Sorry I did post this earlier. Again, thunderstorms have hindered our Internet ability and with school and my TEFL class now I am rather busy. I will blog about the post Semana Santa stuff after this post and give you all an update. But without further a do, spring break part four.
The next morning (Thursday) we packed our bags and got ready to take off. Before we checked out we went back to the roof deck of the hotel and took some pretty cool pictures. We were pretty sad to leave because the weather could have not been better. We made our way downstairs, grabbed lunch at a street vendor and hailed two cabs to take us to the highway where we could catch a bus to San Pedro. We arrived at the bus station and were sitting and waiting for a bus when Steve suddenly had this panic look on his face—he had left his iPhone in the hotel room sitting on the windowsill. The three of us (Mike, Steve and I) hailed a cab back to the hotel (10 minutes one way) and luckily Steve was able to track his phone down—however in the process he knocked over a vase in the reception area and was not quick enough to catch it before it shattered on the floor. We then hopped back in the cab and made our way back to the bus stop where the girls were about to get on a bus hoping that we would arrive in time—we did and we were off to San Pedro.
This was a rather uneventful bus ride and when we made it to the bus station in San Pedro Rachel had arranged for the hotel we were staying at to send their free shuttle to come and pick us up. We made our way to the hotel, checked in, and were rather amazed at the hotel room. This is where the girls (other teachers) and their friends or family always stay before they fly out because it is close to the airport and has a free shuttle there. They were apartment style rooms with 2 bedrooms, a living room and a small kitchen. Very nice. We relaxed in the rooms for a little bit before we decided it was time to explore the City Mall.
Now, the City Mall is the place where you feel like you are in the United States. With a giant glass front I felt like I was walking into a mall in suburban America and as I rode the escalator to the first floor I decided this mall was 5 times better then Westshore Mall in Holland. Unfortunately we arrived a little late and many of the stores were closed—plus it was the Thursday before Good Friday. However, the food court was open along with the purpose of us going to the mall, Applebee’s. First the food court: it was amazing. Quiznos, Subway, Wendy’s, so much American food I could hardly hide my excitement. I wanted to go to each place and order one item. But we decided Applebee’s was the place and there we went. We sat down and one would have thought you were in the States other than the fact that soccer was on all the televisions (bad joke, sorry). For an appetizer I ordered the infamous Applebee’s spinach artichoke dip and it never tasted better. For dinner I ordered the Western Burger. Now burgers down here in Honduras are typically a joke. They are usually small pattys. At Applebee’s I knew I was going to get a real burger and it was a real burger. Amazing. Three months away from the US and I think the thing I miss the most is the food (right after my friends and family of course…). However, I decided that my stomach has shrunk since I have been down here. Usually back home I would order the burger at Applebee’s when I am not extremely hungry and it sounds really good, and I would usually devour it no problem. This was not the case with this burger. As good as it was I could not finish about two bites of the burger—I was stuffed. It’s going to be interesting to see how much I can eat once I get home.
After satisfying my need for good American food we took a cab back to the hotel where we were all so exhausted we decided to crash. We played cards for a while but Mandi, Amy and Steve had a long day of traveling the next day so we went to bed.
Friday morning came and we headed to the airport to see off our friends. After paying their exit fee (yes, you need to pay a fee to leave Honduras) they checked-in and were off, a rather epic vacation for them and us. I couldn’t believe the week was over. However, it wasn’t…
The view from our hotel in San Pedro and Mike the morning Steve and the girls left.
As I mentioned it was Good Friday and we began to hear rumors that the entire country was closed for the day. This included the bus station and all buses. We (Mike, LB, Rachel and I) were planning on heading back to La Union and Gracias respectively and not planning on spending another night in San Pedro. However, after asking around we found that the rumors were true and we were going no-where. We had to figure out where to spend the night and after talking with a taxi driver we ended up making our way to a hostel right near town. This was a pretty cool place and for 1000 lemps ($50) we got a private room with a bunk bed and a full size bed, air-conditioning, and our own bathroom. We went into town after checking-in and got lunch. McDonalds never tasted so good. We then bought some stuff for dinner and made our way back to the hostel. We hung out the rest of the afternoon because nothing was open in the city. After dinner we had some very serious Euchre playing. This had started at the airport earlier in the day while trying to decide what to do after seeing our friends off. The girls had beaten Mike and I so we wanted a rematch. Now, as a long time Euchre player I usually play a pretty fair game. However, playing with Rachel has turned me into a little bit of a rebel. She plays steal-the-deal, which I really never play, being the honest person I am. With this said, when Mike and I strategically distracted both of the girls and Mike stole the deal it was game on. A very serious game of Euchre followed with the victors being the boys. After this we called it a night because we wanted to get a bus ASAP in the morning and get back home.
We left the hostel at 7 and made it to the bus station where buses were running. The girls and I got a bus heading towards Gracias and Mike got one heading towards La Union. What an awesome vacation.
This concludes the four part series on my spring break vacation. I hoped you enjoyed reading about it as well as the pictures. I have uploaded almost 100 pictures from the trip—they are in my Picasa album that can be found on the right side of this page.
No comments:
Post a Comment