1. (1) Hot Springs in the Jungle

2. (2) The Family of Don Mario

3. (3) Email from Santa Barbara (Dec.7, 2002)

(1) Hot Springs in the Jungle

Near the border between Honduras and El Salvador the mountain ranges extend from east to west. The mountains continue to Guatemala and farther to Mexico in the west. As Central America is in the tropical zone, it is hot all around year in the flatlands near the sea coasts. To escape from the heat, you sometimes feel like going up to the mountains for cool air. Santa Barbara where I stayed for 51 days is located in between the mountains and the lowland. The town has midsummer heat during the day, however, it brings cool nights. Nonetheless, I left for some small towns that stand quietly in the mountains, looking for a cooler climate. Fortunately, there were hot springs in the towns.

There is Copan, one of the best Mayan ruins, in Honduras close to the Guatemalan border. In Guatemala around 50 km north of Copan there is another famous ruin, Quirigua which decorates the tail of the Guatemalan coin. The both archaeological sites are well-known for rather their high steles inscribed with Mayan design than pyramids. I might have once visited these two places when I was 30 years old. I remembered Quirigua, but I was not sure about Copan. However, I clearly remembered that I went to one more ruin in Honduras from Quirigua after a minbus trip on the rough dirt road. Then, it must have been Copan. As my memory was vague, I was looking forward to visiting there again. Copan Ruins is located in the vicinity of only one kilometer from the quiet cobblestoned village of Copan. This area was already inhabited 2000 years ago. The village itself also seemed to be old, and it must have already been there when I visited 24 years ago. But I didn't remembered anything. I walked along a 1-km footpath to the ruins. There were a large building where the tickets are sold and a restaurant on the side of the road, but I didn't remembered these either. A well-kept footpath surrounded with trees leads to the gate of the ruins. I saw a dozen of colorful big birds in the shape of a parrot at the entrance of the gate. I surely remembered these birds. Going into the archaeological site, however, I didn't recognize the ruins. Probably the site was much recovered later. The pyramid I had probably walked up before was announced to be off-limits. The ruins around the pyramid then in under construction were also finished recovering. The site looked new to me and I felt like I gained from a new discovery.

I also discovered a hot spring in Copan. As the hot spring was 21 km outside of village on the uncovered road, I decided to leave the bike and to join a day trip on the rear end of a pickup truck. I was accompanied by four other tourists. Two of them were Englishmen. One of them was a young man named Richard and the other was a middle-aged man who was accompanied by his Honduran young wife and their daughter of around three. It made me jealous that the latter man had a young, beautiful wife in his middle age. The road was rough, repeating going up and down with sharp curves. I believed I made a good decision in leaving the BMW behind. I had known by a picture of the travel agency that there was a waterfall of hot water in the hot springs. The waterfall looked larger in the picture, but arriving there I was a little disappointed to find it was small with only 2 m in height. However, the hot spring itself was authentic. The boiling water of 82 degrees Celsius was falling down through the jungle. It poured into the river. I bathed there. I felt the repeated waves of the cold water of the river and the hot spring water. It was an unusual feeling. There were two thermal pools on the side of the river. The spring water of both pools was lukewarm. With a hot spring of boiling temperature nearby, the temperature of the pools could be easily raised. I supposed, however, the people of this country would like the lower temperature better, unlike the Japanese. In addition, the tropical sun scorched the treeless ground around the pools where the jungle was cut down to be covered with lawns. The lukewarm bath was better. On the other hand, one of the pools was deep. My feet didn't reach the bottom. I had never seen the deep thermal pool like that in Japan. So I enjoyed swimming. I told the driver of the truck that it would have been better if only the road had been covered. He answered me the road would be paved soon with the cooperation of Japan. Reportedly the Japanese ambassador likes hot springs and visited there several times. I often heard about this kind of Japanese cooperation to improve the infrastructure in Honduras or in El Salvador. Over 90% of the cars or motorcycles in Honduras are made in Japan. As the country is a good customer of Japan, such a cooperation may be a matter of course. Even so, Japanese tourists can be proud of it a little. The Japanese Peace Corps are also working in Honduras. Unlike the USA, I wish Japan will keep its peace policy for foreign countries as long as possible, not sending the army.

