Travels off the beaten path

Part 7-Honduras, the street markets of San Pedro Sula-the Tortilla market

Part 7-Honduras, the street markets of San Pedro Sula-the tortilla market

Since I was scheduled to meet Santos at 8 a.m. to hit the markets, I first needed to gobble down an energizing breakfast on the concierge floor of the Hilton Princess.  They serve a buffet breakfast with plenty of choices.  The flavor of the fresh squeezed orange juice was incredible!!

 I needed to catch a 1:30 p.m. bus to Copan Ruinas in western Honduras, so after breakfast, I  packed my bags to be ready to go when I returned from the markets.

Santos was waiting outside the Hilton Princess to take me to the street markets at the appointed  time.  Off we went.

Our first stop was the tortilla market.  I found it to be very interesting.  The ladies that worked in the booths all smiled or laughed as I was taking photos of them making their tortillas.  Here are some pics.

It was in the tortilla market where one of the women asked me if I wanted a girlfriend.  I told her I was married, and like the lady in the fruit market the day before, she said it wasn’t important.  She wanted   to be my Honduran girlfriend anyway.  I politely declined, but gave her a friendly smile.

On our way out, we passed the same tortilla stand. I gave the lady a wink,  and all the rest of them had a good laugh!

As we left the tortilla markets, Santos said he wanted to take me to the beef and pork markets.  Let’s go Santos!!

Next-the meat markets of San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net

If you would like to read about my other travels click here

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Honduras, Ni Fu Ni Fa restaurant, San Pedro Sula-a great choice

A great dinner at Ni Fu, Ni Fa in San Pedro Sula, Honduras

I asked the hotel to recommend a place where I could get a very good dinner.  They suggested a steakhouse named Ni Fu, Ni Fa.  They told me to take a hotel taxi and make sure to have the same  one pick me up when I was finished.  In other words, don’t take a “rogue” taxi.  Santos happened to still be outside the Hilton with his taxi, so I commissioned him to take me.

When I walked into the restaurant, I was the only customer in the place.  I thought, “uh-oh….this may not have been a good idea”.  However, the servers seemed to be very attentive to me.  The waiter  suggested I try the steak, which I did.  I have to say, it was probably one of the best steaks I have ever eaten in my life.  So tender, I could cut it with a fork. 

I was enjoying a nice leisurely dinner by myself.  Soon, a rather large party of about 12 came in.  At the head of their table sat a gentleman that looked like the “godfather.” He seemed to command a lot of attention in the restaurant.  His group seemed to be all high class, well educated people.  I observed them with a great deal of curiosity.    Soon, the “godfather” came over to my table and asked if he could sit down with me.  He introduced himself as Jorge Marinkakis, the owner of the restaurant and he wanted to know what I thought about it.  For the next 45 minutes he told me his life story.  He was half-Greek, half-Honduran.  He owned this restaurant plus 3 others in San Pedro Sula, and also a fishing boat. His children were almost all U.S. educated, mostly at the Ivies. 

The restaurant soon began to fill and people kept coming up to our table to exchange greetings with Jorge.  Obviously, he was a big hitter and well known.  Pretty soon, two (2) other gentleman sat down at my table to speak with Jorge.  One was another restaurant owner in San Pedro Sula, and the other appeared to be a senior level executive with one of the banks in San Pedro Sula.  They spoke very good English and seemed to have all night to talk.  However, I did not.  I had a big day planned in the markets of city.  I excused myself after about 30 minutes with them.  However, I also mentally made notes to myself: 1.  Bring my wife to San Pedro Sula.  2.  Take her to dinner at Ni Fu, Ni Fa .

I asked the restaurant to call Santos to come back and pick me up.  I was back at the San Pedro Sula Hilton Princess by 10 p.m.—exhausted from the big day. 

Next-the street markets of San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net

Read about all of my travels click here

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Honduras, the streets of San Pedro Sula-Part 4

Honduras-My first attempt at the streets of San Pedro Sula Honduras. Part 4

It was late in the afternoon when I had decided it was time to tackle the street markets that I had heard so much about in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.  The front desk of the Hilton Princess San Pedro Sula told me to be careful out there alone.  I asked if they could supply a driver to take me.  They suggested a hotel taxi.  Santos was my driver and agreed to drop me off in the street markets.  He spoke no English. 

