The Best Picture from a Peace Rally in Honduras

"Honduras is an example for the world.  We don't have petroleum nor dollars, but we have balls"

Op-Ed from Forbes, July 6, 2009

The Audacity Of Honduras

Roger Noriega, 07.06.09, 03:11 PM EDT

As the OAS stumbles, give diplomacy a chance.

On Sunday, July 5, Honduran authorities rejected the ultimatum issued by the Organization of American States (OAS) to reinstate ousted president Manuel Zelaya. Shortly after, the defiant government was suspended from the regional body. This impasse does not reflect a failure of diplomacy, but exposes a lack of it.

In the past week, most objective observers conceded that Zelaya's aggression against Honduran Congress and Courts coupled with his willful violations of the Honduran constitution spawned this crisis. An international chorus questions the legality of Zelaya's ouster. Since I am unschooled in Honduran law, I am forced to rely on the unanimous decisions of the independent Supreme Court blessing Zelaya's replacement.

Common sense is useful here too: If a traffic cop roughs up a drunk driver at the scene of an injury accident, I doubt anyone would argue the importance of getting the drunk back behind the wheel as the best way to chastise the policeman.

The international community is so fixated on the car wreck that they have failed to notice that Hondurans have put their own legal house in order. Although the duty fell to the military to enforce a court order against Zelaya, no soldier ever held power. The duly constituted Congress--about half of whose members are from Zelaya's own Liberal Party--reviewed Zelaya's crimes and voted almost unanimously to remove him from office. Respecting the constitutional order of succession, the Congress elected its own president, Liberal Roberto Micheletti, as Zelaya's replacement. Micheletti has pledged to turn over power next January to a successor chosen in this November's regularly scheduled elections--a pledge that the democratic paragon Zelaya was unwilling to make.

While Honduran authorities have opened an inquiry into Zelaya's treatment, the Supreme Court has held its position that the military acted properly. Zelaya has been indicted on many crimes--including treason--and some of his associates with ties to corruption and drug trafficking are finally facing justice.

Hondurans are convinced that Chavez's puppetry at the OAS abetted Zelaya's illegal campaign for re-election and is now driving the rush to judgment and calls for Zelaya's return. Chavez's media outlets are whipping up internal mobs, and he has even threatened military action against Honduras to back up his demands. Astonishingly, neither the U.S. nor the OAS has called upon the Venezuelan bully to temper his rhetoric. In any case, his comments have merely served to stiffen Honduran resistance to Zelaya's return.

The credibility of the OAS and of its Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, is shot. The organization's refusal over the last few months to review Zelaya's provocative actions is a failure to use the graduated approach dictated by the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which was designed precisely to defuse crises. By contrast, its zealous rush to judgment after Zelaya's ouster bypassed the process of study and reflection called for under the Democratic Charter.

But Honduras is hardly an isolated example of the OAS's abject failure. For months, it has ignored Chavez's aggressive maneuvers to deny Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma the ability to assume the office he won last November; this weekend, Ledezma began a hunger strike in the OAS office in Venezuela to dramatize the group's hypocrisy. Insulza and the OAS have done nothing to confront the stealing of dozens of mayoral races in Nicaragua (including in the capital city of Managua) last fall. And the OAS has turned a blind eye to the aggressive measures deployed by Chavez himself as well as his allies in Bolivia and Ecuador running roughshod over government institutions, media critics and political opponents.

Insulza's unyielding defense of Zelaya and his lethargy where political rights are being trampled in a half a dozen other countries have only one thing in common: That's the way Chavez wants it.

With the OAS's leadership so thoroughly disgraced, individual governments must step forward to forge a diplomatic approach to protect the rights and freedoms of all Hondurans. A "Friends of Honduras" group could support a national dialogue or help accompany a review of Zelaya's alleged crimes and subsequent ouster. Presidential elections held in November or earlier could be monitored by the U.N. or by other independent observers. Individual nations must be counseled to cease their threats against Honduras and to stop meddling in its internal affairs.

Canada's foreign minister, Peter Kent, has been willing to speak good sense in this case, and his country is one of the few in the region that has the independence and heft to do what is right for Honduran democracy and not necessarily what Hugo Chavez dictates.

Honduras: the Little Giant

I'm just wondering whether Honduras is more like David in the biblical story of David and Goliath, or more like Thomas, 'the little engine that could'?

Mel and the Cartels? Hmmm

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Thursday, July 02, 2009 4:20 PM PT

The Hemisphere: A Honduran official has warned that deposed President Mel Zelaya was in league with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez to ship drugs to the U.S. If true, can this really be the man the U.S. wants back in power?

Foreign Minister Enrique Ortez dropped a bombshell last week when he said Zelaya, the president who was thrown out by a constitutional process June 28 after defying the law, had a little side business with the Caracas caudillo allowing cocaine to roll into Honduras from Venezuela before heading to the U.S.

"Every night, three or four Venezuelan-registered planes land without the permission of appropriate authorities and bring thousands of pounds . . . and packages of money that are the fruit of drug trafficking," Ortez told CNN En Espanol. "We have proof of all of this. Neighboring governments have it. The DEA has it."

If Ortiz is right, the U.S. effort to restore Zelaya to power would be suicidal for U.S. efforts to destroy drug organizations south of our border. It would undercut Mexico's and Colombia's savage drug wars and give drug lords such as the Sinaloa cartel's Shorty Guzman, who has bases in Honduras, reason to strengthen operations.

It also means the U.S. must start asking questions about Chavez's role in the drug trade now that U.S.-Venezuelan diplomatic ties are being restored. Right now, it's such a hot potato that nobody in either the State Department or the Drug Enforcement Administration wants to comment on it.

Zelaya's return would put the U.S. in a dilemma. The U.S. has gone along with the Chavez-led global consensus denouncing Zelaya's exit as a coup d'etat and condemning the current Honduran government. But that position means the U.S. would have to cut off a $43 million aid package to Honduras that includes drug-fighting.

This is why the legal definition of "coup" is so touchy.U.S. policymakers are stalling about labeling Zelaya's removal as such — though hotheads in the Obama administration, such as U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, don't hesitate to use the term.

It also would represent a sorry retreat on current policy.

In 1989, the U.S. took out Manuel Noriega in a military operation over his ties to the Medellin cartel. In 1994, the U.S. cut off aid to Colombia when its new president, Ernesto Samper, was caught on tape with the kingpins of the Cali cartel and taking their cash.

Restoring Zelaya and then pretending the drug war can be won would be a travesty, harming the interests of the U.S. and all the battered nations fighting drugs alongside us.

Ortez's warning lacks detail. But it does describe the well-known problem of traffickers using Central American countries as transshipment points for drugs. This has gotten worse since Zelaya made his alliance with Chavez two years ago.

The aircraft landings, many of which become known after they've crashed with multiton shipments — cannot happen without the president of a small country knowing about them.

The recent high-profile murder of an attorney investigating money-laundering in Guatemala highlighted the problem of corruption extending all the way to the president of that country. Before he was shot dead in the street, Rodrigo Rosenberg videotaped testimony calling Guatemala's president his murderer and said the motive was to cover up the drug-linked corruption he was probing.

This same drug onslaught has slammed Honduras with crime and corruption. The country now has the highest murder rate in the hemisphere, with 4,000 dead in 2008.

It's a fact that the crime has gotten worse under Zelaya, whose commitment to the war on drugs is weak. The leftist demagogue's call to legalize drugs last October didn't come out of some principled libertarian impulse.

If Zelaya is behind Honduras' drug problems, then he can't be allowed back into the country. An international investigation must be undertaken, and Honduras must provide information.

If Zelaya is found to be in league with Chavez on drugs, then the quarrel over whether or not he was removed in a coup becomes a small matter. Then the only place for this former dictator is a jail cell, the same as Noriega got.

