THE ISLAND OF AMAPALA PART 1 - A story of survival, sun burns, fresh fish, lemonade, and being the luckiest gringas in all of Honduras.

Hello again,

I find it's been awhile since I've given any of you a good update on my life. This past weekend provided quite enough reason to catch you all up on what’s all the buzz here in Honduras.

11 AM Text from Emily Kenney:
“Wake up! We’re going to the beach, and you’re coming.”

11:05 AM Text from myself laying lifeless in bed from a long Friday night with hair that smells like disgusting old smoke (not my smoke, mind you):
“I’m a zombie... I can’t move. Have fun though!”

11:07 AM Text from Emily Kenney:
“No you’re coming! I’m going to come find you.”

Sure enough, seconds later I hear high-energy tapping on my door. Perhaps it wasn’t high energy, but at that point a sloth had more drive than I did. Emily opens the door..

E: "Get up! You're coming."

H: “No, I need a shower, and I have to do laundry so badly. Everything in my life smells. I’m on no sleep, and I have no money. Have a great time.”

E: “C’mon! The bus is like 2 dollars; a hostel is like 5 dollars. I’m only bringing a few bucks. We’re all on no sleep, and we look terrible. COME!!"

H: “Oh. My. GOSH… You jerk…. **tired moan** … Okay…I’m coming…”

Thirty minutes later 5 of us, Emily, Christina, Kate, Adriana from Panama, and myself, were out the door on our way to the bus station.

OUR JOURNEY

• Bus ticket to San Lorenzo: 65 Lempira – Approximately $3.50
• Time: 2.5 hours
• Watching Fast and the Furious 2 dubbed in Spanish (which, by the way, improves Paul Walker’s acting): PRICELESS

• Bus ticket from San Lorenzo to Corolito: 10 Lempira? – Approximately 50¢
• Time: 45 minutes
• Conditions: Shaky old bus, standing in aisles, being stared at for our excessive whiteness… Typical

• Motor boat to the Island of Amapala: 15 Lempira – Approximately 75¢
• Time: 15 minutes
• Personal take: AMAZING! Wet, yet AMAZING

Small boat to the Island

(Kate, Adriana, Emily)

PC: Christina H.

We arrived! The island didn’t have the tropical glow with white sand and crystal blue water, but it had it’s own charm - an undeniable beauty.

After talking to some locals we decided to take a taxi to a different beach, said to have hostels and better restaurants. In the morning we would return to Playa Negro for the optimum beach experience.

So, we set off! The taxi was about 10 Lempira each, I believe (about 50¢). The great thing about taxis here in Honduras is that rates are negotiable. There are no meters to make you antsy at stoplights as your fee increases by $3. You tell the driver where you want to go and negotiate from there. I really appreciate that.

The beach was all abuzz. Kids played soccer on the sand, locals chilled on their porches, and I saw some white people. Even though it’s a tourist spot this still surprised me. I joke with my roommates here that I’ve finally come to understand why people stare at us here. When I see a white person, I stare now too. It’s just weird… haha. We found one restaurant. It was overpriced, but they had the best fresh lemonade of ALL TIME for 25 Lempira (just over $1). It took the waiter about thirty minutes to bring out our glasses, so we believed he was squeezing it in the back. We ordered A LOT of the stuff. I don’t think he liked us very much..

Emily with the precious lemonade

PC: Christina H.

This restaurant was our hang out location for the evening. Our hostel was next door. We got a small room with two twin beds for 500 Lempira… Not the best price. This came to 100 Lempira each ($5). In consideration of American prices, I’m sure these all sound like steals, however, no matter how cheap Honduras is, we’re much cheaper. We slid the two beds together and slept horizontally with all 5 of us on the beds (a trick I learned in Paris). For only having to manage one night in the room, it worked perfectly. Out hostel (shown below) was convenient in that it was next door to the restaurant. We stayed on the beach all evening and played BananaGrams (similar to scrabble), ate dinner, and made plans for the next day.

Over distant water, we could see a thunderstorm march forward. It was beautiful and coming our way. There always seem to be thunderstorms here. At almost any point, one can see lightening in the distance, but lightening over the ocean is simply magnificent. Within a few hours, the rain poured around us. As most people gathered to find shelter, Adriana invited me to go running in it with her. OF COURSE! We put down our things and bolted onto the sand. Quickly and into the dark, we ran through the storm! It was beautiful. The rain in Honduras is fantastic. It is steady, strong, and warm. Within 5 seconds in this rain, there is not a single spot of clothing or chunk of hair on your head that is not completely dripping with water. It is as if a bucket of water was thrown over your body. Go big or go home, I suppose. =) We ran and played like children. At one point we ran screaming and yelling down the beach. Another moment we practiced/made up our yoga. We were about to run into the ocean, when the thunder scared us off. Lightening and water simply do not mix. As we would discover even more the next day….

(TO BE CONTINUED)