Semaña Santa

Semaña Santa is the biggest Holiday in Honduras. Independence Day and Christmas are a close second, but nothing can beat this celebration. Most government offices close down and workers take this week to plan their vacations. Local banks close from Wednesday to the end of the week and almost everything stops on Good Friday. Hotel bookings are hard to come by and flying on Good Friday, or any day that week, is almost impossible. Flights are booked up well in advance and on Good Friday no planes fly to the island! If you ever plan to visit Guanaja Easter Week, please think twice!

This year the weather cooperated by being sunny, breezy and warm. For the locals here on the island this is the one weekend when they go to the beach. For some families, it is the only time they get to the beaches on the West side of the island and people come out in droves.

Picnic dinners are packed, beach toys are loaded, mothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, Grandparents, are all loaded in boats for the 10-30 minute trek (depending upon where you live) for a day at the beach.

Everyone goes the same route - through the canal. In years past this was sometimes blocked due to the influx of sand into the West mouth of the canal from the Winters' "Northers." However, due to the kindness of Bill Pullum, owner of Clark Cay, a wall was built on either side of the mouth of the canal and now it remains virtually passable all year round. This year, however, for some reason the Municipal decided to dredge this area possibly thinking that the passage area may have gotten a little too shallow for some boats. Also, I found at least 22 solar lights on either side of the canal for its entire length. I do not know who paid for them or installed them and have to assume it was the work of the Municipal government. This may contribute to people staying at the beaches a little longer as now there will be lights to guide them.

Also, the beaches from the East side were cleaned up just prior to Semaña Santa and everything was done to make this a pleasurable week. Restaurants stocked up on food and beverages, stores stocked up on beach items, and everyone looked forward to a day at the beach.

We went to Bo's Island House on Sunday to have an Easter meal provided by Martha and her Mother, Maria. The "usual" Easter meal in the States can be a full-blown dinner with ham and all the trimming or fried chicken, hamburgers or hot dogs on a picnic.

Here in Honduras there does not seem to be a traditional meal; typical Honduran food is served. We were offered our traditional chicken, fish or seafood at Bo's but today another dish that I had not tasted was introduced. Fried plantains were layed out in a layered circle, topped by shredded cabbage, topped by "carne molida" (hamburger to gringos) and a light tomato sauce sprinkled with queso duro (hard shredded cheese) which is akin to Parmesan cheese but with a lighter taste. My husband got chicken and I settled on the new dish which turned out to be quite tasty and very, very filling.

There were a variety of activities going on, from children swiming and snorkeling in the water, to couples walking the white sandy beaches. Of course there are always children digging in the sand hoping to discover treasures or just to build a castle or two. Soccer games were organized or some people preferred to sit with families and friends and talk or doze in a hammock. People walked, rode bicycles, rowed boats or were on horseback - all varieties of getting about. Music was heard from portable stereos and, in one case, a large area had been converted to a palm-covered structure with huge speakers playing Spanish music.

Since transportation to the beach is by boat (the main mode of transportation on this island), there were a lot of boats present and each had taken their quota of people. The price of gas is high here (on the average up to $4 a gallon), so as many people as possible are packed into a boat and transported for the full day.

All in all, it was a pleasant day; a little overcast with choppy seas, but a wonderful day at the beach.

Happy Semaña Santa

Oh, Luxury!

Many people assume that living on an island is the ultimate luxury, but it is hard work sprinkled with sacrifice and patience, not to mention the reality that one is back to the basics and must give up a lot of comforts they may have known.

Luxury to me would be having the ease to do things without worrying about what would happen when they cannot be accomplished simply because you did not have the means to an end.

Luxury is an abundance of specialty food items, unlimited fabric choices, supplies available to make a particular craft item and the unheard of - finding them in all in one store specializing in the item!

The luxury of having well-established walking paths or easy access to areas would be great.

Then there is the luxury of not having to have someone stay in your home while you are gone so that it and your pets will be safe. Of course, making a plane reservation and actually having the plane leave on time and on the day you booked it for would be a luxury and finding that the hair salon you go to is 1) actually open and 2) if open, the beautician is either actually there, out of the shower/bed or not busy cooking a meal for her family!

The ultimate luxury would be having a massage! WAIT! This is one thing we can do on the island!

Before coming to Guanaja, my husband and I had a massage once or twice a month. It was an indulgence that we found relaxing and rewarding. Fortunately for us, for years we had an excellent Massage Therapist in Tampa. When that woman decided not to pursue her chosen profession, we were disappointed and the search for a new Therapist was not easy. However, with perseverance we were rewarded with a German woman who was her equal.

Once we moved to the island I definitely gave up all hope at having a massage here. My doubts were removed once about 4 years later when I met Filiberto.

I don't recall exactly how I was put in touch with Filiberto, but, needless to say, I was elated and eager to see if he had the qualifications of a good Massage Therapist. A rather small beauty shop in town had employed him and given him space in a cramped room off the salon. I had just had foot surgery and was looking forward to a good massage that would also relieve the tightness and stiffness I had in my foot.