Preventing a Honduran Bloodbath

The following is an op-ed that from The Washington Post, July 3, 2009 by Carlos Alberto Montaner

Preventing a Honduran Bloodbath

The United States Ambassador to Honduras, Hugo Llorens, an extremely competent diplomat, tried very hard to keep Honduras's Congress from ousting President Manuel Zelaya. After his arguments and pressures were exhausted, and faced with something that seemed inevitable, he did what he could: he sheltered the president's son at his residence to save him from any violent outcome.

Fortunately, Zelaya's expulsion from the presidency and from his country was bloodless. It wasn't exactly a military coup: the Army acted on orders from the Supreme Court after Zelaya's continued violations of the law. The ousted president seemed intent on getting reelected, even if it meant violating the Constitution, and on dragging the nation into Hugo Chávez's "21st century socialism" camp against the will of the Honduran people.

Nevertheless, if there is still something worse than the depressing spectacle of a freely elected president forced to leave his country at gunpoint, it is that same leader trying to force his way back in. If Zelaya returns, he will be arrested and charged with an array of crimes. His imprisonment will embarrass any who decide, irresponsibly, to accompany him on such a mad adventure.

This is most grave. Hugo Chávez and Daniel Ortega are already talking about invasions and resorting to force. That could unleash a bloodbath and would certainly destroy the weak political institutions that Honduras labored to achieve three decades ago, when the era of military dictatorships mercifully ended. Peter Hakim, president of Inter-American Dialogue, put it this way: "Zelaya is fighting with all the institutions in the country. He is in no condition really to govern."

And that's the truth. According to Mexican pollster Mitofsky's April survey, Zelaya was Latin America's least popular leader. Only 25 percent of the nation supported him. Another survey found that 67 percent of Hondurans would never vote for him again. Why? Because the Hondurans attributed to him a deep level of corruption; because they assumed he had links to drug trafficking, especially drugs originating in Venezuela, as former U.S. Ambassador to the O.A.S. Roger Noriega revealed in a well-documented article published in his blog; and because violence and poverty -- the nation's two worst scourges -- have increased dramatically during his three years in power.

Simply put, a huge majority of the country -- including the two major political parties (including Zelaya's), the Christian churches, the other branches of government and the armed forces -- do not want him as president. All agreed that he should finish his mandate and leave power in January 2010, but no one wanted him to break the law to keep himself in the presidency. Hugo Chávez has already done that, and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, Bolivia's Evo Morales and probably Ecuador's Rafael Correa are also trying to do the same. The Hondurans, without question, do not want to go down the path of Hugo Chavez's collectivist and anti-Western "caudillismo," allied to Iran, Cuba and North Korea.

What to do under these circumstances? The worst idea is to resort to force. The government of interim President Roberto Micheletti already is summoning reservists and the Army is preparing to defend the nation's sovereignty. The nationalist discourse is heating up with talk of "defense of the motherland" against foreign enemies. They worry about foreign aggression, shrewdly propelled by Chavez and his crew, in which -- inexplicably this time -- the Americans have sided with the enemies of democracy and the rule of law.

If a conflict explodes, one of the Western hemisphere's poorest countries will suffer the bloodletting that Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua experienced during the Cold War.

The solution is to move forward with the general elections planned for November. It's a solution within everyone's reach: the candidates are already there, freely elected in open primaries, and both enjoy much popularity. Why plunge this society irresponsibly into a maelstrom of violence? Once the new government is selected, a government that enjoys the legitimacy generated by a democratic process, the Honduran people can push this lamentable episode into the past.

That will be best for almost all parties in the conflict. Zelaya may lose the game, but Hondurans will not pay with their blood for the mistakes and misdemeanors of a maladroit ruler.

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

Washington Times, July 1, 2009

Very True!

June 30

The Independent, London, on the ousting of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya:

The ousting of the Honduran President Manuel Zelaya by the country's military at the weekend has been condemned by many members of the international community as an affront to democracy. But despite a natural distaste for any military coup, it is possible that the army might have actually done Honduran democracy a service.

President Zelaya was planning a referendum to give him power to alter the constitution. But the proposed alterations were perilously vague, with opponents accusing Mr. Zelaya of wanting to scrap the four-year presidential term limit. The country's courts and congress had called the vote illegal.

This is an increasingly familiar turn of events in emerging democracies: an elected leader, facing the end of his time in office, decides that the country cannot do without him and resorts to dubious measures to retain power. ...

Honduras underlines that free votes only count if accompanied by a confident parliament, an independent judiciary, an unfettered media and impartial electoral monitors. The true test of a democracy's health is not the holding of elections. It is the possibility of power peaceably changing hands.

Corruption and Mel Zelaya

Apart from his illegal grab for perpetual power, I haven't heard many comments in the international media regarding corruption in the Zelaya government which was alleged to have been rampant.

Shouldn't some of the media be investigating corruption at Hondutel and Zelaya's connection to Mr. Chimirri, or corruption at state owned ENEE during the past few years (that is a nice new building they have in Tegucigalpa, and I understand the rent is way above market rates), or maybe Zelaya's alleged connection to the international drug trade and drug cartels (Trujillo anyone)? What about rumors of drug use among his high officials?

Hmmm, maybe these would turn out to be as Al Gore so aptly put it, 'inconvenient truths'...

O'Grady Op-Ed in the Wall St. Journal

The best piece I have read about the current events in Honduras is entitled: "Honduras Defends its Democracy" by Mary Anastasia O'Grady. If you are concerned about the future of Honduras, please read this essay and distribute it as widely as possible.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124623220955866301.html

Questions for Hillary

With regards to the recent events in Honduras, BBC News quoted Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, as saying, "It's important that we stand for the rule of law".

My questions for Hillary are: Why wasn't the United States standing for the rule of law when Mel Zelaya was blatantly ignoring rulings of the Honduran Supreme Court? What objections did the U.S. make when Mel insisted on carrying out his illegal referendum despite a Honduran constitution that requires this type of referendum to be authorized by the Honduran Congress? Why was the U.S. silent then? Does the rule of law only extend to some institutions, but not others? Does the U.S. government believe that the executive branch is exempt from the rule of law (hence Watergate, the Iran-Contra affair, etc), but other branches are obligated? Is a constitutionally mandated 'balance of powers' strictly a facade so that people will believe they live in a democracy, but the executive branch ('wink, wink') is not expected to abide by the law and has a 'carte blanche'?

Hillary, please leave your answers in my comment section.

June 28, 2009, The Day Honduran Democracy was Saved

Although a law enforcement action or arrest is not a preferred method of government change, I am grateful to the Honduran armed forces for their heroic intervention in a situation that promised to undermine the long term stability of the Honduras. Mel Zelaya, the EX-president, (and I'm glad to emphasize the ex), was threatening the very fabric of Honduran society. Not only did he fuel the flames of class division and allow crime to run rampant, he ran Honduras as if he were a modern day 'caudillo' or strongman.

Although he claimed to be a socialist, he was nothing more than an opportunist and charlatan. He surrounded himself with corrupt people, and as the saying goes, 'birds of a feather, flock together'. He had absolutely no respect for Honduran instutions and laws. He ignored rulings of the Supreme Court and legislation passed by the Congress. His efforts to change the Honduran constitution were nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to cling to power.

While some may criticize the events of June 28, 2009 as undemocratic, if Mel had been allowed to stay in power, Honduran democracy would have withered away in agony with Mel drinking its blood in vampirish glee.

Credit Cards

I admit that I'm one of those Gringos that hates to needlessly part with my hard-earned cash. Some people might think I'm a tightwad, but I prefer to think of myself as either frugal or thrifty.

One of the things that always irked me was the 3% transaction fee that American credit card companies charge on all purchases outside of the USA. So far, I've only been able to find three credit cards that do not charge this fee: cards issued by Capital One, Charles Schwab, and Discover.

