A Very Full Day

Yesterday I took our friend, Kristin, in to Coxen Hole to shop. She still needed a number of things for her newly rented house, like pots and pans, trash cans, a hamper, miscellaneous kitchen items. We wandered up Market Street, looking in all the small shops along the way. It is amazing what they carry. Nearly every tiny shop carried some school supplies and children's school shoes (the children are required to wear uniforms and a certain type of black shoe, different for each school). Several of them also sold pedestal fans. We looked but didn't buy one. We walked up the block to Back Street and found the pots and pans store next to the Pepto Bismal pink building (hard to miss!). They had several sets of pans - two in stainless steel, although not the best quality, and one aluminum with a non-stick finish. We discovered that they also carry very large, restaurant-sized pots and lots of plastic items, like dish drainers and storage containers. Yup, she needed those, too. We stopped across the street at the office and school supply store to buy copy paper, then headed back to my car to unload.

This is another shop where Kris bought linens 

Next stop, the Flying Fisherman. Thursday is the day they pack boxes of fish for export and fill orders for local restaurants. We had to settle for frozen fillets unless we wanted to come back on Friday when they process the smaller fish suitable for our needs. We bought some of the squirrel snapper for about $4.00/lb., which the sales woman said was very, very good. On the way back to the car, Kris bought some large, fresh Honduran oranges for 1 lempira each (5.29 cents). She also got a huge papaya for about $2.00.

There was a cruise ship in port and lots of cruisers were out in the streets. It was getting hot, too, so we quickly finished our grocery shopping, first at Warren's and then up the hill at Plaza Mar, one of the more Americanized groceries. Kris was hoping to find stainless steel mixing bowls, but no luck.

This is Plaza Mar. The taxi drivers often bring cruisers up here because there is a nice view of the cruise ship dock. 

I took Kris home and we unloaded her groceries. Thankfully her security guard came up the steps just in time to help carry her purchases down the many steps to her house, cause I was ready to go home. I was so hot, my face was beet red, I was thirsty, and I was getting pretty hungry.

 After a quick lunch, I walked up the hill to visit my friend and neighbor, Tia (who is our pastor's wife). Her mother, who has rather advanced Alzheimer's, lives with Tia and it's getting pretty stressful. Pastor Chuck took her mom out for a long drive and a stop at the coffee shop so Tia and I could have a nice visit. 

But the day wasn't over yet! Dennis and Merlin picked us up at 6 p.m. to go to a benefit concert for Haiti being held at the new mall near French Harbor.  This was an outdoor concert, held by the fountains at the front of the mall from 5-10 p.m. We missed the first band and only heard part of the second band's performance. Paul, the fire dancer, also performed and puts on an incredible show. There were a total of 6 bands who performed for free.  During the concert, large 5 gallon water jugs were passed around to collect donations for Haiti. The money will go to an organization called Avaaz which is already in place in Haiti. 

It was a beautiful, clear night, with a great breeze which grew steadily stronger and cooler as the night wore on, but perfect for sitting outside. This mall has two American restaurants; Applebee's and Wendy's. Applebee's is near the fountains and has a large outdoor patio so many concert goers sat there and ate during the show, others wandered in and out. We ate at the smaller Big House Burgers (which also makes great Honduran "fast" food, all very good. This was also right next to the fountains, so we could still see and hear much of what went on.

When the last band finished, Merlin walked over to the new casino (the island's first casino - sad, but true...way too Americanized) and tried to round up her three friends who had also ridden with us. They were much more interested in playing the slot machines than in the concert, and were also reluctant to leave. Dennis finally had to go in and get them. 

It was a long, tiring, fun day.