With the nature of what our work was-walking around the village all day-rain or dust- climbing around in the coffee and cabbage farms, being in and out of people's houses all day-in the end we each had 3 pairs of shoes that were actually used on a regular basis.

A. Teva Sandals (or Chacos).

We had Tevas only because we couldn't afford Chacos at the time of our departure from the states. There are a number of different opinions on both brands of sandals and which is better. My Tevas cost me 50 dollars USD and lasted almost 3 years.

1. They were easily washable with dish soap or any other kind of soap available, and dried rather quickly.

2. They were comfortable and never rubbed or left blisters on my feet from so much walking.

3. Easily adjustable.

4. The velcro never wore out.

5. They have a decently thick sole that I never felt rocks through-and they were great for playing in the ocean or waterfalls, rivers-or just mud.

They really were the most comfortable sandals I've ever had.

Chacos seemed to be even more popular than their Teva counterparts by travelers and volunteers of all types. I never own these, but they seemed just as nice, if not nicer than Tevas. Also, with Chacos the soles can be replaced if they go bad. The only drawback was this: If you plan to spend a long amount of time in Honduras and your sandals go bad and need replacement, you can send them back to company-but it will cost you half the price of the sandals to mail the package.

Especially if you aren't earning dollars.

Also, you have to wait to have them mailed back. Overall, communication won't be the easiest. Friends we had while in Honduras had their Chaco soles go bad, and basically gave up in the end and bought a new pair when they went home for Christmas, or had a friend or family member bring a new pair 3/4 of the way through their service/trip.

Both sandals are great and owning a pair is extremely handy and worth the money in the end.

Crystal

The Original Banana Republic

Hey there.

This blog originally served as a form of communication for friends and family when we were living in Honduras as Peace Corps Volunteers.

Once we came home, we never really updated it--when you go away for a long time, culture shock can do weird things to a person. For me, i just wanted to feel 'normal' again, so i tried not to talk about Honduras for awhile. I hadn't quite made my peace, and not sure I will ever fully come to terms with my love/hate relationship for this country.

That being said: Our hopes are that these pages and stories will now serve as some form of useful information about all aspects of Honduras-the good and the ugly- for anyone getting that itch to go somewhere, to try a new career, to just wanting to take a vacation or learn about a new culture.

Our archives go back to August of 2005; when we were preparing for our departure. During our time in Central America, we learned a lot about volunteering, about living a new life, about learning a new language and about all of the pros and cons of being in a country that few Americans can point out on a map (Honduras is not in Africa!).

Some of the useful things you can find in this blog, aside from our rants are:

Culture, language, Peace Corps, volunteering, weather and climate, transportation, food, music, curriculum development, geography, pets, sports, expats, vacations, things to do, cheap hostels, money, coffee, communication, culture shock, packing lists and more to come....My hopes are to eventually post sections and stories about every department of the country. Soon to be additions are teaching/disaster stories, best vacation spots for people on a budget-and not on a budget-all kinds of fun stuff you might like to know.

We're working on organizing a little better. It'll get there. Manana.

Anyhow, if you've come here looking for answers to your questions, we hope you find something here.

And in the End

How fast the time flys.

If we haven't called or emailed some of you yet, it's simply because we are overwhelmed by all of the typical cultural adjustments...you know..good food, acceptable climate (yeah its cold, but just remember, you can always put more clothes on), real pillows, new clothes, t.v., radio, newspapers, driving, endless water supply, family.

And looking for employment.

And here ends this blog. For now.

Its been fun mostly.

Que le vaya bien.

Part 3 of 3. Antigua, The City of Eternal Spring

..is what they call the place and for reason. This was our second trip to Antigua and the weather was very spring-like both times. Vacation wise-Antigua is very affordable. There are tons of hostels that range from $6 USD to $25 or $30 USD per night. We have stayed in a few hostels in Antigua-all have been clean, the employees are super friendly and willing to provide help and tips about everything.

And for those non-spanish speakers out there, no worries. There are plenty of tours and hotels and people within the city who speak English/German/French/Japanese/etc. etc..but especially English.
































































Both times we stayed in Antigua, we were able to just bus in and walk the streets looking for a room. The only time I would suggest booking a hostel or hotel in advance would be for Semana Santa (Easter week). Antigua has the most elaborate Easter celebrations in all of Central America. The streets are *packed* and that means restaurants and rooms are, too. Book a place at least a month ahead of time to gaurantee you get to stay somewhere you want-and near the festivities of the town.

Don`t forget to read parts 1 and 2!