We woke up today, had breakfast, and set out on our hiking journey bright and early. Our destination: the east end Garifuna village. Our tour guide, Mauricio, had told us yesterday that they would be hosting a festival for National Ocean Appreciation Day. I was super excited, not just to visit a small village but to experience it on a day of celebration.
We set off at 9:15, allowing ourselves plenty of time to hike. At first, the journey was exhausting, and I found myself wondering if I was the only one struggling. But as we gained elevation, the cool wind hit us just right, bringing a refreshing relief, and it only got better from there.
Our first stop was the lighthouse, where Mauricio explained that it was no longer in use. Then, we headed to the famous palm frond sledding hill, where we grabbed our boards (palm sheaths) and slid down. Mauricio thought it was crazy and not a good idea, but since Dr. Toro-Farmer and Noah had already done it, I felt confident. It was definitely a little dangerous, but also incredibly fun! Conveniently, the sledding hill led straight to the entrance of the Garifuna village.
The whole experience felt like something out of a movie. Seeing how people live day-to-day in a place so different from my own was eye-opening. I thought about the kids growing up there, knowing only island life. It’s an entirely different perspective, one you can’t truly grasp if you never leave home.
They hosted a pageant where schoolgirls dressed up to represent different environments. One girl, representing the world above water, wore pink with foliage cascading behind her, and another, dressed in gold and black, had coral-like structures extending from her back. At the end, they crowned the pageant winner, a girl named Emily, who, surprisingly, lived at the house we had hiked to on day two, south of the resort.
We talked with local kids, and Jayden had brought bracelets to give them. It was touching to see how appreciative they were and how quickly word spread that bracelets were being handed out. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough for everyone, and they disappeared fast. One little boy was especially sad that he didn’t get one, so I gave him a bracelet my mom had made me two years ago. It broke within five minutes—maybe it was just its time, or maybe he had stretched it too much—but either way, it felt good to pass it on, knowing he had that moment of appreciation, however brief. It was almost like passing down an heirloom.
We ate fresh yellowtail, fried to perfection, the exact meal I had envisioned when I knew I’d be visiting Honduras, and wow, was it good! After we finished eating, we hiked back along the coast instead of cutting through the jungle and mountains, which made for a much more enjoyable trek.
We arrived back at exactly 2:45, and I jumped off the dock to cool off. I chatted a bit with Jayden and Noah, who were also in the water, then we all went to our rooms for a short nap. When I woke up, I finished my readings, we did a short presentation on our respective topics, and then we ate dinner.
The night sky was breathtaking, easily the prettiest stars I’ve ever seen. I even managed to capture some great photos after Noah taught me the proper settings on my phone. Now, I’m in bed, waiting to take a shower before going to sleep. I might play a little Terraria first, I’m thinking of making a melee build focused on tankiness.
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