Turning 18 in Honduras.

Last weekend I turned 18, it was fantastic. Where a majority of the volunteers met up at Lago de Yojoa, at a lodge near the lake that specialised in blueberry pancakes, burgers and beer. We decided to start celebrating my birthday uk time, so at 5pm Honduran time, in a rowing most in the middle of the most beautiful lake, a bunch of British teenagers blasted out happy birthday. Much to the amusement of the local fishermen. Heading back to the lodge, extremely wet and a bit bashed up (after jumping out of the boat and finding some cliffs to jump off) I had my first legal drink, some of the home brewed beer at the lodge. It was somewhat disappointing but the pancakes and bacon made up for that the next morning. Finally i found bacon! Sitting round the campfire talking to other teachers (all American) who were teaching in other areas of Honduras, provided us with amusing anecdotes and it was great being able to compare our observations of the children and find that most of them were very, very similar. For example, if you ever set a piece of homework, the day that homework's due, as soon as you get into the class, you're pounced upon by the kids. 'Miss, Miss, Miss!!! HOMEWORK!!!' and with books thrown at you left right and centre. Over all, having a 31 hour birthday was a great laugh, and what a place to turn 18!! And to top it off, two of the volunteers made the most fantastic chocolate cake, with Oreos and chocolate icing. ¡Que rico!

Honduras loves it's public holidays. This is our 2nd long weekend this month, and that's great because it gives us time to head further afield and experience different areas in Honduras. There was some confusion as to when the public holiday was, it was originally friday, then Monday, and the changed to Tuesday because the national football team are playing against Canada. Finally they decided it was Monday. So off we headed, to the Caribbean coast, very close to the border with Guatemala. The place was called Omoa, and the weather was fantastic, as it always is. We went in search of a quiet beach, and hiked along the road and then down to what seemed like a secluded, peaceful area.. We were confronted by the messiest beach I've ever seen. You couldn't see any sand for the rubbish. Looking along in the distance I figured it might get better, so we walked for about half an hour, finally settling on a spot that was 'cleaner' than most other places. It was beautiful if you kept your eyes out to sea. And we stayed there for hours, chilling and eating fruit, and contemplating how wonderful life was. But it's extremely sad that what could potentially be absolutely wonderful beaches are polluted with so much rubbish. The area around Omoa could be a fantastic tourist destination, but the rubbish limits it's opportunities. And what's more, a majority of it is not even Honduran rubbish. It's from the states, neighbouring countries and possible even Europe.

Later on, back at the hostel we met a group of folks who were motorbiking from Alaska to Argentina. What a trip!! The group was made up if a dutch couple, who were travelling together and writing about the agriculture as they passed it. And two guys from London, who were continuing a round the world journey for charity, having started in the uk, crossed through Europe, Russia, Siberia, Mongolia and onwards, South Korea and then Alaska to Argentina. They all had some amazing stories about the ups and downs, the people they'd met and just generally how fantastic it was. They made a big impression on me, and I found out that whatever I end up doing in life, I want to continue travelling to all areas of the world. And have fun. Life's about living in the present and taking opportunities as they come. These guys seemed to have that down to a tee. If you want to check out their blog, it's toughmiles.com. Well worth a look, particularly if you like motorbikes and travel!

I have also managed to get the best frown tan line on my forehead. Fantastic! All the kids have been laughing at me all week...