Day 1
Waking up at the crack of dawn, surprisingly, is not my strong point (even as a teacher). My sister and I trekked to the airport, dropped off by sweet Timothy (who admitted to me that he would miss me terribly). We embarked on a very long journey, with long layovers, and when we finally arrived to Honduras, we continued on a three hour drive to get to my grandparent's home, in La Hoya, Juticalpa. We did make a pit stop at the same little restaurant on the side of the street, where we had carnitas and chorizo with fresh hand-made tortillas (the best!). And my grandfather always says, "Indio comido, puesto a camino." This means "A fed man is ready for the journey," or something along those lines.
I was so eager to see my family, and one of the first sweet faces to greet me at the house was my beloved grandmother. Her laugh is so contagious, and she wasn't expecting me to snap a picture before hugging her--but this picture now means the world to me.
Day 2
After sleeping in, and eating my grandmother's delicious breakfast and my grandfather's infamous coffee (which mi abuelita is so pleased with because he finally started doing things in the kitchen after so many years!), I had my mother pose for me. She says she doesn't like having her pictures taken, but I think she secretly does.
Later that day, we all got dressed up for my cousin's graduation! It was quite a gala event and both my sister and Iwere impressed with the decorations and ambiance! Our whole family stayed out late, dancing the night away. It was a great day!
Day 3
Our trip to Cuevas Talgua, lead by my amazing aunt and uncle, and cousins. I was surprised at how casually they dressed, with jeans and nice tops--my sister and I, on the other hand, were in our sweats and ready to.. well.. sweat. Which we did. A LOT. The caves were so fun and it was an amazing experience--I got to see my little sister climb and I could see how proud she was, to get to the top. I was proud of her, too.
We worked up quite an qppetite and stopped at another home run restaurant, with wooden blocks for seats and delicious corn cakes, with the best, fresh avocado. We were well fed, and ready to continue the journey back to la casa de mis abuelos.
Day 4
The whole reason of the trip in the first place! El cumpleaños de mi abuelo! It was quite a FEAST and with so many happy faces and full bellies, it was definitely a success. My poor grandmother was so concerned with how happy the guests were, but I am a witness, it was a success. My mom was raving about El Tapado (pictured left as a phone upload), that we were going to eat. And there are no words to describe it's deliciousness. I recommend you try it.
Oh, and of course, there was plenty of dancing!
Day 5
The next day of the trip passed by in a blur, with a headache and feelings that kept me in bed, as the rest of my family went to El Puente to enjoy the delicious food and pools they had to offer. But of course, that night, we all gathered and enjoyed a favorite treat of mine: basitos de coco. They are similar to the Pakistani treat, kulfi. Only, these have more coconut and cinnamon.
With that, came our last dinner with my cousins, aunt and uncle, grandparents, and their kitten, and soon enough, we were packing to get ready for another early morning to depart back home to New York City.
We stopped at the same restaurant from the beginning of our trip, a nice circle of events, and listened to great music, like those of Cornelio Reyna, as we were driven back 3 hours to the airport once more.
We cried as we said goodbye.
But we hope to see them in exactly one year, for the 80th birthday of mi querido abuelito.