Honduras, A visit to a plantation near Progresso-Part 2
Part 2-cont’d
Honduras-visiting an orange plantation in Progresso–
I have a couple of friends that are from Honduras. Their parents still live in the town of Progresso which is located very near San Pedro Sula. When I told them I was planning a return trip to Honduras, they insisted their family pick me up at the airport. I didn’t want to impose, but when they said they thought it would be safer than me just grabbing a taxi at the airport, I took them up on it. So, their dads, Mario and Ernesto were there when my flight arrived. They spoke very little English, so everything was in Spanish. It was extremely hot when I arrived in San Pedro Sula.
Mario and Ernesto and their families live in Progresso. They took me to visit their homes for some refreshments. I was no longer a typical tourist. I was quickly absorbed into the real Honduras lifestyle.
After resting up and being shown around town, Mario wanted to take me up into the hills to see his citrus plantation where he had 1500 orange trees. Of course, I welcomed that opportunity. We drove up into the hills until we ran out of pavement. We then proceeded down some pretty iffy dirt roads. Mario told me I was the only person from the U.S. to ever step foot on his plantation. That made me feel very special.
Honduras-a view of Progresso from the hills
We were in a very remote area. When we got out of the truck, Mario pulled out a heavy duty pistol, tucked into his pants and said, “you never know who/what you will run into in the hills, so we need protection”. Okay by me!! My only question was……how many bullets do we have?
We walked through the plantation for a while. Mario pointed out various things of interest.
A walk through Mario's plantation in Honduras
The area was very rugged as you can see by the following photos:
Honduras-the rugged hills with the orange groves
Honduras-An orange tree growing on the side of the hill
Honduras-the rugged hillside with the orange trees
Honduras-another photo of the rugged countryside we were in.
Mario talked with me about his orange trees. His caretaker showed up and we chatted with him for awhile.
Soon, it was time to leave. Mario was taking me to my hotel in San Pedro Sula. Quite honestly, I was looking forward to the air conditioned room. To be continued…..
Next-an overview of the San Pedro Sula Hilton Princess
Read about all of my travels click here
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
Honduras-San Pedro Sula, a visit-part 1
Honduras-San Pedro Sula arrival-Part 1
Honduras has always been a country that has had a certain appeal to me. Not sure why, but I think it may be because it is still a country not high on everyone’s travel list. Now, I am NOT talking about the Bay Islands, or Roatan. I am talking about the real Honduras……the mainland, the ”heartbeat” of Central America.
I had spent a week in Honduras a couple of years ago, but wanted to go back to spend more time in some of the places I had only briefly been before. So, I decided to retrace my original steps and slow down a little this time. My first stop was going to be the city of San Pedro Sula(SAP). SAP is a city of about 500,000 population. It’s the jumping off point for many people going out to the Bay Islands or other parts of Honduras. Problem is, no one wants to spend any time in the city, because it has a pretty rough reputation.
On my previous trip, I had been advised not to walk the streets of SAP alone. While I don’t want to play down the crime problems, with a little caution, there are some interesting places to see in San Pedro Sula.
Now I will admit, I tend to be a little more adventurous than the average tourist. However, by being careful, I sometimes have the opportunity to see things that most people won’t see.
During my previous trip to Honduras; while on the plane, I had met Mr. Javier Ortega, the general manager of the San Pedro Sula Hilton Princess Hotel. During that trip, I had spent a week in western Honduras, and was back in San Pedro Sula for a couple of hours before my flight home. I stopped by his hotel to say hello. He offered to give me a quick drive through the city. What that did was whet my appetite to explore it on my own and to walk the streets and get a better feel for the city when I returned.
And so with my second trip, begins my next series of blogs. I will take you through San Pedro Sula, on to Copan Ruinas, then to Jocotan, Guatemala, and back to San Pedro Sula. I will have lots of photos to share. Stay tuned!
To read more of my travels click here
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
Shanghai, China-the architecture of the city(Part 3)
Shanghai, China-the architecture of the city(cont’d from part 2)
Shanghai has bveen having a building boom for several years. It has been estimated that 40% of the world’s construction cranes are busy at work in Shanghai. I don’t doubt it.
