Honduras: Week 2

Week 2 started with a bit of a stomach upset for me. Nothing major, just traveler's sickness. Still, it meant very little food for about two grumpy days. The Kid seems to have an iron stomach.

Still, we had plans. Sunday, we went to Enchanted Wings, a small mariposaria (butterfly farm). It was pretty, totally worth the quick trip.

Monday morning, The Kid and I had a talk about our "B&B homestay". We had both enjoyed our homestay last year in Guatemala and were pretty disappointed not to be living with a family here. During the first week, The Kid played with two other kids here, but they both speak fluent English. The adults were too busy working to spend much time letting me practice my Spanish. We had specifically wanted to live with a family, not a hotel. After classes, we talked to the school director, who promised to look into other possibilities for our homestay.

School was uneventful. Every day, we went and learned new things. Every afternoon, we did our homework. We're definitely learning more and more.

Studying in the garden after class

Friday, we moved to our new homestay. There was an awkward conversation with the first homestay trying to explain that we liked them and didn't want to hurt their feelings, but wanted to live with a traditional family while in Honduras. The new homestay was exactly what we hoped for! We settled in immediately, had some wonderful soup for lunch, and started learning names. That afternoon, we walked about this new part of town with a couple of local children, including the seven year old granddaughter of our homestay mom and a neighbor. Oh, I wish I were better at mental mapping!

The one downside to the new homestay - they do not have Internet. It's been a while since I've been without internet for any appreciable amount of time and I forgot how isolating it can feel. There is Internet at the school, but not much time in which to use it.

Saturday, we went to the bird sanctuary. In English, it is known by the name Macaw Mountain. To the locals, it is El Parque de Aves. Either way, it was an absolutely gorgeous place to walk through the forest. They have a number of very nice, large cages for a variety of parrots and toucans, obtained either as unwanted house pets or confiscated by the government when found in illegal trade busts. There is a small breeding program to reintroduce macaws (guacamayas) to the nearby ruins, where there is already a flock thriving.

With a macaw at the sanctuary

Some of the flock of macaws at the ruins

We capped off that visit with a stop at The Tea and Chocolate Place (el luger de té y chocolate), an amazing place that grows absolutely everything they sell - the plants for the teas, the cacao for the chocolates, any herbs used... All of it, and all organically. The Kid ordered the best hot chocolate either of us had ever had, ground cacao unfiltered in the milk and just a touch of sweetness. We took advantage of the unusual selection to buy an Equinox present for my husband and a couple small presents for our homestay family. I also squirreled away a package of freshly ground cacao to make more of that amazing hot chocolate at home!

Lots of freshly roasted cacao beans!