I realize that in my last post I came down pretty hard on Jutiapa, which was not entirely fair. Jutiapa shouldn't be judged for one specific month, no matter how loud things got. So I decided to start writing a list of all of the things that I think make Jutiapa pretty incredible, and not too bad of a place to spend 24 months of my life. Jutiapa has a lot of natural beauty. This is definitely the most gorgeous place I've ever lived in. Sorry Milwaukee.
Nombre de Dios- Is the mountain range that serves as the Jutiapa's backdrop. When coming home from La Ceiba I always try to sit on the right hand side of the bus, since it offers the best views. The range looks even better when seen from the back of a pickup truck, but that could be said about the entire country. I've been lucky enough to do a couple of day hikes into the mountains, and it only gets better the further in you get. When the sun becomes orange around dusk the mountains become especially neat as the green peaks contrast really well with the darkening sky.
 |
| Day hike to survey water source |
 |
| Foothills near the border of Atlántida and Colon |
 |
| Nombre de Dios mountains from the beach in Grandita |
 |
| Looking West from the lookout point above Jutiapa |
El Cacao Lagoon-Is another really interesting natural feature that is only a few miles from my house. I'm working there with a few local tourism guides who are trying to diversify the town's economy. The lagoon is a smaller version of
Cuero and Salado. It is an area of unique confluence, where salt water from the Caribean and fresh water from local streams meet. During the rainy season the lagoon connects to the ocean giving many sea fish the sanctuary to spawn young. The lagoon is also home to a number of spider monkey families. The lagoon's namesake used to have a thriving
cacao/coco industry, before it was devastated and effectively wiped out by a plant virus ten years ago.
 |
| Heading into the lagoon via canoe (Adam D.) |
 |
| Boardwalk that leads into the lagoon (Adam D.) |
 |
| Delmer, one of the guides at El Cacao. |
|
Hot Springs-The hot springs throughout this part of the north coast are pretty extensive. In Sambo Creek there is a jungle zip line and hot spring waterfall operation run by some American expats, where for $45 you can do an hour long zipline through the jungle with views of the Caribean, followed by working your way down and enjoying a 9 level hot spring waterfall, which is also pretty great. Did I mention the whole thing comes with a fruit platter and an aloe massage? My host family's finca also contains a small thermal fed stream, which they've managed to utilize for a natural steam sauna and hot pools. Not a bad way to start your day.
 |
| Steam sauna and pool in the background in Jutiapa |
 |
| Start of the hot spring waterfall in Sambo Creek. |
Culture- The north coast is already distinctive from the rest of Honduras because it contains the majority of the country's Garfinua population. The Garifuna are descendants of
Carib,
Arawak and West
African people. Today the Garifuna live primarily in
Central America mainly along the Caribbean Coast in
Belize,
Guatemala,
Nicaragua and
Honduras including the island of
Roatán.
Their history, culture and language are pretty unique and amazingly well preserved. I've had the ability to work and interact with Garifuna in the towns of Sambo Creek, Nueva Armenia, Río Esteban, East End and Chachuate out on Cayos Cochinos. Not to generalize, but they are among the most welcoming people I've ever encountered, and the food is delicious. The
guifiti isn't too bad either.
Guifiti is basically Garifuna moonshine, since every family has a slightly different recipe for their batch. It's claimed to be medicinal, and very well could be, but it also mixes really well with Ginger Ale. The taste is like a smoother and more flavorful shot of jager. It warms the chest on the way down and the spices really come out after it's finished. Food really revolves around
Cassava bread, but
pan de coco is also really great as well. The Garifuna really deserve their own post, and a ton more recognition for what they bring to the table for Honduras. If it weren't for them, Honduras wouldn't have punta dance.
 |
| A Garifuna woman from Río Esteban (Justin H.) |
 |
| Dancing and drums are huge part of Garifuna culture (Justin H.) |
History-The history of Jutiapa is another component that makes this area stand out. The history, role and presence of Standard Fruit (Dole) along the north coast of Honduras and in Jutiapa is standard teaching for any Latin American history class. Many of the company's old railway lines still exist, a number in Jutiapa. It's not hard to find their locations around town, since many maps still show them, but most were torn out years ago when Dole consolidated operations.
Of course when discussing Honduran history you can't leave out the Catholic Church, since they're pretty pivotal to just about everything that has and is happening here. Their role in the recent coup is still fiercely debated. While Jutiapa is not as steeped in history as Trujillo, Olanchito, or even La Ceiba for that matter, it still holds it's own.
 |
| The town's Catholic Church |
 |
| An old railway bridge converted into pedestrian use (Adam D.) |
Location-Jutiapa is the access point to a number of fishing communities with connections to Cayos Cochinos. Jutiapa's location, while isolated from other volunteers, is actually pretty convienent, because of it's proximity to La Ceiba, and because of it's connection the the main coastal highway. I can get anything that I would ever need in Ceiba, which is a 40 minute bus ride on a good day, and the beach is only 10-15 minutes away from town.
Cayos Cochinos |
| Doesn't really need a caption |
 |
| Only an hour away. |
So while
feria got pretty rough. I'm definitely happy with where I am at. At the end of the day Jutiapa is not too bad place of a place to live and become part of for a few years.
Todo cheque.