The hot springs in Gracias were also in the jungle and there was nothing but a small canteen. Immediately an open-air hot spring as large as a swimming pool and three other thermal pools caught my eye. Unlike in Copan, these hot springs were covered with tall trees and received only flecks of tropical sunlight between the trees. So, it was rather chilly while I stayed out of the hot springs. However, one of the thermal pools was quite warm with a temperature of 40 degrees. I unconsciously sighed with relief in the thermal waters. The largest thermal pool was also deeper than my height. The two young men from San Pedro Sula were repeatedly plunging into the pool. I had a bad memory that about 25 years before I almost washed my contact lenses away by the sea water coming into the swim mask when I plunged into the sea with the lenses in my eyes. Since then I had never plunged into the water. But, that day I dared to do it again, probably for the simple reason that I had taken several pairs of spare lenses with me from Japan. I paid more attention to the lenses and forgot to fasten the cord put through the elastic waist band of the swimming pants. The pants was pulled down to the thighs. I had plunged with my eyes closed so that I might not lose the lenses, but at that time I opened the eyes for an instant. The water came into the water goggles. I closed the eyes again in a moment and in the dark swam back, pulling the pants up. Fortunately the lenses were still in my eyes. I thought I should refrain from plunging into the water after all. Not a single bus goes to these two hot spring places. In Japan where people love hot springs, many of them might rush to these places and as a result buses would soon transport them. But visitors are few in this country. Concerning a day trip in Copan, the truck was supposed to arrive at the hot springs at three and to leave there at four. The driver postponed the leaving time until past six. On the way back rain began to fall as I had been worried, and I got wet on the rear end of the truck. It got dark soon and it was already seven when we went back to the village. The people of this area are easygoing. "Latin time" sometimes brings some advantage to us. In Gracias, I had an idea to walk back to the town. I was worried about having pain in the feet again, however, fortunately the young men who were plunging gave me a ride on their pickup truck. As the dust from the dirt road was terrible, I kept closing my eyes all the way back, clinging to the truck on its rear end. At any rate, the people of this country are kind.

If in Japan, two of these hot springs would soon have large hotels and would be rapidly developed. However, any trace of its possibility is not found here. I wish they will remain as it is as hot springs with butterflies and dragonflies flying over. But, I wish the rough roads will be paved as soon as possible because my bike is not a dirt bike. Man is a creature who tends to be selfish.

(2) The Family of Don Mario

I have traveled to foreign countries about 30 times, but have never lived in a foreign land. I imagined that living in a foreign town would give a completely different experience from traveling through the town. I had an idea that some day I would stay for a long time, even if I wouldn't be able to live, in a foreign town.

If I had wanted, I would have been able to stay in a town as long as I liked, as the travel of this time is limitless. However, the longest period that I stayed in a place was at most two weeks during the journey. Sometimes I stayed in my friend's place, but mostly in a hotel. After two weeks, I couldn't stop myself from feeling like moving to another place.

