Look who I found!

During the descent into Tegucigalpa, which is both scary and impressive, the flight attendant gave us a play by play of how the landing was going to go (that's how you know its scary). He started out by saying "If you look to your left, you will see Christ overlooking the city."

I looked to my left and couldn't find Jesus. I looked up and down and all around and then I started to panic, as if the fact that I couldn't see Jesus was some cosmic sign of impending disaster (it wasn't).

But then yesterday, while I was out searching....

I found Jesus!

There is a giant Jesus statue overlooking the city, almost a smaller version as the one you are probably more familiar with in Brazil. We went yesterday to the park with the statue to see him up close. From this point there are also great views of the city, as seen in the first picture, which is built on a series of steep hills.

Tegucigalpa is a big, messy, complicated city. It isn't as chaotic as other cities I have been in, but there is definitely an air of unrest about it. Honduras has changed rapidly in the last few years and has become a less stable and more violent place. One primary driver of this is drug trafficking from South America to the States. But once again during my stay in the city, I am reminded of how much we have in common with people in different places, even during times of (hopefully) momentary unrest. As is the case everywhere else, most people here are friendly, trying to the do the best by their families, and looking to have a bit of fun when they can.

Honduras has a more developed economy than places I have traveled before and has attracted a lot of American businesses and which has led to scenes like this. Giant restaurant chains have also changed the way that Hondurans eat, but more on that later.

Tegucigalpa has good food, a few good bars (though many others are closing because people are less likely to go out at night as much any more), and nice green parks. It is also easy to get out of the city to smaller towns to enjoy a slower pace and perhaps a good nap under a tree.

Today we leave Tegucigalpa to start a four week road trip throughout the rest of the country. I am excited to get out of the city and see more of the rural parts and explore more of the country. Adio Tegus!