March 25, 2018July 6, 2020 Amy

Exploring Little Gems Hidden in the Rough Exterior of Honduras

Honduras, Travel Central America

I have not posted in a while because I have been busy exploring little gems hidden in the rough exterior of Honduras. A few weeks ago, along with my husband’s family, we drove from the capital Tegucigalpa to the ancient ruins of Copan. Then, a few days later, we flew over the rugged mountains in a small 16 seater plane across the ocean to the paradise island of Roatan. I am very privileged to have had the opportunity to visit so many wonderful places as a tourist in these foreign lands, however the scenes and the sights in this developing country also stirred up some age old internal moral dilemmas.

Copan ruins, Honduras

First, we drove to Copan, which is only 230 km away from Tegu as the crow flies, however it took us over eight hours to drive there by car. We hired a driver to accompany us in one vehicle and I followed caravan style in the second car, this was for safety reasons and also to help us navigate the sometimes very complicated roads and sporadic traffic. It felt nice to get out of the capital city of Honduras; driving on the windy roads through the mountains gave me a better idea of how the locals live. The whole journey was surreal. The view of the mountains covered in greenery and tall trees was lovely; closer to the road, we saw little mud huts hugging the road as children played amongst the chickens and pigs. Small wood huts with tins roofs were precariously perched on the steep mountain slopes some without running water, electricity, or even cement floors. Some homes were so close to the road that we could see into their sparse living rooms. Others had hammocks hanging from the rafters and pigs, chickens, cows and goats cohabiting in the yards.I tried to imagine the day to day life of the average Honduran as we whizzed by in our air conditioned and very comfortable SUV…

Unfortunately, the last two hours of road to reach the village of Copan, when we are at our most tired, is a muddy dirt road full of very large and sometimes dangerous potholes. Driving the car felt like playing a video game: avoid the stray dog, avoid the dead cow, avoid the motorcycle passing on your left-hand side. You win ten points for narrowly missing the family of four (none wearing helmets) perched on their motorcycle over taking on your right! You win five points for quickly slowing down in order to dodge the potential slew of twenty loose tree logs hastily strapped to the back of the big truck in front. You earn ten points for not splashing three men and their huge load of wicker baskets haphazardly strapped onto the back of a pick-up truck presumably on their way to sell them at the local market. Now slow down to bypass a landslide which recently came down the mountain and is blocking one lane of traffic on half of the road!  Stop and wait –about thirty minutes- for the road to clear as the digger makes a hole for new sewer system.

Tegucigalpa from above, Honduras

The long and arduous journey was very much worth it: Copan is a lovely town in the mountains where one can shop for souvenirs, drink fresh local coffee and eat delicious plato tipico as we observe daily village life. The ruins themselves are immense, some, yet to be fully excavated still covered in trees and moss. Our guide helped paint a picture of the life and traditions of the Mayan people from the 5^th to the 9^th century AD. Archaeologists are still not sure what exactly caused the civilization to abandon their town: civil unrest, starvation, disease. As our guide wistfully observed: “some things change, but others stay the same…”

Copan ruins, Honduras

Our next stop was the paradise island of Roatan. Nestled in the warm waters of the Caribbean a few kilometers from the coast of Honduras; the island of Roatan is a world apart from the Honduras we knew: the locals speak English and prices are in American dollars. There are even daily direct flights to Roatan from Canada and the United States. Cruise ships stop in the port several times a week. One cruise shipper that we met on the beach was surprised to discover that Roatan was part of Honduras and that the president was being sworn in that very same day! He was also happy to boast about seeing “loads of fish off a reef!” Which I later discovered were nothing but tiny minnows floating idly in a man-made beach. To each his/her own slice of paradise I suppose.

At first, I felt uneasy and struggled with the fact that there is so much inequality; which was even more apparent on this holiday island. On the one hand, I am happy as a clam frolicking in the clear blue ocean waves with baby T. On the other hand, my heart sinks to see children not much older than him, dressed in hand me down clothes, selling bracelets on the sandy shore by the beach. I watched young strong men walking the beach all day to sell silly hats and cigars to tourists.