The one who has supported the family is his wife, Leily. She has been griddling tortillas in the corner of the apartment house for 23 years. Tortilla is a thin pancake made from cornmeal or wheat flour kneaded with water. It is a popular food that is served for every meal in the countries around here. Leily sells tortillas of 10 cm in diameter for 6 cents for 4 pieces. Neighbors come to buy them. She also sell them to nearby restaurants. She provided an education for her four daughters and, in addition, built the apartment house. Although the apartment house provides enough money to live on, she always tells me she doesn't have money. In spite of her words insisting on lacks of money, she saves dollars for the trip to the US. She asks me to buy a still-picture camera and a video camera for her if I go back to Japan. In fact she must have a lot of money. She usually spends a simple way of life. However, she tells me she will build a new apartment for me if I come back to live in Santa Barbara in the future. The four daughters of Leily are all beautiful. Fany, the oldest daughter who works for a kindergarten, got married to Alexis, a police officer, and lives in the neighborhood. Rosita and Dania, the third and fourth daughter respectively, are elementary-school teachers. The second daughter Armida solely has engaged herself in griddling tortillas. Rosita is also married and lives in the same town, but Armida and Dania are singles and live with their parents. I spend time in learning Spanish by reading books in the morning, but in the afternoon I go to chat with the family of Don Mario almost every day. Although it is a kind of a class of Spanish conversation for me, I don't have to pay for it. Besides, the teachers of the conversation are all women. Leily and Armida work with tortillas all year around and are always there. The fourth daughter Dania comes back from school at around two in the afternoon. The first daughter Fany often joins them and I talk in Spanish, surrounded by these four women. If this can be called a Spanish class, it is an extravagant class.

These teachers were a little serious in the beginning, but with time they began to make a joke. Probably because of the same age with me, Leily soon changed her joke to sexual matters. The first daughter Fany followed her. This infected the second and then fourth daughter. But, as I am a poor man who doesn't understand even a simple Spanish conversation, I didn't understand their conversation on sex. Facing this, they used an obvious sign language. Furthermore, they repeatedly pronounced, in a loud voice, the Japanese words indicating male and female sexual organs that I taught them when I was once asked. To them those Japanese words didn't make any sense, but I was really embarrassed. At the same time, my closed mind was opened by the straightforward frankness of the Latin-American women. Whenever I met them, there was laughter among us. While I was staying in the apartment, Leily served me a breakfast of bread, coffee and orange juice as soon as I opened the windows in the morning, and then a light lunch when I finished learning Spanish for the morning. The juice made from the fresh oranges picked in the mountains was really delicious. Meanwhile, one of the daughters became to give me a massage. That was a massage given in the presence of her mother and other sisters. I felt like getting a massage in a harem. Even after the massage, I remained immovable for a while in an ecstasy of delight. Next, the second daughter Armida started washing my clothes. She spent lots of time in washing the shirts and pants by hands so attentively and so hard that they might be worn out. Just to watch her hard job, I felt like I got tired. The family of Don Mario took good care of me as if I was a member of the family. I was going out of Santa Barbara in order to get a permission of my visa and motorcycle after such a 51-day enjoyable apartment life. I had an idea that I would come back to the apartment after keep traveling to the Mayan ruin of Copan and some hot spring places in the south of Santa Barbara for 2 or 3 weeks. However, I was informed that when I returned Taichiro would be back to the same apartment from the restaurant where he had lived, because his mother was supposed to come back from Japan. I talked about this to Leily and she told me that she would provide a house for my use as her first daughter had a new house for rent in the same land of her house and its construction was almost over. Knowing this, I left Santa Barbara and returned 2 weeks later. My new house was almost finished, but the front and back door were still missing. Taichiro's mother would be back 6 days later. So I stayed in Taichiro's apartment once again till then. The house was completed 5 days later.

The completed house stands on the foot of a mountain and affords a spacious view of Santa Barbara from the window. Santa Barbara, which has houses with red tiles being caressed by the mountains all in green, is not a tourist town, but a rather attractive town. There is a long spacious room planed for a living room next to the front door, and on its right side there are two bedrooms with a bathroom between. In the back of the house there is a small but terrace-like space. This is the first detached house to live in my life. Besides, it is much larger than any places that I have lived. I feel as if I am rich now. The construction cost of this house is around $18,000. The land is incredibly inexpensive in comparison with Japan. The large land for Fany's house and mine, including a garden as large as a field where chickens are running about, costs only about $5000. It is about a half price of my BMW. The rent of the house is around $115 a month, which is the same amount of money I paid for Taichiro's apartment. As her mother did for me, Fany also serves me meals or orange juice for breakfast or lunch. She cooks very well and her food is OK for me although I dislike Honduran cuisine. I have supper at the Japanese restaurant "Sakura" almost every day. They cook even the food unlisted in the menu for me, if only they have materials for it. Even on Sunday when the restaurant is closed, I can eat with the family. Usually I didn't drink more than a small bottle of beer for a supper because Taichiro doesn't drink. Then Taichiro's mother Hatsue came back from Japan. She drinks a lot. She is a heavy smoker like me. In addition, her conversation is very interesting. She is the first drinking partner in this journey. So I drink with her like mad till midnight every day.

