At Home in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Sunday February 14. Early departure from Gracias. We only had to ask directions once—until we got to Comayaguela, Tegucigalpa. The plan was to drive into the general area then ask directions to Rosel and Jeny’s address in Los Altos de San Jose. But the first ten people we asked didn’t know. A taxi driver called Jeny’s phone to ask directions, but she did not answer (she was at the University we found out later). We went into old Comayaguela, parked at the Park of the Soldier, and walked around taking pictures and admiring the auto parts stores in the neighborhood. A guy in a nice car stopped and offered help. He identified himself as an (off duty) member of the armed forces. Jeny still was not home, so he called a friend who knew where it was and he drew us a map. We spent 45 hot minutes, most of it in snail-paced traffic in an urban construction zone, carefully following his hand drawn map, driving south past the airport, to a neighborhood in the suburbs. It did not look anything like Rosel’s neighborhood. We pulled up maps.me and asked directions. Our newest helper found the neighborhood on the map, told us to go there, go to the top of the hill, and ask directions there. Which we did. Nobody there knew where it was. We asked a taxi driver. Neither he nor his friend knew. He called Jeny: she answered and provided the requested information. He said it was not far and explained how to get there. But I didn’t clearly understand the landmarks he mentioned. Finally he said he would lead us there, so off we went. Yes! It was suddenly familiar! He did it to be helpful and didn’t want payment, but I insisted on paying and presented 120 limpiras—about US$6. I later learned this was probably double the normal fare.

We shuffled around cleaning and organizing the van until Jeny arrived, greeted us warmly, and ushered us into the house. Ah, the comforts of home! I stayed here five years ago when Rosel and

At home in Tegucigalpa with Jeny and Gina

Ted were living here. It is a duplex in a modest, middle class cul-de-sac on the hilltop, with some city view, two blocks above a narrow, busy arterial lined with small shops and vendors. Rosel rents out the downstairs unit and keeps the upstairs for visiting family. It has a standard American kitchen and two baths, and a pleasant little veranda off the living room. We were given the master bedroom. Jeny’s friend Gina, who is finishing a degree in languages at the National University of Honduras, joined us for dinner. With the luxury of a real kitchen, we celebrated with a stew of French green lentils and a bottle of Spanish red wine. All in time for Dia de las Amores.

Monday February 15. The major activity of the day was driving all over Comayaguela and Zona Sur looking for VW auto parts. We had the assistance of Pedro, their local taxi driver, his brother Jose, and Jeny.  (Almost a party!) This is Toyota country and nobody carries VW parts. After asking a VW owner we saw on the street, we eventually found a salvage yard specializing in VW parts, but they didn’t have a fan that fit our van.  The only thing interesting about the ordeal was rediscovering the same geography we had inadvertently explored the day before.

We caught up on laundry, email, blogging and trip planning. Rosel’s best friend Amanda had us over for a good lunch and conversation. Pasta for dinner with Jeny and Gina again. No time left for the tourist itinerary, so they showed us everything on YouTube.