EKOS Communications, Inc.

I have been in Central America for over a month now, and have had a few amazing experiences being an ecotourist. The first one was in San Juan, Honduras, a tiny town in the mountains that is reached by a rough, windy dirt road. A few years ago a Peace Corps volunteer started a tourism cooperative to provide an alternative source of income for locals. Coffee is the major employer in San Juan, and it is a seasonal industry, the working hours are long and the pay is low. Everyone in San Juan was incredibly welcoming, it was really overwhelming. It started on the bus when a woman we met offered to take us right to the tourism office. From there we were whisked away to the home of Dona Soledad where we were to stay. She showed us to our room, and proceeded to beat the beds to get the dust out, sweep the floor, mop the floor, and clean the bathroom. There is a lot of dust in this town. The next day we went on a guided hike in the hills around San Juan, saw coffee plantations, waterfalls that are said to be enchanted by elves, and learned about the plants and what life is like for people who live here. Our guide, Osman, was such a kind man, we liked him immediately. He has 7 children, and we actually stopped at his house during the hike because they have a little store where we bought drinks. They only got electricity a year ago, and this allowed them to open the store because they could have a fridge to keep drinks cold. Osman works several jobs so that he can afford to provide his children with a good education. Another day in San Juan we went to a family´s house to learn how to make the clay roof tiles that are used on most houses here. You could tell that they don´t get many tourists. Basically, we walked out to the field where a crew of about 10 men and boys were making the tiles, and said we had come for the demonstration. The man in charge then took us through the steps about how they were made and we each got to make our own. It seems like such a simple, maybe even boring thing to do but it was really amazing because we got to see a slice of every day life for these people. We also got to help them out, because for an hour of their time, we each gave them $1 which to us is nothing but to them is a lot. The most amazing thing about San Juan was the feeling that we were making a difference, and that people really appreciated that we were there. It is really an amazing place, the people are so friendly and kind, and it was an experience I will never forget.