While Discover cards are not widely accepted outside of the USA, they are accepted throughout Central America. So I got one and enjoyed using it during my trips to Honduras. Usually people looked at the card, and would ask what type of card is this? This made it even more fun to use. But no more...Discover started charging a 2% foreign transaction fee effective this month. So I'll retire it to my credit card cemetery in my dresser drawer.

Between Charles Schwab and Capital One, I prefer the Schwab card because in addition to not charging that pesky foreign transaction fee, it also pays me back 2% of total purchases. The Capital One card gives airline points, so I'll keep it for backup.

Low Expectations or Just No Expectations

Although I really love Honduras, and consider myself a 'Catracho' in my heart, there are many little things that just bug me. I've never really made a list of all of these things, but I know it would be pretty long. A couple of recent examples are:

1- My family and I recently went to one of the 'better' Chinese restaurants in Tegucigalpa. The table had been cleaned and we were seated. The place mats, however, were filthy. They had crumbs on them and caked on food and sauce. My wife pointed this out to the waitress. Her reaction?... She picked up a couple of them, slapped them together a couple of times, and put them back on the table. OK, the crumbs did fall off (probably on my wife's lap), but the caked on food was still pretty disgusting, so my wife took the place mats from the table and put them on the floor under a chair. The waitress seemed surprised by this, so my wife told her that we would rather have no place mats rather than dine on dirty ones.

2- For some reason, construction workers consider the street to be a part of their construction site, at least in residential neighborhoods. Construction debris litters the street during the entire construction of a house, which can sometimes be upwards of 1-2 years. There are piles of wood, dirt, and nails strewn everywhere. Usually, there will be a car parked directly opposite of all the debris making it virtually impossible to pass. Oh, did I say anything about getting flat tires from all the nails thrown onto the street? In the USA (and in other countries I'm sure), neighbors, neighborhood associations, and the municipal government would make the contractor's life hell if they did not regularly haul away the debris, but oh no, not in Honduras.

I've thought about all these things, and sometimes wonder if I'm being just a bit too knit-picky. Well, the more I think about it, I realize I'm not being too picky. Shouldn't place mats be clean in a restaurant? Shouldn't a contractor haul away his debris? These things happen in Honduras because the restaurant owner know people will still frequent his restaurant with the dirty place mats and not complain. The contractor knows that if you dare to complain about the debris, he will just say "Oh, I'll take care of that", knowing full well that he has no intention to, and the complainant knows he has no intention to. Things are just going to continue as they are, have always been, and always will be.

Why? Because Hondurans have low expectations or maybe, more precisely, no expectations

Off the Beaten Path- Cedros

On a recent trip to Honduras, my family and I visited the small village of Cedros.  It's only about an hour away from Tegucigalpa, in the direction of Olancho.  

It's an old mining town, dating back to the 16th century and still retains its charm, full of colonial buildings and cobblestone streets.  Reportedly, it was the first capital of Honduras, if even for just one day.  The first National Assembly met here, and then I guess they promptly moved the capital.  The church has been newly renovated with painstaking detail. 

All in all, it makes a pleasant excursion for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.  You can see the see the town and enjoy leisurely strolling in the streets all within 30 minutes.  Now wouldn't it be nice if they had a picturesque sidewalk cafe so you could linger for a while longer over a glass of Chilean  wine and tapas?

It's Finished!!!

We finally finished our house!! Well, if truth be told, it was finished a year ago, but I was lazy and stopped posting on my blog.

My wife and kids moved in over 'Semana Santa' last year. It was ready a couple of weeks before that, but they waited until Easter knowing that I would be there so that we could all spend the first night there together.

There are still a lot of details to be finished, but that takes time and more money. In the future, I'll list the companies that were good to work with, that did a good job, were reasonable and did their work on a timely basis or as promised. I'll also post a list of companies that we would never hire again.

Yes, I've already slapped myself on the wrist for being lazy and not posting.

Shame on Carrion

   A couple of weeks ago, I was in Tegucigalpa visiting my family. During a stroll in the Multiplaza Mall, I was shocked to see the display in one of Carrion's windows. There was a male mannequin wearing jeans and a tee-shirt, with a heavy chain in its hand. The display was an obvious glorification of violence and gang culture.

I don't know whether the display has been changed yet, but I hope people complained and pressured Carrion to remove it.

Violence and crime have reached levels that are totally out of control in Honduras, and threaten the very fabric of its society. I cannot understand why a large Honduran company would try to glorify this lifestyle in order to peddle a few extra pairs of jeans and tee shirts.

SHAME ON CARRION!!

Can Tegucigalpa make the 'big time'?

According to BBC, "The manufacturers of Monopoly (which, they claim, is the best-selling board game in the world) are holding an online poll to decide which cities should be in their forthcoming "World Edition" of the game."

Let's give Honduras and Tegucigalpa some worldwide exposure. Can Tegucigalpa make it on Monopoly? Can Tegucigalpa make the 'big time'? Go to www.monopolyworldvote.com and nominate Tegucigalpa and then vote for it. But please, hurry up, because there are only a few days left

Oh, by the way, you can vote daily...

Live in New Orleans-- Guillermo Anderson

This past Saturday, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation held its second annual 'Fiesta Latina'. Their was non-stop music from 11:00 A.M to 10:00 P.M. on two stages, as well as stands with crafts and food. It was a great time for all who attended. There was a stand with great Honduran food, and the Honduran consulate in New Orleans also had a stand promoting Honduran tourism.

All the bands were great. Of note, I particularly enjoyed Freddy Omar y su Banda. Freddy is originally from Tegucigalpa and is well known in the local New Orleans music scene.

But the highlight of the event was the opportunity to hear Guillermo Anderson. I had heard a lot about him. There is even a link on this blog site to his blog site (check it out!). But I must admit I was more favorably impressed than I had anticipated. His band really put on a great act...with music ranging from folk to Caribbean, even some Garifuna punta. The act was of international caliber.

Guillermo is a Ceibeno, and it really shows in his music. His sincerity and love for Honduras was reflected throughout the show.

If you ever have the opportunity to hear Guillermo and his band, I highly recommend it. If not, then buy one of his cd's, put on your dancing shoes and enjoy!

Did You Know?

Did you know that in Honduras, at least in Tegucigalpa, gas station attendants insist that you turn off your cell phone while they pump gas? Yes, that's right...if they see you talking on the phone, they insist you turn it off because they somehow believe the radio waves or frequency will ignite the gasoline and everything will explode.

The good, the bad, and the ugly...

The stable of franchise restaurants in Honduras keeps growing. Almost every imaginable American fast food, pizza and casual dining restuarant already has establishments in Honduras, so why not one more? During my recent visit to Tegucigalpa, I noticed that Chili's is the latest to join the pack. They had large advertisements in the local papers seeking job applicants. Supposedly, they need 250 employees. This is the good thing. Honduras needs jobs.

Now the bad thing, among the listed job requirements are being between the age of 18 and 35 years and excellent presentation. Yes, they want your photo along with the resume. So now I know that I don't qualify for a position as a dishwasher at Chili's. And, I'm disqualified on both counts- age and beauty. Well, I really didn't want that job anyway...At least there won't be any homely or average looking barmaids.

Unfortunately this type of blantant discrimination is not just commonplace in Honduras, it is totally acceptable and expected. However, since the Chili's franchisee has a large portfolio of various American fast food restaurants, I do find it reasonable to have higher expectations of their hiring practices.

Now for the ugly...Even if the local franchisee has no sense of ethics with regards to discrimination, the American franchisor, in this case Brinker International (think Chili's, Macaroni Grill, On the Border), should hold it's international franchisees to higher standards of non-discrimination. They expect international franchisees to meet corporate imposed levels of quality, consistancy, sanitation, etc., so why not impose franchise-wide policies of non-discrimination? (At least the franchisee should be tactful enough to avoid using Chili's logo in the job advertisements).

