, the elation and the celebration over Mel's return. From what I saw, things were basically peaceful.

On Sunday afternoon, I was on Facebook. One of my friends here had posted a bunch of photos from the rally the day before. As I looked through the photos, I saw two which made me stop in my tracks. Those two photos were of someone else I know and consider to be a friend, standing triumphantly and proudly, hands on hips, on top of an American flag that was on the ground, in the gutter, in a puddle of water.

How do I react? I thought this person was a friend, but now, I don't know. Do these photos mean that s/he hates America? What about Americans? What about Americans that are here laboring in Honduras? So, by extension, does s/he hate me? What about the other North Americans s/he knows? How does that kind of action line up with the Word of God? Was s/he simply swept up in a mob mentality moment?

I sat there for a while at the computer, unable to shake the images from my mind. Shortly afterward, Sara and I left for lunch at La Princesita. We were joined by Pedro, a teacher here. I had already been discussing the photos with Sara and then asked Pedro for his opinion. He seemed to understand my feelings of discomfort toward this individual. He also agreed that you don't disrespect the flag of any nation.

I think my strong reaction comes because of the respect I give to the flag. The American flag or that of any nation. I may disagree with the leader of a nation. I may disagree with some of the people of a particular nation. But, I would never disrespect the flag of any nation.

By the time we got back from La Princesita, those two images had been removed from that particular photo album. Why? Did the person who posted them realize how wrong they were? Unfortunately, for me, the damage has already been done.

Now, I'm faced with how I will react the next time I see the person in the photos. An adult, basically the same age as I am. But s/he was trampling on the flag of the United States of America.

It's an image that seems to be burned indelibly into my mind.

A disturbing image...