Independence Day (Friday 9/15/2023)

 In Honduras, as in Mexico, they celebrate September 15th as their independence day commemorating the independence of the central American countries from Spain on September 15, 1821. The custom here is to have a big parade with bands, soldiers, pom-pom and baton twirlers. Almost everyone gets involved with few spectators and few floats. Here at the Ranch we could hear the marching band practicing for the past two weeks and they did a great job on the parade which actually took place on Wednesday. It included not only all the kids and employees on the Ranch (Allen and I included), but also groups from nearby communities. Groups lined up just inside the ranch entrance and proceeded to march on the public road up to the nearby special forces training center. There they were introduced by a grand marshall at a grandstand.

Allen in his Honduran Shirt

Special Forces Training Site

Grandstand at the End of the Parade Route

We found out on Tuesday that we got Friday off as a holiday. As this is not officially our weekend off, we decided to take a day trip on Friday with a couple of the other volunteers to the nearby town of Valle de Angeles. Allen has been wanting to buy hammocks for the volunteer home and heard that they sold them in Valle de Angeles along with other souvenir-type items. We made friends with an Uber driver a few weeks ago so that we could arrange trips like this so we contacted him and arranged private transport which is expensive by Honduran standards, but not too bad for us, particularly when it is shared 4 ways.

We arrived in Valle de Angeles just in time for another parade. The town reminded me of Copan as it was a similar size and the restaurants and shops were full of tourists. They had a lot of local artists that were selling jewelry and art work in addition to the normal tourist fare. Many of the shops sold hammocks, but Allen found the one where they were made and struck a bargain with the hammock maker. He was also eyeing some hand carved wooden chests, but these would be for Lakebay and we had to figure out how to get them home. The rest of us bought jewelry and we had pupusas for lunch which is a griddle flat bread filled with cheese or meat or both from El Salvador.  

Valle de Angeles Sign in Town Center

Beautifully Carved Wooden Chests

Beaver Hammock Outside Our Room

Other Two Hammocks in the Volunteer House


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