Celaque Conquered ME!

The ultimate adventure finally stood at front of me and I met it eagerly with energy. Celaque is the highest hill/mountain in Honduras that lives in the town of Gracias in the department of Lempira. For months Steve and I had planned on conquering it with a group of five other Peace Corps volunteers. On Friday September 23, 2005 after an entire day of hitch-hiking and busing on gravel bumpy roads we found ourselves in the central park in Gracias all geared up with backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags and of course good hiking boots or tennis-shoes. After one last dinner in the modern civilized world, we set off for a two and a half hour hike to the visitor's center at the base of the mountain. There, we snacked on Moonbars (a women's nutritional granola bar that Susan had her backpack stuffed with and shared with everyone!) and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We had an honestly bad night's sleep in the hard wood floor with the mosquitos and set off early the next morning hours and hours and hours up, up the mountain. In total, we hiked eight hours into the cloud forest. We were beat and soaked with sweat by the time we arrived to the second camp site. But one person (me) got the shivers instead of the sweats.... All the sudden my body began to tremble. At five o'clock I was already set for bed and I wrapped myself in the sleeping bag and slept in my jeans and Steve's flannel shirt. I left poor Steve with nothing but the bottom of the tent and the bare ground... With a high fever, terrible diarrhea also came to pay me a visit. The next morning, while the rest of the group continued the last two hours to the top, I stayed behind in the tent contamininating the mountain. In the afternoon, I hobbled my way down the mountain with help of an amazing pill called immodium A.D. and straight to the doctor in Gracias. It turns out that I had amebas living in my belly and they took the opportunity to infest my intestines while I was hiking. So with no more words, Celaque conquered me but the good news is that finally feeling better brings a new appreciation for life.

In all I hiked 16 hours (eight hours up and eight hours down). I want to add a side note that on the way home to our site, we hitch-hiked in a back of a pick-up truck. By chance a new mother and her baby also we hitch-hiking back to their small town. In the middle of the ride the baby turned blue. We pulled over and another man gave the baby mouth to mouth... Luckely the baby survived. I was so scared. I just thank God that the baby lived... Next, we also got stuck in a ditch because the road turned muddy in the rain... It was just a crazy adventure that ended up for the good in the end. We got ourselves out of the ditch (even though we were all muddy), the baby lived, and I made it down the mountain with fever and diarrhea and I am feeling better! So yeah for happy endings. I miss you all and December is visible around the corner. I miss home so much (I think it is a side effect of being sick) Ok, gotta go get on a bus away from the dirty capital to our calm quiet site of Moroceli! ADIOS!