Gracias a dios
Trip Start
Aug 26, 2005
1
101
126
Trip End
May 26, 2008
Gracias,
Honduras
Saturday, April 28, 2007
it was so easy i cant even remember it. We didnt even need a stamp, but
insisted on one to prove we crossed.
A short bumpy ride on yet another decomissioned american school bus, that over here they call chicken Buses took me and Trev to a a small town way up in the mountains. With a fresh breeze and dry dusty streets. Gracias was oringinally called Gracias a Dios (Thanks to god) but later changed to the more simple name of Gracias.
Surrounding the town are brilliant forested hills. Full of pine trees, they are slowly but surely being deforested and it wont take long before the place is eroded by the coming rains of the wet season.
Gracias had one attraction - Hot Springs.
We werent expecting much but were surprised to find a clean traditional setup with around 10 pools of varying temperature. None were super hot but all were a pleasant temperature and simply made from sandstone rocks, with a PVC tube flowing from one pool to the next.
A group of villagers who presumably had gathered the whole town and come to the pools watche as the two white guys swam about and jumped from one pool to the next. They were absolutely fascinated by us and as we moved about, they would follow us. We attempted a few times to speak to them, but they didnt speak any spanish, presumably mayan or some indigenous language and were super shy. The kids giggled and ran away when we looked at them and the elders simply store in disbelief at us.
We felt a little uncomforatble at the 20 odd sets of eyes on us for the few hours we spent in the pools and walked back to town.
We left the next day to talk to a man about a fridge - see next entry.