Now, as I step down from my soapbox, I am pleased to report that I did not eat at a single American franchise during my entire eight day visit, well, almost... I admit to having coffee at Espresso Americano, and we did go through the drive-thru at Pollo Campero...But that doesn't count because it's Guatemalan.

Getting There!!!

The end is in sight!!! Our house is almost finished. Below are some pictures so you can see our progress and maybe, even, share our exceitement...

Defying Silence in Honduras

A recent BBC News story reports that "Honduran journalist Dina Meza has won the @007 Amnesty International Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat". It is very 'eye-opening'. She has been investigating abuses by private security companies in Honduras. Her lawyer was murdered late last year, and the case is remains 'unsolved'. You may find her online magazine at: www.revistazo.com

Guillermo Anderson

For all music lovers, and especially lovers of Honduran culture, I have added a link to the website and blog of Guillermo Anderson, one of Honduras' most renowned and talented singers and performers.

The best time to visit Tegucigalpa

Without doubt, the best time to visit Tegucigalpa is during 'Semana Santa' or 'Holy Week'. I found this out during my recent trip to Central America as I spent Easter week in Tegucigalpa with my family.

It seemed that everyone had left town. There was virtually no traffic. I even used the opportunity to practice driving in the city. Normally, I'm too afraid to drive in Tegucigalpa because the traffic is so bad and nobody follows any traffic rules, so I take the coward's way out and let my wife do the driving (yes, I come from a long line of chickens).

The restaurants were more or less empty, so the waiters actually attempted to give better service than their normal shrug and contempt. The hotels were empty, so the rates were slashed. We stayed at the Marriott which normally has a weekday rate of $169.00 per night, but during 'Semana Santa' the rate was $69.00.

The people left in town somehow seemed more relaxed. It was like a lazy Sunday afternoon that lasted for an entire week. I think the criminals even took a holiday and went to 'la playa'.

Be careful when opening your door, you never know who's knocking

Recently, the door bell rang at my in-laws house, where my wife and children are currently living. There is an intercom system so my father in-law asked who it was. A man replied that he was there to deliver a package, that the package was from Miami. He asked my wife if she was expecting any delivery, she said no. They went to the upstairs window and looked out. There was a truck backed up to the gate, with no markings of any kind.

Fortunately, my father in-law is not the most trusting person, being an ex-colonel and now in the security business. He went back to the intercom and screamed with quite a few expletives, that they should leave immediately. He made it very clear in no uncertain terms, so the men jumped back into the cab of the truck and sped away.

Unfortunately, this type of crime happens all too often in Honduras. Criminals patrol neighborhoods, especially upper class ones, looking for someone coming out or in to their house. They then force their way in, holding the people hostage while they load up a truck or large van with everything of value.

The moral of the story: Be suspicious of everyone that rings your bell!

AWOL or MIA

In case anyone is wondering, I'm AWL (Absent with leave).

I was in Argentina for business for 10 days in March, returned to my office for a few days, then it was off to Central America for pleasure and business. I've been in Honduras for the past two weeks (business and pleasure) and was able to spend Semana Santa with my wife and kids. Today, I arrived in El Salvador (work), then off to Guatemala and Panama (both work). I'll be returning to what's left of the Crescent City in about two weeks. I promise to update my blog and follow up with the Honduras Living forum upon my return. Till then, I will slap my wrist daily...

Mental block, Help Wanted

In addition to our house, my wife is overseeing the renovation of an old 'campesino' house that we are renovating and will turn into a cafe. It's coming along very slowly because the house has priority. It is close to Valle de Angeles, and we hope it will be the type of place where people will come on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon with their family or significant other, hang out, eat some food, play boce, and enjoy some wine or coffee. It is a place where the air is fresh, and guests will be surrounded by nature and tranquility. Hopefully, it will be a spot where one will linger, romances will begin, conversations will be meaningful, and life's problems will be solved.

Only one problem, we can't decide on a name for the cafe. Any ideas? Please leave them in the comments section.

Galloping along at a snail's pace

We have been building for the past 10 months now. Progress is soooo slooooowww!! To all those who send emails asking if it is possible to build via remote control in Honduras (from another country) I say to you "BEWARE". My wife is honduran and she has been there for the past 6 months and even then we have had our share of problems. We have changed contractors twice. Yes, just started with our third contractor and feel very confident. We ended up going with a renowned firm. They are very thorough and meticulous when it comes to details. That is what we were looking for. They visit the site 4 days a week. The other 2 days they do administrative work (get estimates, find suppliers, do payroll, etc). Our previous contractor only visited 1 - 2 times a week.

But at least it's coming along...maybe another 3-4 months and we'll be finished!!!

Cervezas

From time to time, I want to post what I consider to be vital info for the visitor to Honduras. One such topic is Honduran beer. I used to poo-poo Honduran beer because I found the quality to be very inconsistent. Instead, I used to buy Heineken, the real stuff imported from Holland. It was a real bargain compared to the States. A bottle of Heineken was normally only $1.50-$1.80 in a restaurant. But now things have changed. The Cerveceria Hondurena was bought a few years ago by SABMiller, and the quality has markedly improved. At the same time, Heineken is no longer imported from Holland and is now imported from Costa Rica where it is bottle under license. One swallow and you will know its not the 'real' thing.

So now I proudly drink Honduran beer. In general Honduran beers are quite light and contain 4.5% - 5% alcohol.

What are the local brews? Here's my take on the Honduran brands:

Barena- Think Honduran Corona. It's in a clear, transparent bottle with a light flavor and very easy to drink.

Port Royal- Think Honduran Michelob. The namesake comes from Roatan. It's a cold filtered beer, and the one most people are familiar with since it's the one that's exported. This is considered the Honduran quality beer

Salva Vida- Think Honduran Budweiser. It's a very light tasting beer. Personally, I find it has very little flavor, but then I don't think Budweiser has any flavor either. This is probably the most popular Honduran beer.

Imperial- Think Honduran Heineken. This is a pilsner style beer with a little more intense flavor. This classic formula has been brewed since 1930, and is sometimes considered Tegucigalpa beer. While all the beers are brewed in San Pedro Sula, Imperial is more widely distributed in the capital.

Imperial is my personal preference, but when its not available I drink Port Royal.

Finally, beer in Honduras is quite a bargain, generally selling for about 20-30 lemperas ($1.00- $1.50). With prices like this, one can afford to, as they say in New Orleans, 'laissez les bons temps roulez!'

Incredible or Incredulous? Only in Honduras!!

My wife invited her mother and aunt out for lunch one day last week to 'La Creperia' (reviewed in blog post of Nov. 29). My wife and I had really enjoyed the place and she wanted to share it with her mom and aunt. This restaurant was one of Don Godo's favorites, but no more. My mother in law ordered a sandwich and later asked the waiter to bring her some mustard. Everyone enjoyed their lunch. Incredibly, and beyond their wildest dreams, when the bill came, there was a 20 lempera charge for the mustard! That's $1.05 for mustard served as condiment for a sandwich!! Hello, Tegucigalpa isn't Paris or Tokyo...

My wife, her mom and aunt incredulously looked at the waiter and then proceeded to tell him their thoughts on the subject. He explained that the mustard was an additional service, not included on the menu, and the restaurant policy was to charge an extra 'service charge'.

Needless to say, my family will never patronize 'La Creperia' again. I'm just glad that they didn't order ketchup and mayonnaise as well!!

Well... I guess that's Honduras Living!

Water

The dry season is here!! For the past 2 months we have been trying to get running water in our property in Valle de Angeles. We had to determine where we wanted spigots (for watering the yard); place all the pvc tubes needed to run the water; build a brick shed to protect the pump and tank for the cistern; have iron doors made for the shed and get the ENEE (the electric company) to hook up the electricity. After everything was said and done and exactly 3 days before we had the pump installed, someone broke into the property and stole the electric cables and spigots . Everything for a grand total of Lps. 1,500 (about $75!!!!) The damages are almost twice as much as what they took, go figure.... Here is a piece of advice: Put up a fence. A tall fence.