I forgot to mention in my earlier posts; when in Shanghai you should go over to the building of the Planning Commission. They have models of the expansion plans of several Chinese cities. It is very, very interesting way to spend an hour or two. My daughter and I both enjoyed the time we spent there.
Ok, here are the last of some of the photos I shot of the buildings of Shanghai, China. Just can’t get over the interesting designs.
This is the Howard Johnson's hotel just down the way on Nanjing Liu from our hotel
The building with the flying saucer like top is the Radisson Hotel
Shanghai Building. I would hate to be the window washer
Shanghai Building
This landmark is very well known throughout the world-It is a TV tower
Shanghai buildind
Shanghai building-I thought the flags made an interesting shot
Shanghai Building-looks like a science fiction movie
Ok, folks, that’s it from the photo library of the buildings of Shanghai, China.
My next blog will be on Honduras. It is one of my favorite countries.
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
Read about my other travels click here
Shanghai, China-the architecture of the city(Part 2)
Shanghai, China-the architecture of the city-Part 2-(cont’d from Part 1)
I don’t think I have ever spent so much time in one city just taking photos of buildings. But, in Shanghai, China there is a lot of fodder for a photographer.
Ok, lets take a look at some more of the interesting architecture of the city.
Shanghai building architecture
Shanghai China architecture-one of my favorite buildings
Shanghai archecture
Shanghai China-again, one of my favorite buildings in the world
Shanghai-taken across the Bund
Shanghai China-an interesting shot
Shanghai China building
Ok, stay tuned for the next post and I will put up 7 more photos and then we can go on to a different subject.
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
Read about my other travels click here
Shanghai, China-the architecture of the city(Part 1)
Ok, you have seen Shanghai at night with my postings of the lights of Shanghai. Now it is time to see some of the architecture that makes this such an interesting city. I will break my photos down into 3 separate posts. I hope you enjoy each of them.
Shanghai China Architecture photo
Shanghai China building-achitecture
Shanghai China Achitecture
Shanghai Architecture
Shanghai Architecture
Shanghai Architecture
Shanghai Architecture
Ok, they get more interesting as we go along. So, check out part 2
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
Read about my other travels click here
Shanghai, China (Part 2) the lights of the city
In my previous post, I said I would share some photos of the lights of Shanghai, China. A lot of these are taken in the area they call Nanjing Lu. It is a pedestrianised shopping area with many bright lights.
Our hotel, The Ramada, was located right in the middle of all of this. Every night we could just walk a few steps outside the hotel and see the light show. Take a look for yourself:
Shanghai China lights-steve barrymore
Shanghai China lights-Our hotel-The Ramada-steve barrymore
Shanghai China lights-steve barrymore
Shanghai China lights-the Silk King-steve barrymore
Shanghai China lights-you gotta love the name of this store!-steve barrymore
Shanghai China lights-steve barrymore
Shanghai China lights-steve barrymore
I’ll shift gears in my next post about Shanghai, China and show you some of the daytime architecture.
To read about my other travels click here
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
Shanghai, China-photos of the lights of the city
One of the things that has always impressed me about Asia is the way some of the cities display a stunning panorama of lights in the shopping districts. I especially like the Shanghai lights.
I found myself taking lots of photos of the lights at night and photos of the building architecture during the daytime. I am going to do a couple of blogs to just show the lights and then I will do a couple posts with some of the buildings of Shanghai. I think the photos say it better than words. Here goes:
the lights of Pudong across the Bund from central Shanghai. An impressive view at night.
The lights of Shanghai in the shopping district
more lights in one of the central shopping districts
shanghai China-lights
Shanghai China lights
Shanghai China lights
Stay tuned. I will post some more photos of the lights of Shanghai on my next blog.
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
Read about my other travels click here
Quito, Ecuador (final part) a few scenes from the streets
A wad of coin purses that a vendor is selling on the streets of Quito, Ecuador.
The traffic in Quito can be pretty crazy, so you really have to watch yourself to avoid being a casualty. I use the same “crossing the street” philosophy in Quito as I do in Panama City, Panama. That is… “look both ways, then run like hell!”
You do need to be careful in certain parts of the city, especially walking at night. Be observant. Usually pickpockets are the biggest threat. Don’t wear any fancy jewelry and try to dress down to blend in with everyone else. I have never been sucessful blending in with anyone else in a foreign city, but I like to advise others to do so!
