Category Archives: Honduras

Visiting Kate’s town of Colomoncagua and rest for Jocelyn

Thursday November 5, 2015

November 3, 2015 On Saturday my niece Kate joined us in La Esperanza. We had a fun Halloween walking through town and enjoying delicious food and the local culture. Halloween is not celebrated here but the next two days November 1 & 2 “All Souls Day and All Saints Days” are so there were many celebrations and events happening. The next day we took our bikes to her friend’s house for storage while we bused to her town of Colomoncagua which may be an indigenous word meaning hills, mountains and water. The almost 4 hour less than 30 mile bus ride into the mountains near El Salvador was another adventure. What a rough road! Kate manages the local municipality medical clinics that are supported through a charity organization. She rents a room in a house and we were welcomed to also stay there in an empty bedroom. We attended a work meeting with her Sunday then enjoyed a late lunch with several of her Honduran co-workers. Her current project is conducting a census of all the families in the very remote areas and encouraging them to visit the clinics for medical care as many of them walk across the border and receive their health care from El Salvador.

Monday morning we met with about 15 census takers that she hired for the project and rode by truck near the border where we were broken up into teams. I along with all the others stood up in the small pickup bed but soon felt that it was very uncomfortable to hang on. So I moved down to the inside passenger seat thanks to Kate. We have seen pickup beds packed with people on the roads. But we were off road on a 4 wheel drive truck and it was really hard to hold on. We then spent the day using a very rough hand drawn map to find these very remote homes. We climbed up then down through the dirt and rocky jungle paths, streams, on and off rain and managed to find 11 houses, some very crude and found most people home. Unfortunately there were kids everywhere as most don’t attend school after a certain age. There is an elementary school to grade 6 but after that nothing unless they can find a way to live closer to the city. Most families need their kids’ home to help with the chores. A lot of the families support themselves by selling off a cow or two on occasion. It was a very humbling experience to see how others live with little or no chance for the kids. After the exhausting day we recovered at a local store that operates a very small restaurant in the back. They also have beer which was a real treat.

November 4, 2015 Jocelyn is doing much better with the medication. Whatever it was inside her seems to have been knocked out. Yesterday we visited a few clinics with Kate and picked up 5 water filter for the local elementary school. We also picked up some other medical supplies that Kate had ordered. Today we took a long hike to a waterfall right on the Honduras/El Salvador border. The waterfall is in a beautiful jungle setting with a river separating the two countries. Tomorrow we will bus back to La Esperanza and prepare to continue our ride south.

November 5, 2015 We left Colomoncagua at 6:30 this morning by bus for a return to La Esperanza while Kate left at 6 for another town. I am very proud of my niece Kate for the work she is doing in this remote area of the world. She graduated from college a few years ago and immediately came here to help where she could. She previously worked in a local orphanage. We had a really good visit with her and had many interesting and fun times. We are so envious of her fluency with Spanish. After another almost 4 hour bus ride we arrived and found a hotel. A few weeks ago while eating an ear of corn a front tooth became loose. Today we visited a dentist who fixed the problem for 100 lempiras (about $4.50). This tooth had a previous root canal and crown. The dentist removed this and re-cemented the post to the root.

Tomorrow morning we will retrieve our bikes then continue south to El Salvador.

The Honduran city of La Esperanza. We really enjoyed this town.
The Honduran city of La Esperanza. We really enjoyed this town.
The local church.
The local church.