Filiberto came in, introduced himself and explained his qualifications. Filiberto is a Honduran and up until that time had been working at Posada Del Sol, a local "luxury" resort on the island. He had learned his craft from two American woman and a Japanese man all of whom taught him the art of Swedish Massage, Aromatherapy Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, and Shiatsu. His aim is to relieve tension built up from stress, injuries, over-activity and/or poor circulation. He told me that as a Christian he respected my modesty and my body and assured me that my body would remain appropriately covered while he administered the massage. When the time came for me to turn over, he turned his back and waited for me to announce that he could continue.

Filiberto Nadina is a gentle person with a soft, modulating voice. He uses soft music or whatever is provided by the individual whose home he goes to. He asks if you have any concerns or areas that need special attention and talks about various ways to relieve your aches. Filiberto has been a Massage Therapist for 17 years and over time has kept up with various techniques in the art of Massage by reading books on the subject. He has worked in hotels and beauty shops but now free-lances and goes from home to home administering his art.

My first massage with Filiberto was a wonderful experience and totally relaxing. He did a really good job and I was surprised with his knowledge and expertise. Since that time, I have had massages administered by him and over the years and have relied on him to relieve the tension I get in my neck area.

For years Filiberto had to rely upon people to furnish a sturdy table to use for the session. Later, he was able to acquire a massage table and now carries this portable item from place to place, which certainly makes the routine more comfortable for the giver and receiver. He has a variety of oils and creams to use and incorporates the use of a large hand-held massage vibrator on one's arms, legs and shoulders along with a wooden ball-type roller.

Since that time and over the years I have appreciated more and more his skills. I have had massages on the Mainland by people that definitely were not well-skilled in this art. And, it is an art! It takes understanding, strength and stamina to stand all day relieving the stress and pain people have built up in their bodies. I am always amazed to find Filiberto giving up to 8 massages in one day and the last one is as good as the first.

So, if you ever come to Guanaja and are in need of a wonderful, relaxing massage, just ask around or get in touch with me and I will see that Filiberto shows you how rewarding a massage can be. Oh, and the plus, he is very reasonably priced!

Now, this is luxury!

Earthquake

If anyone wants to check the following:

http://www4.uwm.edu/letsci/geosciences/seismic_center/2010_eq/

you will see that 6 earthquakes above 3.0 on the scale were reported already in 2010. I am sure we've all read about Haiti and Chile lately in the news lately and the earthquakes that shook those countries. What we don't read about, thankfully, are the earthquakes of Guanaja!

There are reporting agencies listing quakes in the United States (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/),

I found one chart rather interesting comparing lightning bolts, atomic bombs and earthquakes: http://geology.about.com/library/bl/blquakestats.htm.

Most information is produced by the USGS (United States Geological Survey) and is extremely interesting to read. However, as pointed out by my fellow blogger, La Gringa, just after the standoff with ex-President Mel Zelaya in Honduras, for some unknown reason the USGS stopped reporting earthquake activity in the area of Central America and you can read her comments here:

http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/search/label/weather.

But, as usual, I wander off the subject: earthquakes on Guanaja. On the island we, fortunately, have mild tremors. I strongly believe these are beneficial in that with the release of small amounts of energy, Nature is heading off major build ups with catastrophic results such as the one in this photo:

Scenes such as the previous will not be seen on Guanaja since we don't have any high-rise buildings!

Thankfully, these small tremors, which I have noticed occur more in the winter/spring months on the island, simply vibrate the ground and/or shake buildings for less than 1 or 2 seconds.

In May, 2009, a 7.3 Earthquake did hit the coast of Honduras with the epicenter reported in Utila:

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/7-3-earthquake-rocks-honduras-eleven-more-quakes-big-one

At the time, I was returning from my trip to Germany, so missed the action. My husband reported that he felt the shock waves and that they were, indeed, the largest he had experienced since coming here. There were no outward damages to our house or surrounding area so we have much to be thankful for.

But, as I said, Mother Nature seems to offer this island some protection by sending off small tremors every now and then. Like yesterday. I was standing in the kitchen at 3 p.m. cleaning carrots and I heard the familiar rumble that I have learned is the forerunner of a tremor. It is like a far-off rumble of thunder but a little stronger. It builds up to a bigger noise which you know then is not caused by thunderheads in the distance and you start even "hearing" the vibration before you actually do! With stronger ones you then realize that this is going to be one of those and the house is suddenly given a violent jolt. The "jolt" last no more than 1-2 seconds but it is intense and there is no doubt as to what has happened!

The second day of our arrival to Guanaja in 1997, we were in bed asleep and I was awoken by a violent shaking of our bed. I had no idea that earthquakes were part of the seismic pattern here. I knew that the island experienced hurricanes, "Northers", particular weather patterns allowing for a deluge of rain in a short period of time, but I did not realize it underwent one of Mother Nature's strongest forces! That first "quake" was an eye-opener for me but what could I do? Nothing! As in all forces of Nature, one must wait, experience and then react. Man wants to believe he can control most everything, but Mother Nature is not one of them!

Thankfully we have never had an earthquake that wrecked havoc with our buildings or land for that matter. Going through the "Earthquake of the Century" (Mitch) in 1998 for 3 days was enough thank you, so these little tremors are just something of interest and wonder at the forces of Nature in action.