We had the average wooden posts with 3 lines of barb wire. It was rustic and was there more as a way of defining the property line as opposed to security - Valle is very safe. Now we are in the process of building a security fence before we install the pump and tank. About a week ago, the newspaper had a story about a man that went around stealing electric cables in Valle. In his last robery, he made a mistake while cutting the cable. Needless to say, he is not with us anymore....

Get Involved!! or at least, Make a Difference!!

Anybody that has ever visited Honduras knows it's a very poor country with a lot of problems and needs. For me, it's especially troubling to see young children living in abject poverty with no hope for a better life. If these children could somehow get an education, they will have hope for the future. Touching the life of just one child impacts the life of an entire family.

If you are reading this blog, then I know that you have an interest in Honduras and its future. So I want to encourage you, no, I challenge you, to sponsor just one child on a monthly basis. Its not expensive, $25.$35. per month. Collectively, just imagine how many lives could be made brighter!!

Below are links to some charitable organizations in Honduras. Check them out and help make 2007 a year of promise for some needy children. You'll be glad you did!

Bilingual Education for Central America
www.becaschools.org

Helping Honduras Kids
www.helpinghonduraskids.org

Olancho Aid Foundation
www.olanchoaid.org

Trujillo Christian School
www.trujillocs.org

World Gospel Outreach
www.wgoreach.org

The above list is by no means comprehensive. If you know of a worthy organization that is not mentioned, please feel free to list it in my comments section.

Regardless of each of our own personal circumstances, we are all more fortunate than the poor children in Honduras. So please take a few moments and reflect on what you are able to do, and then do it!!

Health Insurance

My wife and children just got health insurance. They opted for one provided by the Honduras Medical Center. You can only get service at this hospital and one in San Pedro Sula, which is fine with us, since these are the most advanced hospitals right now. The cost for both of my kids is Lps. 330 /month for each one and for my wife Lps. 625/month. Any person over 45 is charged Lps. 985/month and needs to get an extensive physical test done. All others are exempt. The cost of the test is Lps. 1,500. For the first 3 months you are only covered if you have an emergency. From months 3-12 you are covered for routine doctor visits. After the first year you are covered for pretty much any disease that was not pre-existent, except diabetes, which is covered if it is diagnosed after the 2nd year. Then, you are pretty much covered for any treatment if it is available in Honduras. You pay Lps. 100 per doctors visit (usually about Lps 500) and then you get a 60% discount on lab work and medications.

One drawback is that you are automatically dropped from coverage when you turn 75.

Tegucigalpa Restaurants

El Patio, ($$/***, Blvd. Morazan), Typical Honduran Cuisine. If you want typical Honduran food, this is the place to go!!. The restaurant is open-air, so avoid cold days. All the dinners come with 'anafres'. I recommend the 'pinchos'.

Furiwa, ($$$/***, Bvld. Juan Pablo II, tel. 239.1396/239.1349), One of the better Chinese restaurants, with huge portions. A Taiwanese diplomat told a friend that this is his favorite Chinese restaurant outside of Taiwan. I'm not sure it's that good, but it's where we always go when we want to eat Chinese. The restaurant is large, with a children's play area, and very clean!

Gourmet Grill, ($$$/**, Col. Palmira paseo Rep. de Argentina, Edificio Bakery Center, tel. 235.7137), American diner-style food. American style breakfasts, sandwiches, burgers, entrees. My son devours the linguini with mussels ($6.50). We ate there on Thanksgiving day, and sure enough their daily special was turkey with dressing and cranberry sauce. When you have a craving for American food, but are tired of the franchise places, Gourmet Grill hits the spot!

NEW YAHOO HONDURAS LIVING GROUP!!!

My friend and fellow blogger, La Gringa (please see link on right hand side), has created a new Yahoo group aptly named "Honduras Living". La Gringa and myself are the moderators.

The group is intended as a discussion forum for all of you who are interested in moving to, retiring in, investing in, or simply vacationing in Honduras. All are welcome, whether expats or 'Catrachos'. We hope this will become the 'go to' spot for exchanging information, ideas, candid comments, experiences, and reviews regarding Honduras. We hope the questions, comments and information will cover the broadest range of topics from residency to restaurants, from where to go and what to see, to what and where to avoid.

Please keep your posts commercial free.

If you are interested, please join. There is a link on the right hand side.

We look forward to a lively conversation that will benefit all.

Downtown Tegucigalpa

Following is a letter I wrote to the editor of "Honduras This Week". It appears in this week's issue. As always, I look forward to your comments.

Dear Editor,

I read the recent vignette about downtown Tegucigalpa with much interest. I have been traveling to Honduras regularly for the past twelve years, am married to a wonderful Honduran woman, have obtained Honduran residency, and am in the process of building a home just outside of Tegucigalpa.

Every time I visit Honduras, I always enjoy roaming around downtown Tegucigalpa. I leave my watch, jewelry, and excess cash at the house and my wife drops me off. I usually have no where in particular to go, so I just wonder around and end up wherever I end up. Invariably, I visit the National Art Museum which I really enjoy. It only takes about 45 minutes to go through its various galleries, but I like the sense of 'place' that I have upon leaving. Somehow I also always find my way to the 'parque central' and then into the cathedral where I set for a few minutes, meditate, contemplate, and pray. I then reenter the hustle and bustle of the city with a relaxed feeling inside.

Wondering the streets downtown always amazes me. I love the narrow streets, the architecture, the old facades and the sense of history that fills the air. Downtown Tegucigalpa is truly a jewel, but unfortunately, it's a jewel 'in the rough', unpolished and forgotten. While some people may relish its earthy nature, I've always dreamed of it being more.

I've had many discussions with my wife about downtown Tegucigalpa and what I dream and hope it could be. Honduras is very fortunate that its capital city has not been destroyed or severely damaged by earthquakes like Managua, San Salvador, and San Jose. While it suffered during Mitch, the damage could have been worse. It still retains its colonial character. Hondurans should consider this a national asset just as it would any natural resource and protect it in the same manner.

Laws should be passed proclaiming the area a historical zone with protections for the facades of all historical buildings within the zone. Incentives should be written into the law to encourage historical preservation and investment conducive to revitalization of the area in a historically sensitive manner. Large buses should be strictly banned. Security should be enhanced with a visible police presence and the creation of tourist police. There should be a constant police presence in the Teatro Bonilla area so theatre-goers will feel comfortable attending performances (thereby further supporting the arts and cultural scene). If they feel secure, maybe they will want to linger in the area for drinks and dinner before and after performances.

The city should clean up the trash downtown and discourage littering by placing more trash containers (and maintain them). It should enforce parking regulations. It should encourage the creation of business such as galleries, antique shops, cafes, and restaurants which would entice tourists to come. If tourists come, the revitalization would take on a momentum of its own. Hotels would open, shops and restaurants would thrive. People would then see potential and buy old houses in Buenos Aires and La Leona to renovate and live. Maybe sidewalk cafes would open. Kiosks could be placed on some sidewalks to sell magazines and newspapers.

I firmly believe that a strong commitment, followed by action could resurrect and revitalize downtown Tegucigalpa. Greater prosperity for all of Tegucigalpa's residents would be the result.

Tegucigalpa (Nov. 20, 2006)

On Monday, we moved to the Clarion Hotel Real Tegucigalpa, $$$/***, (Col. Alameda, Calle Principal Juan Pablo II, tel. 286.6000, fax 286.6001). This high rise hotel is only a couple of blocks away from the Marriott, and is in a convenient location close to the Multiplaza mall. There are plenty of eating places nearby from fast-food to Chinese, steak, and Mexican restaurants. It has an elegant lobby and the swimming pool area is also very nice, but the rooms are showing their wear.