Living in Canada, I had heard of the inequality and the bottom billion people living on less than 2$ a day. It’s easy to read about these things and raise money and awareness. As a teacher, I often discussed these topics and tried to model empathy in my students. It’s one thing to read the statistics and another to see the inequality on a daily basis. Here in Honduras, I regularly drive by children begging for food as I return home from the grocery store. At the gas station, I sometimes have a chat and get the air in my tires checked by a man with no legs who can expertly manœuvre his rusty old wheel chair and then asks me for money. On the way to pick up my husband at the office, I passed and elderly man walking uphill carrying oil canister in each hand and a sack full of tools on his shoulders in the blazing hot midday sun. I am confronted every day with the stark truth between the have and the have nots.

Sunset Lands’s End Roatan, Honduras

The island economy is so reliant on the tourism industry. One day we chatted to a local bar owner who grew up on the mainland. She lamented the dip in gringos frequenting her establishment. She argued that bad weather (5 months of daily rain when they usually get a couple months of scattered showers) and the unstable political situation on the mainland have scared off the snowbirds. She was forced to reduce her staff by 50% from 15 to 7 employees. Business was slow and she was worried about the future of her family run restaurant.

Sun worshippers are fine and we all deserve a break from time to time. Many seniors and retirees worked very hard all their life in order to earn a decent wage and provide for their families; they now deserve some fun in the sun. But as I gaze at the huge cruise shipped docked in the bay and the countless happy couples taking selfies with their beer cans as they float in the water on the man-made beach under the fake palm trees, I wonder to myself who pays the environmental price and who pays the social price of these holidays? Instead of asking “How can I make money with the least effort?” the question should be “How do I best spend my money to help others and support the local economy and the sustain the environment?”

West End beach, Roatan, Honduras

As in many tourist destinations, very few resorts and hotels are owned by the locals. Foreign investors build the hotels, engage local staff, and everyone profits from the influx of tourists to the area. I agree that everyone must make a living- but at what price? I wish there were basic rules and minimum salary requirements for the local staff. We saw a few examples of steps to preserve the environment and take care of the ocean reef. For example, the shop Rusty Fish which used recycled materials such as oil drums and scrap metal to make souvenirs in the shapes of fish and other sea creatures. Some ocean front restaurants have a “no plastic” policy: they provide paper straws upon request and use paper takeout containers instead of Styrofoam for leftovers.

West Bay, Roatan, Honduras

I am the first to admit that after exploring the lost ruins of Copan followed by two weeks of rest and relaxation in the sea and sun, I feel much calmer and relaxed; ready to confront the challenges that life as an expat wife of a diplomat in Honduras. It’s wonderful to take a holiday and “check-out” of the humdrum routine for a while but I ask myself: what are the environmental (air travel, pollution, garbage, waste, one use containers, straws, napkins, gas for transport such as boats and taxis) and social (staff over worked and underpaid, few rules and regulations, little impunity, no benefits) impacts? And more importantly, I ask myself: what can I do to make a difference?

It’s presumptuous and idealistic to presume that we can all live in a four bedroom house with a two car garage and the ubiquitous white picket fence. On the other hand, every human being has basic human rights which should be observed and respected. Diversity is what makes our world so interesting and unique; what makes me cringe is the rude snobby attitude on the stereotypical Gringo (F.Y.I. The word gringo comes from green, the color of American money and go, as in “go home.”) It is not right for foreigners to treat local staff and waitress with disdain just because she/he makes less money. Stop and think about their life, put yourself in their shoes, maybe they have a family to support and dreams for a better future. A smile, a small tip and “Gracias”, does not cost much and can go a long way. Finally, I wish that we could all have equal access and opportunities to pursue our dreams – be they big or small.