Day 5
As
you can see, this is the team reading the messages from last night that you
left for them. I haven’t located a printer yet, but I think there’s one in the
business centre down stairs. I nearly get mugged bringing them the news from
home, so keep them coming. They understand how much people want them to email
home, but they are very focused on what they are here to do and internet is
expensive in the Hotel if you aren’t on wireless. So, in answer to some of the
questions you have left on the team messages page, I thought I would ask them,
and here are some replies.
Dear
Bryce, Anne hates her photo being taken, she told me so, but since you asked so
nicely, here is a photo of her I managed to get.
Dear
Juanita, Ryan says he told Hayden to behave himself and they miss you too, but
are having a great time and have lots of stories to bring back.
Dear
Jamie, thanks for the advice. I may not be able to
tell the twins apart but perhaps you can reflect on the importance of that when
I give you a thousand press-ups to do at training when I get back!
Dear
Gloria, Amy and Siobhan didn’t buy anything at Tiffany’s, although they tell me
that they liked the $485,000 blue diamond that was for sale, and Mr Ballard liked the $26,000 watch, but he didn’t buy that
either.
Dear
Jessica (my oldest daughter), thanks for wishing me happy birthday, but just so
you know, it’s the 10th here, not the 11th as we are 1
day behind you. Hey that gives me an idea, why don’t you guys reading this give
us here the results of the tournament as soon as you know them, so we can see
what happened and who won and get the coaches to change things so we win
everything! Yeah, what a great idea.
Wait,
I have to give you the results first…but you get them a day before I send
them…which means I am sending them from the past…ok, now I have a headache.
Curse the international date line!
At
9 this morning the adults (16 of us), excluding team management, went for a
ride to the mall, to see if it was safe for us to take the kids today.
This
is Richard just before we left, with his $500 note ready to spend!
Driving
past some of the houses on the way was an eye opener. Actually getting in the
van was an eye opener. Seating for 7, and the rest of us kind of just sat anywhere
else, with Mr Yates calls of “please wear seat belts”
echoing in our ears. Well Mike, we would wear them, but even those seated
didn’t have any!
You
can tell the reasonably well off houses, they have a large brick wall around
them. The semi-wealthy houses have a brick wall with razor wire round the top.
The wealthy houses are even easier to spot, they have the wall, the razor wire,
and an electrical fence on top of that, covered in little signs that say, touch
this and die scumbag crook. Ok, the signs are in Spanish, but I’m betting
that’s pretty much what they say. See photo’s below.
Semi
wealthy house
Normal
business security
Wealthy property with electric fence on top. You can just make out one of the signs.
Now
perhaps some of you are a little worried about us getting out and about in
We
watched them stopping people coming into the mall,
those not well dressed have no show, like the beggars etc. We all feel very
safe so far and this afternoon will be taking the kids to the mall. We wanted
to go to the markets, but that’s just not going to happen. So the mall it is.
I
spoke to several people there, shop keepers, shoppers, and they are very
friendly, although not many speak English. I am fast learning Spanish, it’s very similar to Italian which I speak a
little. With the crowds, I just say “Fanni passare devo andare
During
our recon some of the adults, who shall remain nameless, had Wendy’s! The thing
is, a chicken burger combo thingy cost $75 lempira,
which is the local currency! But don’t panic, that converts to about $7.50 NZ
as near as we can tell.
So,
with it safe for the kids to go, they were very excited to get out of the hotel
and gathered in the lobby to get into the 3 vans which were taking us shopping
at the “safe” mall.
However,
that’s not exactly what happened…read on.
After driving for a while, we noticed that we were not on the same route that we had traveled in the morning. And as the standard of the streets became progressively worse, we got progressively worried, as none of the drivers spoke English. Pretty soon we were driving the slums, or the lower income areas if you like. With a bit of luck, Mr Breen can put a link here to all the photo’s that Doug took, and you can see for yourself our little “journey”.
This one I took, as I was amazed at the
wires coming out of all the power lines!
After
a while, I stopped worrying where we were going and began to think that Mike,
who was in the first van, had asked the hotel to get the drivers to show us
some of the city, but it turns out he hadn’t, not that I knew it then. As you
can see, we sure had a tour that was interesting to say the least. Just at the
end we turned into this really narrow street that went up a hillside, where the
vans parked in a tiny courtyard.
See
below, we were the second van.
The
drivers all got out and we got worried again. Our driver pointed at us and
motioned for us to get out, then he made the ‘walking
with your fingers sign’ and pointed up the hill. Now I was worried, and went to
see Mike, where I discovered he hadn’t arranged anything and was just as
worried.
Turns out that I had been talking to the
hotel reception earlier in the day about a vanload of us going to see some
ruins and the local churches tomorrow, which are apparently very big and very
old. The guy on
reception had misunderstood and thought we all wanted to go there today, not the
shopping mall, and had told the van drivers to take us all to the museum!
Well,
it was a relief when we finally got it through to them we wanted to go to the
mall. They were very apologetic and we were very relieved and soon on our way
back down the windy track. I still don’t understand why we ended up in a
courtyard that you couldn’t swing a cat in, I mean how could
this be the parking place for a museum, but all was well in the end. So,
sorry guys, I guess it was a language thing. However we did get to see some
sights that we hadn’t planned on, and the team got an
eyeful of the real
At
each intersection there are people selling stuff, or begging for money. One
little girl about 4 years old ‘works’ the intersection down from the hotel,
running out into traffic to beg at car doors when they stop in traffic jams. It
was kind of upsetting for some of the team, including me, but this isn’t NZ.
The team is under strict instructions not to give anything to them as once you do, you become a target for any others in the vicinity,
especially if you are walking.
Here
are some working the street.
At
another section of the street, there are these two guys, one in a wheelchair
being pushed by the other down the middle of the road, not between opposing
traffic mind you, but in the middle of one lane. The cars just drive round them
and they beg at windows when traffic stops, although I don’t know how they are
still alive. Again I have to say, ‘It’s not wrong, just different’ because it kinda helps a little. Still makes you think though, doesn’t
it. Good old NZ.
Finally
arriving at the mall, the team spent 3 hours shopping their little hearts out
and generally chilling, with most buying something. I will try to get some
pictures of what they brought later on, or maybe Doug has some (he did, see his
pics). Which reminds me, hasn’t he done a fantastic
job with the photo’s.
Here’s
Melissa with her $45 Burger King Meal!
Tonight
we have dinner at
(ed:nb - a little birdy tells me that the $45 was actually 45
Lempira i.e. about $4.50)