Hi to all
every traveler has different expectations and I an very experienced in this realm
having been to over 150 countries (i work as an intl travel guide leading groups all over the world)
i know guatemala has great sights but have been there many times
i never"trash" a place but i state if it met MY expectations nada mas!
as i clearly stated im not into islands as well as into island prices
and although for many the islands of roatan,utila may not be $ compared to other caribbean islands, i always look in relative terms i.e. how much people make in order to buy such and such a product, not just "oh its only 20usd,etc"
i often used to hear in buenos aires where i am from thats so cheap!
yes but i have to work 3 hours to pay for that drink you are having and so on....
to all i wish happy travels and muy feliz viaje
esteban
My family and I have lived here in the interior of Honduras for the past seven years. We are two hours from San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, in the small mountain city of Siguatepeque. The population is lower, maybe 70K people, and we are further from the US air base than Comayagua, which is down in the valley, about 30 minutes from us.
We moved here to run an orphanage. It took us only five months to realize that until we purchased a firearm, the local elements would not leave us alone. They would pull up in the driveway at night, shoot guns and generally try to scare us out. One day while we were visiting an Italian man in the hospital, they came to the farm, well armed and kept asking where I was, thinking I was hiding on the farm somewhere. After they looked around, they stole what they wanted and left. We bought a rifle that day. That was over six years ago and we've only had a few robbery attempts since then (usually thwarted by spotlights and weapon discharge).
We had some elderly friends up on the mountains from us. They were volunteer teachers at a local free school for the poor. Robbers broke into their home twice and shot the 70 year old man in the chest during the second robbery. He survived, but they left the country out of fear a month later. Given the dress and armaments of the robbers, it was highly probable that the attackers were police.
A couple months ago a man and woman were shot in their car at the entrance of our neighborhood, killed and robbed. The robbers saw them leaving the bank after a withdrawal and followed them.
The wealthier people in town have had family members kidnapped and held for ransom about 10 times in one year, back a couple years ago.
Drug addicts are regularly executed for non-payment in the neighborhood across the highway from us. The addicts are called in the middle of the night, told to meet their executioners at an outside location and do without fail, because the alternative is for the drug dealers to come to their home and kill everyone in it.
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, even the small towns are not safe. This is the Wild West of the old USA. If you want justice or peace, get a gun and don't go out at night. Don't call the police because then they know you have something to rob and your attackers will retaliate. Everybody knows this here. The locals will never testify in a court out of fear from attackers and police. That's it, period.
If it were not for the children we are protecting, we would have been gone in six months.
Im glad I came across this postings. My husband is honduran and I am american, we are wanting to move there but I am scared to go. I have read alot of terrible stories and Ive read alot of wonderful experiences. Yours being the most recent post. Is there any place you can recommend? or provide some more information about where your located in Siguatepeque? how is the lake yojoa area.
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