She has a social character and likes a party. Excitement reached at its maximum by the effect of alcohol. We decided to invite young men and women to give a disco party. We agreed that I would buy drinks and she would prepare food. On the previous day of the party, a Japanese motorcycle traveler Kenya Iwabuchi, who left the USA and will go to the southern end of South America, arrived at Santa Barbara just in time. He told me he would stay in my place for 4 or 5 days. We finally found a good reason to have the party. It would be the party to welcome him. When I was in the toilet in the morning of the day of the party, Kenya told me, "Toru, some women will also come to the party, won't they? I think we need a door for the bathroom". I am a very insensitive person and I didn't pay any attention to it. I immediately arranged to have the door built. We had the door about an hour before the party. As everyone told me the party was absolutely enjoyable. I will give a party in my place on Saturday every two weeks. The news that I had held a party in my house was soon spread among the women of the family of Don Mario. Leily decided, without consulting me, to have a Christmas party in my place on the 24th of December. Two days later, on the 26th, Hatsue will go back to Japan for three years together with her daughter Haruka. I thought I would have to hold two parties in the same period. Instead, I decided to have a joint party for the two families. I have passed Christmas Eve in a foreign country almost every year since I was 26. I was always in a hotel room mostly by myself. The Christmas of this year will be special for me.

(3) Email from Santa Barbara (Dec.7, 2002)

I was in Mexico in December last year and in this December I am in Honduras. In Santa Barbara some performances have been held for the last one week. All the town is already in a fever of soon-coming Christmas.

The school teachers are having winter vacation in this month It lasts till the end of January for two months. To hear they have two-month vacation only for winter, Japanese workers, or even the teachers might be envy of it. However, the teachers in this country have a vacation only in winter. In this sense Japanese teachers have a longer vacation. Nevertheless, I hear the teachers of this country don't have to go to school during the vacation. Taking this into consideration, Honduran teachers can enjoy a longer vacation in the end. I would have been a teacher here if possible. But against your expectation, this year the salary was not paid to the teachers for several months due to the same financial problem of the government as Japan has. Because of this, the teachers had a big rally in the capital, Tegucigalpa, one or two months ago, and they burned a vehicle of the police by Molotov cocktail. Probably as a result of the rally, the teachers are paid now. The people of this country are still vigorous in a festival or in a rally.

The fourth daughter of the owner of the apartment where I stayed before moving to this house is also a school teacher. She is now taking a holiday and she has time to teach me Spanish. I sent you "The Family of Don Mario" in my previous email. Later I translated it into Spanish by a computer translation program, but the translation has lots of mistakes. She corrects it with me. I think this is the best way to learn a foreign language, although at the same time I learn Spanish by reading a novel every day. I have gained a little more confidence about writing in Spanish. I have translated my previous travel stories of Central America by the same method and have sent them to my friends who can't read English. If possible, I want to correct all of them and show them in my Web page. The fourth daughter Dania is still a young woman of 23. I am afraid she is too busy to do this job for me. But fortunately, an woman who is older than I and who teaches painting at a university in Mexico, might pay me a visit, if she can sell her paintings to make the money for the trip. I hope she will help me then.

I will give a party in my place this evening.. Some young women will come this time, too.