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Delicious street food.
Delicious street food.
Onboard the bus from La Esperanza to visit Kate's town of Colomoncagua.
Onboard the bus from La Esperanza to visit Kate’s town of Colomoncagua.
A fine clothing store.
A fine clothing store.
A Sunday morning in La Esperanza.
A Sunday morning in La Esperanza.
The 30 mile bus ride took almost 4 hours. A rough road indeed.
The 30 mile bus ride took almost 4 hours. A rough road indeed.
Drove by a soccer game.
Drove by a soccer game.
The church in Colomoncagua.
The church in Colomoncagua.
A view from Kate's house where we all stayed for 4 nights.
A view from Kate’s house where we all stayed for 4 nights.
Standing up in the back of the truck. Too rough for me. Very scary.
Standing up in the back of the truck. Too rough for me. Very scary.
I started off the ride standing in the back with everyone else. Soon I had a fear of falling out and Kate got me a ride in the passenger seat. It was still really rough but I didn't fall out.
I started off the ride standing in the back with everyone else. Soon I had a fear of falling out and Kate got me a ride in the passenger seat. It was still really rough but I didn’t fall out.
Another adventurous ride in the back of the truck after a long census day.
Another adventurous ride in the back of the truck after a long census day.
A fine tostada dinner.
A fine tostada dinner.
A smart way to sell and drink water. Stores sell mostly bags of water. A hole is torn on a corner and water squeezed out into your mouth or bottle. Sure saves on plastic bottle waste.
A smart way to sell and drink water. Stores sell mostly bags of water. A hole is torn on a corner and water squeezed out into your mouth or bottle. Sure saves on plastic bottle waste.
Another wild mountain ride.
Another wild mountain ride.
A mountain view.
A mountain view.
Kate arranged for the school to get 5 much need water filters. We picked them up in a neighboring town,another crazy road trip, and delivered them to the school. Very easy to set up and maintain. The filter is a large clay pot that sets in the plastic pail.
Kate arranged for the school to get 5 much need water filters. We picked them up in a neighboring town,another crazy road trip, and delivered them to the school. Very easy to set up and maintain. The filter is a large clay pot that sets in the plastic pail.
Sixth grade classroom in Colomoncagua. The front...
Sixth grade classroom in Colomoncagua. The front…
...and back.
…and back.
Sixth grade class pictures.
Sixth grade class pictures.
My wife Andrea will like this - a school library. I don't see many books though.
My wife Andrea will like this – a school library. I don’t see many books though.
The elementary school. There is no separation between church and state in Honduras.
The elementary school. There is no separation between church and state in Honduras.
A map showing the census area we worked in Las Flores to the right of Colomoncagua. Colomoncagua means "Hills, Mountains, and Water".
A map showing the census area we worked in Las Flores to the right of Colomoncagua. Colomoncagua means “Hills, Mountains, and Water”.
Sign at a local dental clinic. The cost range from less than a buck to pull a tooth all the way up to $4.50 for a resin filling. We have seen lots of people with missing teeth. Cheap.
Sign at a local dental clinic. The cost range from less than a buck to pull a tooth all the way up to $4.50 for a resin filling. We have seen lots of people with missing teeth. Cheap.
A lazy Wednesday morning in Colomoncagua reading from my Kindle.
A lazy Wednesday morning in Colomoncagua reading from my Kindle.
It seems like there is room for a few more. When buses are full (seats and standing) people ride on the bus roofs too.
It seems like there is room for a few more. When buses are full (seats and standing) people ride on the bus roofs too.
Honduras - a country of mountains.
Honduras – a country of mountains.
A hike through the jungle to the border and a beautiful waterfall.
A hike through the jungle to the border and a beautiful waterfall.
Border marker.
Border marker.
The waterfall and river separating Honduras from El Salvador.
The waterfall and river separating Honduras from El Salvador.
Jocelyn and Kate in El Salvador.
Jocelyn and Kate in El Salvador.
Obviously I didn't get the memo!
Obviously I didn’t get the memo!
Photo credit to Kate. We left on buses within 30 minutes of each other. Kate was able to stop the bus for this great picture shortly after sunrise.
Photo credit to Kate. We left on buses within 30 minutes of each other. Kate was able to stop the bus for this great picture shortly after sunrise.
Right before this I told Jocelyn to translate the words in our Spanish dictionary to say, "Don't remove the tooth." Right after I said that to Jocelyn the tooth was out. I hadn't realized that it was an old root canal with crown and post.
Right before this I told Jocelyn to translate the words in our Spanish dictionary to say, “Don’t remove the tooth.” Right after I said that to Jocelyn the tooth was out. I hadn’t realized that it was an old root canal with crown and post.
The dentist re-cemented the tooth post into the root.
The dentist re-cemented the tooth post into the root.
A fine dentist in La Esperanza.
A fine dentist in La Esperanza.

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