Travels in Honduras

I recently returned from my latest trip down to the university where I work. Usually, I will go down on a Monday, and return on a Friday, but this trip was different because there were some additional meetings, so I went down in the middle of the week. That meant that I had the weekend, then another full week of work. Then at the end of my trip, I could not get a flight out from Miami on Saturday because it was the end of Spring Break, so I had to stay down until Sunday.

So, I had two weekends in Honduras, and I got to see some more of the country. The first weekend, I explored some of the far-out fields that we have on the campus. As an agriculture school, we have hectares of farmland producing different crops. Usually when I go for a run down there, I only see the close-in fields (corn, onions, lettuce), but getting out for a long walk, I found our papayas and mango groves, as well as the aquaculture ponds up close and personal. The day was vibrant, and getting very hot. Fortunately, a group came by and asked me if I wanted to hop in the car with them and go up to the mountain.

We own a lot of land that is attached to the central campus, and some of it goes up to a mountain where an old nun used to grow flowers and sell them to raise funds for an orphanage. We saw her old dilapidated house, and the other house that has been rebuilt as a get-away for student clubs to use as a retreat. There were still lots of flowers being grown, which are used for decorations around campus for events. Since we were up higher, the temperature was just perfect.

My second weekend, I went with a colleague to her family's weekend house, which is about 1.5 hours away. We chatted the entire way up there, stopped by a couple of small towns to see the local churches and some art galleries, picked up some amazing pupusas, and spent the afternoon talking, walking around the grounds, and just enjoying being outside and relaxed. It is always so different to see the local sights with locals, who can introduce you, tell you the history, and give you a real sense of place. And, staying off the crazy buses in Honduras is always a good thing!

Honduras has a lot of unique wildlife still, but as the city of Tegucigalpa continues to grow, the city is pushing its way closer to campus, and further along toward the smaller cities in the hills. I am glad that I am seeing these cities now, because in 15 years, they will be suburbs!

Status Update...

Wow. A long time has gone by since my last post. Sorry to keep you waiting.

I am just amazed at the number of bloggers who post daily, or even several times a week. It is a commitment that should not be undertaken lightly. However, just because it has been nigh on six months since my last post does not mean that I should just abandon this blog. I will resurrect it, and hopefully give you some meaningful insight into what has been happening in my world.

Onward!