Random Happenings

Here is an assortment of random photos and some fun stories...hope you enjoy.

-Below: the whole group that stayed up ALL night to make the carpets.



-The insects here are MASSIVE, however it seems that the smaller ones are the ones you really need to look out for! On a recent trip to La Lago we were attacked and almost carried away by swarms of small mosquito's!


-La Cassa de Brett, Nikki et Tina. This is the colourful, cozy apartment that we call 'home.' We have enjoyed having a full kitchen to cook our meals and Nikki and Tina have been cooking with all sorts of interesting vegetables. We usually relax with a good movie and a pot of stove top popcorn during the evenings.


-This power pole is just outside our house (notice the razor edging on our fence/wall). We keep expecting a massive explosion from all these wires, thankfully there hasnt been any problems with the overloaded wiring!


-I know at some point in your life you have asked the question "I wonder where a cashew comes from? " Notice the little grey thing on top of the fruit? thats a cashew! The fruit can be eaten raw or blended into a yummy beverage and the pods are roasted in the oven and then opened to reveal one single cashew nut (we still have to roast our nuts)



-We have friendly geckos that live with us and eat our insects, unfortunately this spider looks big enough to eat the gecko!


-Tina hard at work treating a patient who arrived as we were leaving to go home from the CRIC


-Nikki and our friend Freddy made us peanut milkshakes one day after work. They were so tasty and refreshing! Freddy had some difficulties cutting the milk bag open so Nikki showed him how its done without scissors!


-Can you tell who is in charge at the CRIC? Nikki runs a tight shift and makes sure we do our job right :)


-Nikki helping out!


-Sunscreen and shade is a must on days when we are out in the sun longer than 5 minutes :)
I think we have all managed to get tans even with 60SPF sunscreen!



-This is a common sight around town. Most businesses have security guards with guns, even after being here for 2 months Tina is still not use to seeing them.



-One night, while we were colouring the sawdust for the carpets the "three amigos" (local boys who live down the road) found two horses wandering the streets so they hopped on and rode them around!


-This papaya was one of the best we have ever eaten! The fruit is amazing here! The pineapple is sweet and delicious and the papaya actually has flavour and doesnt taste like cardboard!

Tour of Outlying Cities

We finally got out of Comayagua to take a tour of the surrounding areas. The following pictures are the highlights of our trip.

On our way out of Comayagua we stopped by a local brick "factory". When we arrived all the local children rushed out to meet us and see what we were up to. They all seemed very intrigued with us.

The materials used to make the bricks come from the grounds around the factory, mainly near the creek that runs close by. The materials are mixed in a pit by men in bare feet, then the mixture is placed into brick forms and left in the sun to dry.

From there they are stacked into kilns and fired for several hours. Each brick is then sold for about 2 cents.

From the highway we were able to see the Carlos Miranda Stadium where professional soccer is played. We were told that it isn't very safe to watch the games played here because the fans get pretty rowdy when things don't turn out they way they want them to.

In every town there is at least one soccer field. Each one that we saw always had games going on. Soccer or should I say football is definitely Honduras' game of choice.

We visited several lovely towns all with beautiful city centers consisting of a park and a cathedral.

One of the towns we visited is known for the large sign in the mountain that names their city. We wondered where they got the idea?

Our tour couldn't have been on a better day. The sky was amazing with the bright sun and cotton ball clouds.

Before we headed back to Comayagua we picked up some sweet corn bread which was so delicious we all wanted more. We tried to swing back around and catch up with her to purchase some more for the road however, we couldn't find her when we drove back around. We searched for her for about 10 minutes and then finally gave up and headed home.

Anthropology and Historical Museum of Comayagua

The anthropology and historical museum is located in a XVI century house that was restored and that during the Republican Period was the country’s first Presidential House, quartered the Congress and most probably the Supreme Court of Justice. The Executive Branch was set here from1862 until the capital was transferred to Tegucigalpa in 1880. During the XX century this house was used as military headquarters, post office, telegraph office and finally became a museum in 1940 after a restoration process during Carias’ administration.

The museum has a rich collection of polychrome pottery made up of vessels, pots, jade artifacts, procession models, old printing press machinery, etc. We had a good time viewing the history of Honduras even though we were unable to read the description located next to each item.

The one thing we became sure of after visiting one area of the museum was that we are getting old. When did curators decide that cassette players should be displayed along side wooly mammoth bones?

Tina was pretty sure that the guy in the glass box simply needed an adjustment to be revived.

The courtyard was beautiful with all the flowers in bloom and each of us has decided that we will build our future homes in the same way. The museum/house is located in the cities center where it is very noisy however, with the house built to surround the courtyard it made for a very quiet relaxing space.

Clock Tower of Comayagua

The clock tower of Comayagua is one of the oldest working clocks in the world. It is called Reloj Arabe or Arab Clock, it was made around 1100 in Spain and was donated to Comayagua (which was the capital at the time) in the 17^th century by the Spanish King.

The clock face did not come from the king however the clockwork did and is still working today! When we got to the top of the tower it was extremely neat to see how all the parts worked together {wheelwork, ropes, weights, pendulums). We got to see the clock strike 2pm and at the 15 minute mark.

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There were several bells that ring some on the hour and others on the quarter hours. The views were amazing from the top of the tower and as you can see we were able to get some pretty good shots.

Brett got a good look at the construction of the door to the clock tower which is said to be about 400 years old. We even got some pics of the bats that dwell in the tower. Luckily the flash didn’t disturb their slumber.

Semana Santa (Easter Holy week)

During the whole week of Easter there are multiple processionals that go through the streets of Comayagua.

The first procession was a representation of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. The procession was held on Palm Sunday so everyone carried palms with red flowers in them. Before Jesus began his journey the cathedral a priest blessed everyones palms with holy water. As you can see in the photos Jesus rode a donkey through town and everyone followed, the local band marched and played music, it was a very upbeat happy procession.

The Last Supper

On April 1st each church had a nativity arranged to represent Jesus’ glory. We went around to each church to view them. Later that evening everyone gathered around the main cathedral to watch a reenactment of the last supper.

The Arrest of Christ

The next procession took place the same night we made the carpets. We waited until about 11pm for this procession to pass because it passed along the same street we were laying our carpets. This procession was very somber and sad because Jesus was tied up and being led through the city. The band played sad music and there were men dragging and dropping chains on the pavement, it was very chilling. We were told that many of the people who help with carrying the heavy chains and floats volunteer to remind them of their own sins and sometimes for the purpose of self punishment.

The Crucification of Jesus

This procession was of the crucifixion of Jesus and was also the one that would destroy all the carpets that were created the night before. This procession took about four hours to pass through the streets. This procession took so long because there were stations set up (mini reenactments of the crucifixion) where blessings were given and sections of the Bible were read. After the readings and blessings the procession would pass over the carpets.

The Burial of Christ

The next procession was the burial of Christ. We showed up on time in hopes of a quick procession but decided to call it an early night because it began to rain, the procession was delayed and we were so exhausted and sunburned from waiting for the last procession. We dont have proof that Jesus was put in his tomb safely, but rest assured, he was resurrected in the next procession!

The Resurrection of Christ

The resurrection was a very lively upbeat performance, the Angels and Saints ran back and forth letting Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene know that Jesus lives. Eventually, each of them arrived at the main cathedral where they were reunited with Jesus.

The entire week was an amazing experience and if you plan on visiting Honduras, do it during Easter week!