Towards the Familiar, Tomorrow the Unknown
Monday February 09, 2004

We just spent a good 2 hours in the poverty stricken part of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, coming back from the Bay Islands where dreams of white sand beaches were slowly replaced by the third world realities of congested streets, dense exhaust fumes, children puffing on glue from plastic pop bottles, screaming vendors, garbage littered streets, and the smell of stale atmosphere. We do laundry, and eat from Wendy's; a triple stacker with cheese to be precise. Feeling great. Must check the net and connect with the international circle of friends and family. We head to a mall in a nicer part of town by the bus station. This region is now highly modernized, commercialized, and sophisticated.

As we enter the mall:

All smiles light up our faces. The aroma of cinnamon buns enters our nostrils like orchard fruit in the summer breeze. Bright lights, glass ceilings, tiled floors, toy stores, jewellery stores, and an arcade. On the bottom floor in the central courtyard sit overly polished vehicles: a cherry red 2004 Mitsubishi 2500 series truck, Mitsubishi Montero GLX and Mativa GLS, both massive SUVīs... As I sit in this high speed, high tech internet cafe, in the faint distance the bass, guitar and percussion rolls with "Hotel California."

Ice cream shops, sport stores, escalators, neon lights, and did I forget to mention Cinnabon! Yes, those sweet little scrumptious muffins that melt in your mouth like soft kisses... and not to forget ice cold Cafe Mochas! Up until this email is finished, it is all rather quite the tease, as we have not yet broken down to bow in front of these precious gifts with the utmost sensual aggression. Like little children we shake with excitement from these things that we take for granted back home as part of our daily lives.

Tonight we sleep on the grass in front of the bus station waiting for a 4:30 am departure. We will wonder aimlessly around the station, playing cards, and sitting up with dreary eyes as we leave this state of perfection yet to another third world country of Nicaragua. We are heading down to San Juan del Sur for our final 2 weeks, where sun and surf await us on the closing of the Central American journey.