Adios La Ceiba

For the second time (also happened for the Butterfly Museum), I ended up being the only one to show up for the activity "organized" by the Spanish school. I was the only one that went to Expatriates Bar! However I quickly started up a conversation with a Swiss woman who is volunteering at a local school. We chatted for awhile and when she left I found myself in a Spanish/Italian/English conversation with two locals that spoke Spanish and English and an Italian who spoke Italian and a bit of Spanish. Ended up having a shooter with the guys... Jagrmeister and Red Bull... nasty stuff! I guess there are 12 different drinks/shots that Expats serves made with Jagr and if you have all 12 then you get a T-shirt. They even have a punch card! One of the locals managed to get a T-shirt that night, although he had spread the drinks over 3 nights. I think the Italian was trying to do all 12 that night! I don't know how he made out... I left at about midnight. Too bad I don't have more time available in Honduras... one of the local guys, Eduardo the architect, actually offered to let me stay in his beach house (his second house, just outside town). No ulterior motives (he's married), just a really nice guy. He also offered to have his wife help me get a teaching job here if I wanted (she is a teacher). I am enjoying myself... but don't think I would want to live in La Ceiba, although it has grown on me more and more over the past week.

Last night, finally, we had a huge turnout for dinner/drinks at La Palapa. Lousy service, but great food, in a fun atmosphere near the beach. Some of us also went to a disco afterwards. Since I am leaving town today I did my laundry yesterday afternoon so the only thing I had clean (well dry actually.. it was all clean, but hung up to dry) to wear last night was my zip-off pants. Now that is some disco attire!! If only I wasn't doing a home stay, I would have stayed out later. That place was jumping on a Thursday night. I figured I would stay out as late as Gwendel, the guy who is also staying at the same house as me. It turns out that he is only 17!! So he was very nervous about going into the bar as he has never been in a bar before. Maybe sneaking in to a bar underage in a country such as Honduras is not such a good idea?!? But they never ID'd anyone... just checked us for guns. No guns allowed in nightclubs. Everywhere else it seems to be okay, but not in the nightclubs.

I have actually been surprised at how little attention you get from the guys here. I have had a couple whistles and one "Hey Baby", but it has actually been fairly minimal. North Africa, Mexico, Italy... all much worse! But I did have one totally creepy taxi ride. The guy started up a conversation asking where I was from and how long I was in La Ceiba for, etc. which was fine, but quickly started throwing out words like guapa and bonita. I had been leaning forward to hear what he was saying (the music was blaring from the rear speakers) when he actually touched my face and said I was guapa! After that I pretended to understand even less Spanish than I do. Creepy!!

Today I got my certificate for 20 hours of Spanish lessons. I had to shove it in my bag with my scuba gear that I am leaving here at the Spanish school so I am sure by the time I get back to Canada it will be smelly and squished. There was another girl who is also finished her lessons today so she received her certificate and then we celebrated with ice cream and bananas!

Now I am headed off for some adventure in the jungle...