The Flower Seller Sculpture

The Flower Seller Sculpture, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

This sculpture is on a building in San Pedro Sula. It struck me the first few times I drove past and left me staring wondering about it. Then I saw a print of Deigo Rivera's The Flower Seller. Ah ha! After a little investigation I learned that this sculpture looks to be a mix of his works The Flower Seller and Nude with Calla Lilies. I really enjoyed the sculpture though it was hard to get a good photo from below on the street.

Benign Girl

Benign Girl, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

I had to look up what "benign" actually meant when I saw this toy for sale on the street. I don't think I have heard this adjective used this way before.

Pool Top Wagon

Pool Top Wagon, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

Horse drawn wagons are common as a means of transportation, especially for the "invaders" as I mention in the previous post.

I am always amused by the craftiness and resourcefulness seen sometimes. Here this wagon has a child's pool stretched over the top to provide shade from the beating sun.

Invader Road

Invader Road, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

There are communities, usually along rivers that have been built up by people that "invade" the land. They are nicknamed "the invaders" for this reason. They make homes out of found objects and scraps. They tap into city water lines and electric lines. They have no rent and no utilities to pay, but they are usually the ones that work for the lowest wages. Many will be fortunate to make US $5 a day. The city does not kick these people out or try to cut the lines that they tap into. You can see the electric line poles erected and the lines spliced and stretched everywhere.

At one time the city constructed apartment type dwellings for these people to go and live - for free! Taking advantage of an opportunity to make some money they sold the properties given to them and moved right back to where they came from. I think we often feel inclined to feel sorry for these people, but they often live how they do by choice. It's how they have always lived and it is what they know.

Children choose not to continue with school or are encouraged to work to help bring in money for the family. I think it becomes almost "uncool" in this sub-culture to want to continue with school past maybe the 5th or 6th grade. True, the schooling is poor but it's the attitude too that schooling in unnecessary because there is little aspiration to move out of this type of living.

Jellyfish In A Cup

The kids caught this little jellyfish in the surf at the beach in the previous post. You gotta be careful out there. Some people can be really allergic to the stings. One thing I didn't know that the local kids showed us is that if you hold your hand out flat and put the jellyfish in the palm of your hand they won't sting you.
The quality of the image isn't the best, but I'm sharing it because I love the plastic blue cup color and the pattern of rings created by the light shining through creating a focal direction.

Garifuna Beach

Garifuna Beach, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

A stones throw from the building in the previous post you will come upon this Garifuna beach. This place offers locals and tourists a beach retreat for an economical price. You can rent one of the palm roof spots for a few dollars. You can order a typical Garifuna plate of fried fish and rice and beans made with coconut milk and dine on the beach. It's not the most pristine beach, but certainly is not the dirtiest. Hammocks are nearby to relax in and they have a good supply of cold drinks to keep you refreshed.

Artesanias Madounu

Artesanias Madounu, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

This photo is taken in a Garifuna community near Tela. Here a shop has been set up where jewelry is made out of coconut shells.

Big Green Grasshopper

Big Green Grasshopper, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

This midwestern city girl hadn't seen a grasshopper like this until I moved to Honduras. I wasn't even sure what it was at first.

Mangoes For Miles

Mangos for sale, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

One of my favorite fruits is in season as I mentioned in a previous post. This means that some people that have a supply of mangoes from someplace will set up a road side stand. This image was taken on the road to Tegucigalpa just outside Comayagua. The vendors seem to go on for as far as the eye can see. Not sure how they might feel about their competition or maybe they are all in cahoots anyway.

Grave Marker

Grave Marker, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

In the "Gringo Graveyard" there is about 7 grave sites all in a single row marked with metal crosses. The top diamond plate has the birth year engraved and the below diamond plate has the year of death. The names were worked in with metal lettering. Some of the letters were missing making the names unknown.

I wasn't sure just how to go about taking photos of the grave sites. I'm not sure what is considered disrespectful to the dead. We know, at least, that they are not forgotten and still remembered for what they brought to San Juancito. Rest in peace.

Saltboxes in Honduras

Saltbox back, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

The homes surrounding the US Consulate are colonial saltbox style clapboard homes. The picture above shows the back side of the house. At the front of the house you can see a stone marker probably saying something about the home and it's history. I didn't get a chance to read it as I was holding things up by stopping our trek up the mountain to take photos. I thought I might be a little nervous living in one of these homes with them being built along the slope of the mountain with long posts driven down into the ground to hold the home up. Something must have been done right in the construction to keep the house up for nearly 100 years now.

The larger two story house "next door" to the consulate was in such a state of disrepair. It is currently undergoing renovations. Either to preserve or to inhabit the home. If you can see the interior walls have been redone. Interesting the way the exterior is ripped wide open for all to see inside.

The photo taken from further up the road I also posted yesterday, but I just wanted to show again the steep incline these homes were built on. Yikes!

If no one minds, I'll probably have at least one or two more days of photos from our trip. I'll try to keep it at one photo though. Tomorrow we'll be visiting a graveyard.

US Embassey San Juancito Honduras

US Embassey San Juancito Honduras, originally uploaded by Honduras Sprout.

The owner of the resort we stayed at explained that this building is a US Consulate started in the first part of the 1900's. She even went on to say that this is the first US Embassy in all of Central America. Here is some more interesting information about the mining town up in the mountains of Honduras.

Looking at this house you can see that it is clearly American architecture. You can imagine the two flag poles in front, one waving the US flag. We wanted to get a closer view, but the property is still US owned. Some locals are hired to live on the land next to the building and they oversee it's care. Mainly to cut the grass and make sure no unwelcome guests find their way in.

Below are a few more images. One up close and the other up the road a short distance.