Away In A Manger

- by Pablo

Yesterday Emilson and I got to San Pedro in plenty of time to find a room. The first place we went was Hostel Tamarindo, where we have stayed in the past. It cost $6 - $10 per person and is clean and safe. They had only one room available with three beds in it, and they wanted $51 for the night. We thought that was crazy based on our previous experiences and left to find other accommodations. But the next hotel we went to was booked up. The manager told us that they were full because of Carnival this weekend, which we didn’t know was happening in San Pedro. That helped explain the increased price at the Tamarindo. Fortunately, Emilson’s sister, Claudia, lives in San Pedro, and she made reservations for us at a place called Hotel Terraza. So we went to the airport to pick up Nadia, secure in our plans for the evening. Her flight was late, but she arrived safely at about 11:30. Emilson called to verify our reservation at the Terraza, and we drove back toward the center of town anxious to settle in after a long day of travel.

As we entered the hotel, three gringos walked in right before us. I recognized them from the airport, because two of them came in on the same flight as Nadia. By the time we got to the counter, they had a room, and we didn’t. Supposedly there was a reservation mix-up. I think it was a plain case of first come / first served. So began our midnight ramblings around downtown San Pedro. We checked every hotel we could find. In the process, we got a good look at the late night life of San Pedro. Like any big city, the really strange things come out at night. I can’t say much about it, as this is a family-friendly blog, but it was a real eye-opener.

Eventually, Claudia and her boyfriend came to rescue us from our plight. They took us around to several more motels. The answer was always the same…no rooms. I was even ready to get a room at the Crown Plaza, which costs just as much here as it does in the US, but Claudia told us it and the Intercontinental were both full because all of the business travel to Honduras is coming through San Pedro now. (All international flights were shut out of the Tegucigalpa airport due to a crash a few weeks ago.)

In the end, Claudia brought us to her apartment in the wee hours of the morning, and we stayed the night here. I got the couch, which was better than staying in the stable. So this morning, I give thanks to God that I had a safe place to sleep last night, and that he has blessed me with another adventure that I was able to share with my brother Emilson and my sister Nadia and now with you. In a little bit, we will go to the airport to meet the group from Hiram, Georgia and begin our trip to Trujillo. God bless you all.