Did You Know?

Some interesting facts and trivia about my host country..
Did you know that...

* Honduras has a population of about 7 million, 800 000+ living in the capital city which is
smaller in size than Calgary.
* Honduras can physically fit into Canada 89 times
* National tree is the pine if you can believe that. Honduras is one of the only countries in the
world that can grow all types of trees. There are pine, deciduous, palm and fruit trees
everywhere. They can grow in the same yard in the same soil. Hmmmm... there are probably
more trees than the ones I have mentioned, but I am not the tree expert, so feel free to look it
up if you are¨:o)
* The national animal of Honduras is the white tailed deer. You would think with all the monkeys
and other interesting tropical animals out here they would pick a more eclectic animal, but no...
I don´t think I have seen one yet. More likely to see one in Canada. But I believe that the
white tailed deer has special significance to Honduras´history (like with the hunters back in the
day).
* The national bird of Honduras is the Red McCaw. That seems appropriate. Very pretty tropical
looking bird.
* The national flower is the Orchid and there are many many of those around. They smell
awesome!!
* There are 4 ethnic groups, or tribes if you will, still alive and thriving today here in Honduras. Before the Spanish came and conquered Honduras back in the 1500s they lived separately in the country and as far as I have learned, they lived peacefully segregated.

Misquitos:
-live in the East coast of Honduras, in the Moskita jungle. We know this area as Mosquito coast and the area was made famous in the movie of the same name starring Harrison Ford, however the movie was filmed in Belize and not Honduras. The area is only accessible by air or by sea and is mostly ignored by the government. The local fishing villages have become havens for drug traffickers.
-Interestingly enough, the area is named for its inhabitants, not because it has a mosquito infestation. Although, being that it is a jungle, I am sure it probably has its fair share of mosquitoes.
- they speak their own language of Misquito and Spanish
- they had their own King until they were conquered by the Spanish
- today they live as the rest of us, in cities and houses but they do maintain their culture and their language. Some choose to live the traditional way (exactly what that means, I´m not sure but I am hoping to learn)

Garifunas:
-these people were African slaves brought to Honduras in 1797 after being banished from the Caribbean by the English, French and Spanish.
-they live in the North of Honduras and still maintain a bit of their culture today.
-they speak mostly Spanish and some native African tongues. There is still quite a considerable Creole,Caribbean-esque lifestyle there.
-one of Honduras´national dance is the Punta. The word Punta literally means "tips" as in dancing on the tips of your toes. I very much would like to learn the dances. They resemble a combination of and belly dancing with the speed of the Hawaiian hula . Quite the workout and the music is awesome!!!

Chorties:
- I don´t know that much about these people except that the Spanish pretty much wiped them out when they came and conquered Honduras.
-Similarly to how the Europeans came and forced assimilation upon the North American aboriginals, the Spanish forced the Chorties into slavery and assimilation and took over their lands. :o(
- the language and culture is all but lost except for the few remaining descendants who like to teach others about their history

Lencas:
- I have to admit I like this culture the most so far. Probably because I know more about them than any of the others.
- they have managed to maintain their culture and still thrive today. They are famous for their handmade pottery with inked patterns on the dishes of various symbols and storytelling. The ink is all natural and handcrafted as well. The patterns are similar in nature to some African patterns which gives some intel as to the Lencas´s background.
- the women wear brightly coloured bandanas to signify their culture.
- one of the more interesting aspects of the Lencas history is the story of Lempira. He was a young Lenca man who was tired of the Spanish coming in and taking over the country. So he became a warrior and with a large number of people, he fought against the Spanish army with spears and machetes against the Spanish guns and swords. He was the Honduran William Wallace if you will. He managed to hold his own against Spain and was invited to peace talks by the King of Spain. That night Lempira was tricked and assassinated. In honour of this man´s bravery and courage and love of his country, the Honduran currency bears his name, the Lempira (which currently sits at about 16.6 Lps per Canadian dollar). His picture is on the 1L bill which can be seen on my power point presentation on here under Honduras Info.

*the oldest working clock in the Americas is located in a cathedral in Comayagua (coh-my-ahg-wa) which was the original capital city of Honduras but now shares that distinction with Tegucigalpa.
* now for the important stuff... booze. They have 4 domestic beers here and they have some microbreweries as well. They do make their own wines here as well although I haven't had the chance to try them. Domestic beer costs roughly $1.50 can, and imports (like Corona and MGD) $ 2.00. Liquor here is quite a bit cheaper too. I found a 750 of Bacardi white for $14 and a shot at the bar (highball) will run you $2.50. Sorry Andrea, but no Captain Morgan´s Spiced here... such a backwards people...lol.

So as you can see, I haven't just been sitting on the beach drinking Cuba Libres (that´s this weekend in Tela), I have actually been learning stuff. I am going to be travelling quite a bit in July and will get to learn much more. I´m excited. Hope you have enjoyed Did You Know, Honduras

Hugs