I remember when I first started to go to Tegucigalpa on a regular basis in the mid-1990's this hotel was only a skeleton of what was supposed to be a Sheraton hotel. After the frame of the building was erected, construction stopped for many years. I guess the developers ran out of money. For years, people gave directions by saying, "down the street from the Sheraton hotel", or "turn left at the Sheraton and go three blocks..." But there never was any Sheraton hotel, only the skeleton of the 'intended' Sheraton. Regardless, everyone called it the Sheraton.

Finally, in the late '90's, a Guatemalan company bought the place and finished the hotel, renaming it The Princess Hotel. This company owned several Princess hotels scattered about in all the major Central American cities. They did a really fine job of completing the hotel with a grand lobby and pool. Close attention was paid to all the details and the rooms were finished in an traditional English style. There was a 'piso ejecutivo' with a lounge and impeccable service. I stayed at the Princess several times and it was one of my favorite hotels in Tegucigalpa.

Soon after it was opened, the Real Intercontinental Hotel was built nearby, and then the Marriott a couple of years ago. I guess the market wasn't big enough for three luxury hotels, so the Princess was sold to the Salvadorian company, Grupo Real. This company owns all the Intercontinental hotels in Central America as well as some other hotel properties. They rebranded the hotel as a 'Clarion' hotel, and have positioned the hotel a notch or two down in price, service and quality. They've done away with the executive floor, and the rooms while nice seem to be showing their wear.

We ate lunch at I'golosi, $$/*** (Col. Palmira, Ave. Rep. de Argentina, tel. 232.2168). The restaurant is tucked away behind the furniture store, Amanda's, and there is no sign. You can enter from Amanda's or from a walkway on the left hand side of the store. The ambiance is simple but tasteful with hints of the Mediterreanean and Mid-East. Because you would never know its there, its not rushed and you can relax and enjoy your meal. It's a wonderful place to linger with a friend and enjoy an espresso, pastry and conversation. The one drawback is that the menu is limited, but what there is, is all very good. There are some appetizers, lasagne, salads, soup of the day, and some sandwiches. My wife and I shared orders of kibbeh ($1.60), hummus ($2.10) and an Italian sandwich ($4.25). I'golosi is one of Don Godo's Favorites!

Nacimientos

Christmas season in Honduras somehow just doesn't seem like Christmas. Maybe it's the warm weather and lack of snow...

But there is one Christmas tradition in Honduras that is quite beautiful, and that I have really come to appreciate. While North American Christmas decorations tend towards elaborate Christmas trees, wreaths, and Santa Claus, Hondurans try to outdo each other with 'nacimientos'.

A 'nacimiento' is a Nativity scene. Some are elegant, some are simple, some are huge and others very small; but they are everywhere. Businesses from restaurants and retail stores to banks and offices have them. Both rich and poor people alike have them. Most are unabashedly on public display. Some are handmade, some are factory made, and some are real works of art. People go around and admire the biggest and grandest although I find the most humble to be the most elegant in their simplicity.

This is not to say that people don't have Christmas trees and lights, because they do. Most of these are all artificial and represent the imported American culture that so dominates Central America. But to me, 'naciemientos' represent an authenticity in the culture, one that does not shy away from recognizing the true meaning of Christmas. They represent an attachment to Christmas per se, instead of the brazen commercialism and secularism found in North America.

I believe Christmas in Honduras will grow on me...

Feliz Navidad!!

Tegucigalpa (Sun. Nov. 19)

We stayed at the Tegucigalpa Marriott Hotel for the weekend. ($$$$, Boulevard Juan Pablo II, tel. 232.0033, fax 235.7700). It's a modern, high rise hotel located very close to the Mall Multiplaza. We stayed there Saturday and Sunday because they have a special weekend rate of $99.00. Since I had not seen my family for a long time, I sprang for the junior suite which was an extra $40.00. Being in a junior suite meant that we were automatically put on the concierage floor where there is a private lounge with free snacks and refreshments in the evenings and free mini-breakfast buffet in the mornings. The upgrade is definitely money well spent. The Napoc lounge located in the lobby is quite active on Saturday nights. During the weekdays, the room rates go up considerably...to $159.00! So unless you are on an expense account, there are other nice hotels that are much more reasonably priced.

For Sunday lunch we ate at Los Cebollines ($$$, next to the Mall Multiplaza, tel.232.0680). It's a Mexican chain restaurant with locations in San Pedro Sula as well as other Central American countries. The ambiance is nice and the food is quite good, definitely not your typical Tex-Mex fare. If you're in a group, I highly recommend one of their "meter" platters, which is quite literally served on a meter long wooden board with meat, beans, grilled green onions, sauces, etc.

Tegucigalpa (Sat. Nov. 18, 2006)

I love Tegucigalpa!! I love the name, the way it rolls off my tongue. I love the mountains, hills, and pine forests that surround the city. I love the climate, warm in the day and comfortable at night. I love the Third World quirkiness and chaos of it all. I love the confusion and disorderly streets which prevent me from easily knowing my way around even after a dozen years of frequent visits. I love the colonial buildings begging for renovation, yet elegant in their decay. I love the size, manageable yet big enough. Most of all, I love my wife who was born in its bosom.

As I arrived that Saturday evening, I was filled with eager anticipation. It was the first time I had seen my family in four months. There was so much to talk about, so much to catch up on, and so much to do but so precious little time.

After checking into our hotel, we went to dinner at 'La Creperia' (Avenida San Juan Bosco, tel. 239.4896, $$). We had passed the restaurant on our way to the hotel, and I noticed that the parking area was full of cars, which is invaribly a good sign. I was not to be disappointed. The ambiance was quite nice, and there was a terrace in the back with a beautiful city view. The menu had a large variety of both dinner and dessert crepes as well as pastas, salads, meat and poultry. The prices were very reasonable ranging from 75 lemperias ($4.00) for crepes or lasagne to 130 lempiras ($6.85) for chicken breast served with salad and fries. I ate a crepe stuffed with ham, cheese and egg. The food was delicious. I'm adding this restaurant to 'Don Godo's Favorites' list.

Everyone was tired, so we returned to the hotel and retired for the evening.

Back in never, never land

I just returned to New Orleans last night from Honduras. I had a great time, although the weather was lousy. Just my luck, a very rare cold front hit upon my arrival. I spent five nights in Tegucigalpa, three nights in Tela, and one night in San Pedro Sula. In Tela, I had the opportunity to meet and dine with my fellow blogger, La Gringa of www.lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com fame. It was a most enjoyable evening.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will leave posts on just about everything about my trip, from the progress on our house, impressions in general, restaurant reviews, do's and don'ts, etc.

Please check back!!!

Going to Honduras!!!

Hey folks!! I'm going to Honduras on Nov. 18, returning to New Orleans on Nov. 27. The trip will be way too short, but I'm really excited. I'll see my wife and two babies (...um, I mean 'big boys') for the first time since early August. This is the hardest part of the transition for me...living without my family.

I will fly to San Pedro Sula because I was able to get the tickets for several hundred dollars less than going directly to Tegucigalpa. My family will pick me up at the airport and whisk me away to Tegucigalpa. There is so much to do and so little time. We will be picking out tiles, wood, stone for the house. Actually, I believe my wife has already done this and is only letting me see them as formality...or maybe just a courtesy! It really doesn't matter as we have very similiar tastes and her judgement in decorating (as in everything else) is impeccable.

I will see first hand the progress made on our house and will be sure to take zillions of pictures. I will also see the progress on our cafe to be. So far my wife has refused to email me any pictures of the cafe because she wants it to be a surprise. She has spent many long hours there meticulously overseeing every detail. She hired two full time gardeners and they have been planting flowers, fruit trees, clearing, cleaning, and pruning. I can't wait to see. I promise to post some pictures.