When we got to the markets, there was plenty of activity. However, Santos asked me to stay on the fringes of the street markets and not venture alone into the center of the markets. He did not think it would be safe.   He agreed to pick me up at Parque Central in two hours.

 I spent about 15 minutes walking the fringe markets, very boring, plenty of booths, but not a lot of activity.  You can see for yourself…..but just wait!

 Finally, I made the decision that if I was going to have any true experiences, I would have to disregard the advice of Santos and go into the center of the markets to see what was really going on.

I made sure I had everything safely tucked away i.e. camera, money, etc.  I crossed Avenida Tercera which seems to separate the tranquil markets from the active markets.  Soon, I  was in the thick of the action. 

It was one crazzzzy market.  I was very careful.  No doubt about it……I was the ONLY tourist there!

I was first waved over by a man who introduced himself as “Wilson”.  Wilson had his arms around 2 girls and wanted to practice his virtually non-existent English on me.  He had a few body piercings and was a friendly sort.  He wanted to know what I was doing in Honduras and why I was in the markets.  We talked for a few minutes while his girlfriends stared at me.  After 5 minutes, I shook hands, said goodbye, and went on my way. 

Next, I was stopped by two (2) currency street traders named Angel and Carlos.  They were (2) two really hyperactive guys whose eyes were always darting around.  Angel had once lived in the U.S.  I asked them to tell me about a day in life of a currency trader on the streets of San Pedro Sula.  They said they made a few cents on every trade, trading both sides of the currency i.e. dollars to lempiras and lempiras to dollars.  I asked them if anyone had ever given them counterfeit money.  They emphatically said “no”.  I had a feeling if anyone ever had, it was probably the one and only time they ever did.  

I didn’t really like the feeling of standing on the streets of San Pedro Sula, Honduras with people who had large stacks of money in their hands, so I made an excuse to leave. They asked me to come back the next day and talk with them some more. 

Next stop was a store that sold new and used clothing.  The manager, Jose , was standing out front.  He was missing most of his front teeth, and spoke about 10 words in English.  I asked him where the used clothing came from.  He said the U.S., but couldn’t remember any other details.  He said he had been in jail in Texas and that was his only experience living in the U.S.  About that time, a fight broke out in the booth next to his store.  It started out about 20 feet from me and quickly headed my way.  Jose said a guy was trying to steal some stuff from the booth.  The booth owner grabbed the suspected thief by the shirt and gave him one good drop kick.  Fight over.  I quickly left the area.

Next-Stay tuned.  It gets more interesting

Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net

To see more of my travels click here

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Honduras, Hilton Princess, San Pedro Sula Part 3

Honduras, Part 3-A stay at the Hilton Princess, San Pedro Sula

I have always liked the Hilton Princess San Pedro Sula hotel since I first saw hit.  Seems like an oasis in the middle of a lot of the hustle-bustle of San Pedro Sula.  Here’s a pic:

As I mentioned in my first blog, I had met the General Manager,          Mr. Javier Ortega, on a previous trip to Honduras.  I had eaten breakfast at the hotel and he was gracias enough to give me a tour of the city.  I felt the least I could do was stay at his hotel the next time I came to San Pedro Sula.  I always try to pay back the hospitality when I can. 

I was going to be traveling by bus the next day,  going 3 hours to the west to Copan Ruinas, and needed a good night’s rest. I booked a room on the concierge floor, which included complimentary beverages, snacks, a delicious breakfast, computer usage, etc.  The people that work on the concierge floor are very friendly and accommodating.  Here is a look at the special dining room on the floor:

The hotel front desk was very willing to help me with money exchange, directions, lining up a driver the first afternoon, and in general, just making sure I felt secure. 

I think the best way I can show the hotel is through a series of photos.  So, here goes.

All in all, I was very pleased with the Hilton Princess.  All very polite and nice people that work there.  I highly recommend it if you are going to be in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Ok, enough of the hotel pics.  Time to start seeing the city of San Pedro Sula.  I had been warned before about walking the streets alone.  Stay tuned…………….

Next-the streets of San Pedro Sula

Steve Barrymore ssb11@prodigy.net

Read about all of my travels click here

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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. 

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.

The area was very rugged as you can see by the following photos:

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

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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

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