Adventures in La Tigra

This weekend I went on a little trip to La Tigra. La Tigra is a national park right outside of Honduras. I really needed some time outside of my little bubble. This is how it happened; my friend sent me a text last weekend when I was on my way to Amapala inviting me to go to La Tigra with him and his friends. He’s been trying to encourage me to branch out a little and meet new people with the purpose of learning Spanish and having a truer encounter with Honduras.

Saturday at 10:30 we were supposed to meet en la Centro in front of the main church. I arrived at 10:30 and waited awhile. By 11:30 most of us (there were 15 total) were gathered and we went to the supermarket to pick up some snacks. We were able to find a bus that would take us directly up to la Tigra. The trip should have only taken 45 minutes but there was a problem with the bus so we sat on the side of the road for awhile, just another sign that patience is a virtue and also a lifestyle here in Honduras. Once on the road again, we were driving up a hill. Multiple times I questioned whether or not the bus could take us all the way on the windy and unpaved “roads.” We eventually did make it to our destination; it was a lot later than originally planned. We were debating if we should hike the long way to see the waterfall or just go directly to our lodge. I was happy when we finally agreed to go to the cascadas.

The hike was gorgeous. The path wasn’t well defined and had a rustic edge to it. The path was covered with colorful leaves that reminded me of fall in CO. There was a midst that descended upon us part way through the hike. When, we arrived at the waterfall I climbed a little up the fall and enjoyed the splashing fresh water. It felt good to cool off a little after a brisk walk. The sun was beginning to set, so we had to quickly take off to our destination. The sun did go down during our hike, fortunately, there were fireflies that helped mark our path. For dinner we ate at a puperia (a corner store) that served a very typical meal. The rest of the night we spent around a campfire making s’mores and jammin’ to music.

This morning, I slept in and then we made our way to the puperia to have breakfast, basically the same thing as dinner except with different types of eggs. Then, all 15 of us climbed into a single truck to make our way to Valle de Los Angelos. The trip was at least half an hour and semi-uncomfortable but really funny. I loved watching the kids’ faces as they stared at us passing by. Overall a very good and adventurous weekend.

I also spent some time at Micah house for worship night. Watching the boys interact and play, reminded me how beautiful humanity is. We are infinitely valuable, each one of us, and we need to be surrounded by people to be nourished and to grow. We are meant to live in a community that is loving and compassionate. That’s something that I defiantly need more and more as my time in Honduras has been rough. So know that I love and miss you all in my life.