If you can do some of these things, you have an opportunity to enjoy what I consider to be one of the great cities of the world. I consider it one of my top 5 cities in Latin America. As a matter of fact, if you want to see my list, you can click here. When you click ,it takes you to a travel site run by my friend Charlie at www.travelblur.com He has some neat stuff there, and has won some awards.
Anyway, check out the rest of these photos.
Quito Ecuador street scene
Quito Ecuador common street scene
Lots of hills surround Quito Ecuador. You can see El Panecillo in the distance on top of the hill
typical small store on the streets of Quito, Ecuador
one of several parks in central Quito, Ecuador
Entrance to the University of Central Ecuador in Quito. By the way, if you want to buy a logo shirt from the U. of Central Ecuador and don't know exactly where the bookstore is and have to ask directions, you better speak Spanish
Ok, that is it from Quito, Ecuador. Hope you enjoyed it. Quito is a fun place to visit. It is an easy 4 hour + flight from Miami.
When you fly out of Quito, make sure you keep a little money. There is some really good shopping in the airport after you pass through security.
Hope you enjoyed Ecuador. Let me know if you have any questions.
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
Read about my other travels click here
Quito Ecuador (Cont’d)-Part 17 Food Pictures of Ecuador
Quito Ecuador (Cont’d)-Part 17 Food Pictures of Ecuador
As I have mentioned in many of my blogs from my other trips, people are usually interested in seeing what you eat while traveling in foreign countries. So once again, I will publish a few photos of some of the food I ate with the Ecuadorian family that I lived with in Quito, while attending school.
A typical breakfast with my family, fried egg, bread, coffee, ham, cheese
The mother, Zaida with a big basket of rolls
Dinner in my home in Quito, meat, beans, rice
Dinner in my homestay in Quito, Salad, soup, juice, onions
When they made coffee for me, it was always half milk, half coffee, reminded me of cappucino. Very good
A bowl of soup. The soup was always very tasty.
another dinner at my homestay in Quito. Bread, rice, cauliflower, and meat
The photo below is of Jesús and me. Jesús is from Colombia and has a little storefront across from the Academia de Espanol. Everyday he grills and sells plantains and corn on the cob. Once he found out I had been to Colombia, we became fast friends. He would wave at me everyday when I entered the school building across the street.
Jesús and me chatting it up around his BBQ grill
That’s about all the food photos I figured you would want to see. My next blog about Quito will be my final one. I will just select a few photos that represent what you may see when you visit.
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
Read about my other travels click here
Quito, Ecuador Cont’d (Part 16)-visiting the actual equator.
Quito, Ecuador Cont’d (Part 16)-visiting the actual equator.
After class on my final day at the Academia de Espanol, Quito, Sila and I caught buses to La Mitad del Mundo, the museum on the Equator. I had always wanted to be able to say I have stood on both sides of the equator at the same time. I know, that is not a goal of everyone!
We had to change buses on the way to the museum. It was a pleasant ride. It gave me a chance to see more of Quito and the surrounding area. The bus drops you off just a block from the entrance.
Mitad del mundo
at the Mitad del Mundo museum-outside of Quito, Ecuador
Mitad del Mundo, I am standing on the Equator
the line of the equator at the Mitad del Mundo outside of Quito, Ecuador
There are actually two museums, each claiming to be the exact spot of the equator. One is more modern, but the people of Ecuador seem to lean towards the one called Museo Solar Inti Nan that supposedly is right on the exact spot of the equator. It has a lot of very interesting exhibits.
The museum was great. There was a guide that met us and showed us around, often times stopping and explaining how things work on both sides of the equator. They actually let you observe some experiments. Some of it may have been more myth than truth, but you could have fooled me! It was very educational and well worth the trip. They even have an exhibit on how some of the ancient tribes shrunk heads.
The guide asks you walk on the line designated as the equator. Shouldn’t be too hard, right? Not so, I could not keep my balance. I felt like I was taking a sobriety test—and flunking!!
some of the specimans collected from the Equator at the Mitad del Mundo museum outisde of Quito, Ecuador
a real shrunken head on display at the Mitad del Mundo Museum on the equator outside of Quito, Ecuador
All in all, if you go to Quito, this is an attraction not to be missed!
Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net
to read about my other travels click here
