Disclaimer

The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.




Wednesday, August 31, 2011

You Know You’ve Lived in Honduras for a While When...

This little blurb was written by one of my best friends in the PC, Amanda Browne, for our biannual Muni D newsletter.  Definitely accurate.  =)

1. You point with your lips, not your fingers.

2. Parking lots, paved and clearly marked parking lots, excite you.

3. Going to a chain restaurant is living large. (Woo! Fridays!)

4. Spending more than L.20 ($1.00) for a beer is getting expensive.

5. You miss drinking wine that does not come in a twist-top bottle.

6. A 3-hour bus ride to get to the nearest grocery store, mall, movie theater, or chain restaurant is no big deal.

7. You are totally un-phased that said bus ride is in an old school bus jam-packed with people and animals (hence the name chicken-bus).

8. You match your earrings, shoes, eyeshadow, and all other accessories to the color of your shirt. (I’m talking all the same color.)

9. Toilets that flush and showers that work are a luxury.

10. Hot showers that work are even more of a luxury.

11. You speak in Spanglish when talking to other English speakers. O sea, you throw in Spanish words and phrases because they just make more sense. (Did you see what I just did there? Did you get it?)

12. You get really excited when you can speak English with people. A little too excited.

13. You open things with your teeth.

14. You drink water, milk, and sometimes juice or soda out of a bag.

15. Your toenails are always painted (for girls/women).

16. You own or carry around a machete. You know, to blend in.

17. You say good-bye to everyone you pass in the street. (Adios!)

18. You are no longer woken up by donkeys baying or roosters crowing throughout the night.

19. You are no longer woken up by the 4am bus as it honks its way down the street in the morning.

20. You eat your meals with tortillas instead of utensils (you scoop up the food in the tortilla).

21. Things like ‘he has the evil eye’ is a legitimate medical diagnosis. (True story: my [host] aunt took her one-year-old to the hospital in Tegus and “tiene el ojo” was what the doctor there told them.)

22. Being in a room or a meeting with women openly breastfeeding their children is totally normal.

23. You assume that any time you schedule for a meeting, no one will show up until an hour later (at least).

24. You prepare for when the person or people you NEED to meet with call you at the last minute to give you some excuses for why the can’t come/why something didn’t come through, a.k.a. the “fijese que”.

25. You never go out after 10 p.m. unless there is a town dance/event (for smaller sites).

26. Reggaeton and Ranchera music have grown on you.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Lago Yojoa, Pulhapanzak Waterfall, and Taulabe Caves

Ah, Honduras.  What a pristine, beautiful landscape you have!  That's one thing about this country - there are incredible sites to see, and for the most part, for much cheaper prices than other Central American countries.  The only thing is Honduras doesn't know how to market what it has to attract tourism!  It's really a shame that there's so much natural beauty here and not a lot of foreigners know about it.  I've slowly been crossing sites off a mental list of places to see.  Each visit has been a great adventure with unique unforgettable memories and I hope that stays true for the remaining places.  

The last weekend in June I went on a long-awaited trip to Lago Yojoa (Lake Yojoa) with my best girl friends in PC.  We stayed at Agua Azul and had our own 3 bedroom cabin complete with balcony right on the lake.  Other than the ever-present mosquitoes, the place was beautiful.  It's one of the nicest budget hotels to stay at, and there weren't too many other people there either so we were free to blast our music and have a dance party if we wanted.  The hotel has a gorgeous restaurant with optional outside seating on a deck that overlooks the lake, and has a pool table as well.  There were several activity options too, like canoe, kayak, pedal-boat, swimming pool with slide, etc but we only ended up using the pool, which in itself was refreshing!

Photo Credit: Morgaine Belanger
One of the days we headed to Pulhapanzak Waterfall, a popular tourist destination here and the largest waterfall in Honduras at 140 feet.  Beforehand though, we ate breakfast at D&D Brewery, and I was extremely pleased to find that they served BLUEBERRY pancakes!!


It is nearly impossible to find blueberries in this country, but they were there, and they were absolutely delicious.  Two backpacker girls wanted to join us on our way to the waterfall, so we went together in a friend's car.  The place has zip-lining, swimming, and a guided tour behind the waterfall.  We opted for the tour, which I heard from others was an intense feel-like-you're-drowning experience not to be missed.  The tour guide lead us down to a swimming hole which we jumped into from the rocks and enjoyed that for a bit before starting the treacherous walk through and behind the waterfall into the small cave.  We all had to join hands, tilt our heads down chin-to-chest, and breathe through our mouths as the water pounded on us and we navigated through varying depths of water on slippery stone.  The cave fit about 15 people, so there was enough space for my group.  It was dark and damp, but was the perfect refuge for a brief respite before heading back out.  As we waded back through the water, the guide mentioned we could jump from a 30 foot ledge if we wanted.  I excitedly made my way to the jump off point, felt a brief pang of fear as I brought myself to the edge, and quickly jumped off, crashing into the water below.  It was a great adrenaline rush, and the whole tour made for an unforgettable experience.



After our lake trip, some of us headed to the Taulabe Caves and did the guided tour of 400 meters.  The caves have been explored up to 12 km, but still nobody knows exactly where they end at.


Monday, August 15, 2011

My Culinary Adventures: Chickpea Curry

Wow, it's been quite a while since I've posted anything!  I've been busy with work, couchsurfers, and an island vacation!  I will write about all of my adventures soon.  Meeting so many new people traveling the world has had  a drastic influence on my potential plans for after service.  All will be revealed in due time =].

For now, however, I leave you with a delicious chickpea curry recipe.  I haven't cooked anything new in a while but I've been inspired to cook more, cook healthier, and get my personal life on track.  Let's hope the motivation stays with me and I'm able to reach my goals!



Recipe
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

I took this recipe and made a few changes and additions and it turned out even better (in my opinion).  I almost used coconut milk instead, but then realized I didn't have any.  Ni modo, it still tasted great!

Ingredients
3 Medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Medium yellow onion, diced
2 Teaspoons garlic, minced
1 Teaspoon ginger, minced
Curry powder*
Garam masala* (If you don't have garam masala, just use the spices in the link. That's what I ended up doing.)
Cumin*
Salt*
Cayenne pepper*
2 Medium tomatoes, cubed and crushed
1/2 Cup cream or milk
1 (12 ounce) Can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 small lime
4 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
Sliced almonds for garnish

*All spices to taste
  1. Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat; simmer until the potatoes are tender. Drain, and set aside.
  2. Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until the onions are soft and translucent. 
  3. Stir in curry powder, garam masala, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring. 
  4. Add in crushed tomatoes, cream or milk (I used whole milk), chickpeas, and potatoes and mix well.  
  5. Toss in lime juice, 3 tablespoons cilantro, and some almonds. Simmer 5 minutes.
  6. Once it's done, feel free to add some fresh cilantro and almonds on top and serve with brown rice!