Puky and Coco (the two big boys) have Nov. 23-24 off from school for Thanksgiving. We will go to Tela for a mini-vacation. The beaches there are quite nice.

I'll leave from SPS on Monday, Nov. 27 to return to my dismal and lonely existence in post-Katrina New Orleans. Yes, I know, the kids will miss one day of school...

Upon my return, I will post reviews of the hotels, beaches and restaurants as viewed through my critical and unbiased (yeah, right!...) eyes.

In the meantime, I wish myself 'bon voyage!' or is it '!bien viaje!'...

Why I'm Moving to Honduras

My substitute blogger, Andrew, a.k.a Puky, obviously didn't post anything in my absence. What should his punishment be? What about four weeks without Gameboy or Playstation?...

Anyway, one of my fellow Honduras Bloggers, posted why she moved to Honduras. This got me to thinking about my own reasons, and for my own therapy I've decided to post the same topic. If nothing else, it will be interesting for me to review this post in a few years...

Ever since we were married (eleven years in January), my wife and I knew we would retire in Honduras. She is originally from Honduras and her entire family lives there. She was living in Honduras when we married, and she moved to the States because of our marriage. She has never really liked living in the USA, and was perfectly content with her life in Honduras until I stirred things up.

I've always enjoyed going to Honduras, and have been there many times. (I just wish I had studied Spanish in school instead of French). We always assumed that by moving to Honduras, I could retire at a younger age and have more time with my family. The cost of living is considerably cheaper than the USA. Thus, my reasoning was that if I saved a fair amount, invested wisely, and lived somewhere where the cost of living is cheap (Honduras), I could afford to retire young.

We just didn't know when exactly we would make the move...then, came Katrina. And she came with a vengence!! She shook my world to its core.

When Katrina hit, I was in North Carolina visiting my 88 year old father who was in the hospital in intensive care (fortunately, he has since recovered). My family was forced to evacuate by themselves, and I met up with them in Memphis. We returned to survey our damage, loaded up the mini van and went to Houston where we lived in an unfurnished apartment for a month...until we evacuated from Houston and returned to New Orleans when Hurricane Rita had us in her sight.

We were fortunate in that our house was not severely damaged and we were able to live in our house while repairs were being made. But when I saw the devastation, it was truely heart wrenching. The devastation stretches for miles and miles...Still today, not much has changed. This year we were lucky and the hurricane season was very calm.

Katrina made my wife and I reassess our priorities. We are tired of evacuating once or twice every hurricane season. But more importantly, we realized that quality of life is our greatest priority now. So we moved up our relocation date and decided to start building our home outside of Tegucigalpa. If it hadn't of been for Katrina, when would we actually move to Honduras. I don't know...Maybe five or ten years from now. But, we would have eventually ended up there.

When I say quality of life, I know that Honduras is a poor country, and many people would say "what quality of life?" But it reminds me also of the more innocent America that I grew up in. I'm not nostalgic, but I want more time with my family, I want to enjoy a more leisurely life while I'm still relatively young. And, I want to live somewhere where I might be able to make small differences in positive ways.

I'm also disillusioned with many aspects of American life and culture. Some are the same old ills that everyone speaks of, materialism, 24/7 lifestyles, etc. and some disilluionments are of a more personal nature.

I guess in the end, its time for me to follow my wife home.

Don Godo Will be Out of Town Oct. 12- Oct. 30

Don Godo will be on a business trip to France during the second half of October, returning just in time to play Halloween tricks on all the brats in his neighborhood.

In his abscence, Don Godo has asked Andrew to post direct from the scene of all the action in Honduras.

Don Godo's Reading List

The first book on my reading list is O'Henry's "Cabbages and Kings". It was first published in 1904, and it was written by O'Henry while he was in exile, actually on the lam, in Honduras trying to avoid arrest in the USA. It takes place in the fictional country of Anchuria (Honduras) and in the town of Coralio (La Ceiba). It's extremely humorous, and I'm sure my North Coast friends will enjoy it while cuddled in their hammocks with a bottle of Flor de Cana in one hand and the sounds of spider monkeys and toucans in the background.

I must admit that I'm biased as O'Henry was born and raised in my hometown of Greensboro, NC

Honduran Patrimony

I've always had an interest in historical preservation, and as such I'm intrigued by the history and patrimony of Honduras, my adopted land. Guatemala City, San Salvador, Managua, and San Jose have all been ravaged by earthquakes, and much of their patrimony has been lost. While Honduras has been spared from destruction of earthquakes, it has not escaped the destruction of human neglect. Unfortunately, much of it's history and patrimony has already been destroyed through this neglect. And, much of what human apathy didn't destroy, Hurricane Mitch finished off.

Today, Hondurans look to the great Gringo land up North for cultural leadership. Almost every American franchise is represented, from McDonald's, Burger KIng, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, Chuch's Fried Chicken to Applebee's, Friday's, and Ruby Tuesday. If you drive down the Boulevard Morazan in Tegucigalpa, it seems that every fast food joint is competing with each other in who create the most visual pollution by erecting the largest and ugliest sign. On the retail side, Offfice Depot is opening stores, there's Rooms to Go, and USA Cleaner's. In lodging there's Clarion, Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, Hilton, and Marriott. The indigenous Honduran hotels are in decline due to lack of renovation and upkeep.

All of this presupposes a value judgement on the part of Hondurans that their culture is not vibrant. I believe it expresses a cultural inferiority complex. To me, this is a real shame...

For some idea of the richness of Honduras' past, please visit the following website:

www.honduantes.8k.com

As always, I look forward to your comments.

MEMORY LANE (PART ONE)

I've been travelling to Honduras now for twenty years on a fairly regular basis. From time to time, I enjoy taking a stroll down memory lane...So here goes Part One in an occasional journey through the fog and haze of my memories...

My first trip to Honduras was in the mid-1980's. It was my first overseas business trip. I was a lowly hot sauce peddler and my trip was to Central America, with Honduras being the first stop.

My flight to San Pedro Sula was via SAHSA (the now defunct national airline of Honduras). In keeping with Honduran tradition, the flight from New Orleans was delayed several hours. As a result, the flight did not arrive to San Pedro Sula until 8:30 or 9:00 PM. Upon arrival, I noticed that everything was dark. Sure enough, the airport was closed. Our luggage was taken off the plane and put next to the terminal. After finding my bag, I looked around for customs, but of course it was closed too. So I went to the front of the terminal to find a taxi to take me to my hotel. There were no taxis... I hitched a ride into town with a fellow passenger. They charged me $10.00 for the ride. This was my first welcome to Honduras...

Wine, Wine, Wine, the fruit of the vine, or maybe just vinegar?

During my many visits to Honduras, I have realized that Honduras does not, repeat, does not have a 'wine culture'. You'll be lucky to even find European wines that we take for granted, whether from the center of the universe (France), Spain, or Italy. You can find them but they're not very common. Totally forget trying to find wines from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand or Bulgaria. If the vintage is from an obscure locale, it's not existent in the Honduran world view.

The wines that are available are mainly Chilean, Argentinian, and Californian. You can find these at almost all grocery stores and they are reasonably priced, similiar to USA prices. The nice thing is that restaurants don't have the huge markup on wines that they have Stateside. An $8.00 bottle of Chilean wine in a supermarket will cost maybe $12.00-14.00 in a restaurant, compared to the obscene markup in the USA where an $8.00 bottle magically becomes a $28.00 bottle!

The problem is that since Honduras does not have a wine culture, you never know how long the bottles have been sitting on the shelf, whether the cork has dried out, and whether you'll be buying wine or vinegar. This has happened to me on several occasions where I opened my newly acquired bottle to find that it had as Monty Python so aptly put it, "the bouquet of an average armpit".

THE SOLUTION: Only buy wine from stores where lots of expatriates shop. In Tegucigalpa, I've found that there are always expats shopping at the Paiz store in the mall accross from the Intercontinental Hotel. They have a good wine selection, and I've never had a problem.

The problem of spoiled wine is even worse on the North Coast (think Tela, La Ceiba, and San Pedro Sula) due to the hot, humid client.

My ever enterprising wife has found an even better solution. She went to a wine wholesaler/importer and asked if she could buy wine there. They were happy to oblige as long as she bought a minimum of an assorted case. They even threw in a cork screw!!

Pictures of Our Progress!!!

VONAGE

My wife and kids are now living full time in Honduras. The kids (and I don't mean baby goats) are going to school, meeting new friends, taking tennis and soccer classes, ie. just enjoying childhood!! My ever energetic and ambitious wife is overseeing the contruction of our house and renovation of our business property, in addition to her 'soccer Mom' duties. She is quite heroic if I do say so myself, but she volunterred for the job, saying "too much money was at risk to do it by remote control".

Myself, on the other hand, continues my suburban existence outside of the remanants of New Orleans. I go to work, come home, and hang out with my pet bird named Arthur. Now if only Arthur could talk...my sanity would be more assured...

This is where Vonage comes in as handy life preserver...

My wife got high speed internet through the cable company (about $55.00/month), and she bought a vonage kit at Circuit City prior to moving to Honduras. The vonage costs about $23.00/month and I can call her anytime, from any phone, seven days a week/24 hours a day, unlimited, no extra charges...

Calling Honduras vis-a-vis Bell South was about $0.45/min. So the typical calls were $20.-$25 each. Using Bell South, I could either go bankrupt or die of loneliness...

Now that I can call as often and as much as I want (and I do), my wife's patience and sanity is beginning to...

Real Estate Web Site

For those of you considering buying real estate in Honduras, check out the following website: www.ngabrie.com

This is the site for Inverprop. The owner is Honduran and is very professional. If you feel more comfortable with English, the site has an English option. What I think is good is that he has properties listed by category (beach, city, houses, apartments, lots, etc.) But most importantly, the agency (and thus the site also) is geared towards local Hondurans. It has prices and pictures of the properties. Since it's not geared necessarily to expaatriates or the almighty Gringo $, the prices are more realistic and a truer pciture of the market.

I think you'll find this site to be your best starting point (unless of course, you prefer to have your hand held and pay Gringo prices!)

Minor Frustrations

In conjunction with building our house, we are renovating a 'campesino' house outside of Valle de Angeles that we want to turn into a cafe. We hope it will be nice as we are trying to maintain the arquetectural integrity and style of a turn of the century farmhouse. One thing we want to do is grow our own organic coffee on the premises which we will use in the cafe. In order to do this, we need to cut down several pine trees and plant more appropriate shade trees for the coffee.

Recently, due to deforestation, legislation has been enacted requiring government approval prior to cutting down any trees. Now, I'm as 'green' as the next guy and I believe this law was way past due, but my wife has made three appointments with the responsible authorities to inspect the site and trees that we want to cut down. Each time she went to the property and waited several hours to no avail. No one ever showed up as promised.

I guess we better start getting used to this.

It reminds me of an American friend who lives in San Pedro Sula. When he built his house, the lighting fixtures on the wall in the powder room were not centered over the sink. Instead, they were installed about a foot to the left of the center. I guess its called compromise, but I still notice the light fixtures every time I visit them...

On the brighter side, my wife reports to me that our kids, Andrew and Adrian, really like their new school and are adjusting very well. They like it better than their old school is suburbia...

When they visit the home site, they tell my wife, "we better build a pretty home so Papa will come here!..."

Appointment In Honduras

Glen Ford died today. In his memory, I would like to recommend that you buy or rent the 1953 film noir classic "Appointment in Honduras". It co-stars Ann Sheridan.

THE MOVE!!

My wife and 2 small children finally moved to Honduras in mid June. She has not run into problems as of yet. Maybe the only one was the kids' school, in the sense that since its the capital, I guess the demand for available spaces is a lot more. We were unable to find space for both our boys in our 2 top choices - they would take one but not the other. It seems the younger the children the harder it is to get in. We did however, find a spot for both in another bilingual school (which I will admit was my kids favorite!). The first line of business was to get internet service (so we could use vonage) and call the US every day. Our biggest expense is the children's school, everything else is minor in comparison to Louisiana, except maybe the internet service. The school is 60% foreigners and I guess that is the reason why it is so expensive, but.. my kids fell in love with it. We reached our decision of what schools to apply to by finding out how many children from the graduating class were going abroad for collage. There are more than 3 excellent bilingual schools, of course. Our house should be finished in march and we have not run into any major problems as of yet. We hired an engineer to build the house and she seems to be doing a good job. It will be ready in about 9 months (February 2007). ... We just bought a car, a 2006 SUV Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 2x4, for $27,000. I am including prices because I have received several emails requesting specific information. The children are enrolled in Tennis camp right now and it is $75 a month for 2 hours a day/5 days/week with about 4-5 kids/instructer. Food is relatively cheap, about $50/week for all 3. Energy bill is around $80/month -it can be cheaper, but my wife does not care for drying clothes in the sun. The maid is $200/month full time for a GOOD one. You can find one cheaper with no experience. Minimum wage is abouth $155/month. Our budget is about $1,800/month for all 3 of them. We have not checked health insurance costs yet but we will keep you informed. But to give you an idea on the cost of medical care, our attorney just had a tummy tuck for $3,000 (all costs included). The cost of a doctors visit (US/Europe graduate) is about $25 without insurance. There are of course cheaper doctors, specially in small towns. To all those who have sent emails, I hope this helps.

PROGRESS!!

My wife just returned from Honduras this weekend. She went there so she could monitor how things were going with the construction, and to make changes if necessary before things get too far along. We both feel a little nervous building our dream home by remote control.

I was really pleased hearing of the progress!

She took a lot of pictures, so as soon as we can figure out how to download them to this blog, we will.

One thing she did do which I believe will save us substantial money over the course of the construction, was she hired an engineer to oversee our builder. Every two weeks, the builder presents a bill for the last two week's work, all the labor, etc. We have no way of knowing whether the bill is acurate and actually reflects the job being done or not, ie. whether he is overcharging. Our new supervising engineer will visit the site every two weeks and measure the amount of construction since the last bill and compare it to make sure the cost is reasonable and accurate.

My wife's cousin just built a home and his bank required a supervising engineer as one of the terms of the loan. We are using the same lady that he used. We feel she is quite reliable as she is normally contracted through a bank. As it turns out, this is quite a common practice in Honduras so don't be embarrassed about it.

Residency

Even though we have not finished our house, I have already applied for and received Honduran residency. There are several types of residency available, but I have what is called a 'rentista' visa. I can maintain my residency as long as I convert a $1000.00 a month into lemperas. When I say $1000.00/month, it does not have to be done on a monthly basis, I can convert $500.00 one time, next time $4,000.00 and the next time $1,500.00 for example. If I did this, my residency would be covered for six months.

The laws are subject to change of course, but at the time I got my residency (about two years ago), this type of residentcy entitled me to import all my household furnishings duty free. Also, I'm entitled to bring in a new car duty free every five years.

I believe that everyone contemplating building a home in Honduras should get their residency first. I cannot stress this enough!!! The reason is that you will be spending a large sum of money building or buying your home. If you get the residency first, all the money that you convert into lempieras to pay for the construction or purchase can be applied to fullfilling the currency conversion requirements of your residency. For example, if your home costs $250,000, you would be able to generate foreign exchange receipts sufficient to cover the next 20 years!!

The residency is relatively easy to get, but you should have a local attorney walk you through the process. If you need a referral, please leave a comment and I will email you the details of the attorney who handled mine.