Pendientes Grandes…

This entry dates to February 1^st and 2^nd

The title of this blog is translated as “Great Slopes,” because Toto, I wasn’t in Iowa anymore. The two days were, thrilling, terrifying, and enlightening all at the same time. Not to mention filling and exhausting. So what is it I did you might ask? Touring the countryside (the real countryside) of Honduras on the back of dirt bike. The driver name was Franklin, a young man (19 or 20) from the town of Dulce Nombre which is where I went to church in my last blog. Franklin works through the parish, with residents of many villages, “Aldeas,” in the rural parish of Dulce Nombre, helping them set up their own sustainable agricultural plots. Sustainable at least as far as soil/water erosion and human nourishment goes. So, John set up a couple of days for me to stay in the rectory and see the countryside first hand with Franklin.

After talking the bus to Dulce Nombre from Santa Rosa, I met Franklin at the church at 8am and we struck out for Balsamo a very distant aldea hidden back in the lush, green valleys of the Honduran mountains. This was going to be no easy journey. I first understood this as we descended our first mountain (since Dulce Nombre is somewhat at the top of a range). I was hanging on for dear life as Franklin, turned off the engine (to save gas) and coasted down the 10-20 percent sloped road. The curves were tighter than the worst of Iowa, often times with traffic (big trucks full of coffee pickers) coming from the other direction. And this was just the main road that goes through that part of the country.

Then after a river crossing or two and speeding through the lower valley (which was gorgeous), Franklin turned off onto another much smaller road and told me to sit closer to him, as far forward as I could get. I could only imagine what was to come next. I wish that I had a tool to measure the slope exactly but I didn’t, so just my rough understanding, I would say that as the hill grew in front of us, we were angled between 45 and 60 degrees. So steep, that we both had to get off the bike, just so it would make it up the hill. And this is the dry season! I have no doubts that this road would be completely unusable if it were the slightest bit soaked by the heavy rains that Honduras gets in their wet season.

Let’s just say that I was very happy I ran Cross-Country in high school and actually enjoyed running hills because I turned into quite a workout. “Pendiente” is the word they use here for slope, as my title suggests. This was one of the many that we encountered throughout the day, probably the greatest, but all were very exciting. Terrifying could also be used. Only twice on the way down some of the slicker, “liso,” slopes did the back end of the motorbike slide out from under us. But we never fell, we just kind-of did a half jump off, and started again. Praise and thanks be to God alone that we are both safe!

These slopes were worth it though, to be able to make it to Balsamo. This aldea was beautiful for many reasons, most of which are hard to understand unless you experience them. For starters, the people of Honduras are poor. Very poor. But it is the people in the rural countryside who are the poorest, which is on a spectrum that we of the USA cannot fully understand. Even after visiting this village I am still puzzled at how little they have, and yet they have everything they need.

Your Morning Coffee Again... This time it is being de-pulped.

Bamboo fence that I like. Very vernacular.

The people of Balsamo were joyful, and excited to share their lives with others. Everyone waved, smiled, and genuinely wanted to offer there hospitality to you. This was most evident in the food they provided (maybe I just understand the language of food best). They were extremely generous to offer us a whole meal anywhere we stopped. Granted, this was not 5 star dining, but it was whole heartedly given from what they have. I am reminded of the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, 12:41-44, speaking of giving he says of the poor woman, “she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” This is what I saw, a giving of everything they had, because they wanted to share it with others. At first I felt horrible. How could I, a middle-class student from the USA take something so necessary from them? It should be I who gives, since I have more. But that is not what the people I encountered wanted. They did not want money or food given to them. They wanted to be able to give from their homes and lives to me, and I could see in their eyes the joy that it brought them when I accepted their gifts and enjoyed their generosity. The poor do not want to be patronized, they want to be loved and understood for who they are. I gave them my time, for this is what I had to offer them that would be of value. In this beautiful relationship, we all were satisfied. Praise and Amen!

I also was able to view some of the agricultural practices that are found in Honduras like growing corn, coffee, bananas, etc on 60 degree plus hillsides. No tractors, no combines. Barely a shovel or hoe to work the soil, but they do it and they do it well. I was amazed at how sustainable (relatively) agriculture could be on such hillsides if the right techniques were practiced.

The hillsides are covered in Corn. Sounds like Iowa right?

This is where I lose most of your interest, even though many of you know agriculture, so bear with me for a couple lines. No till agriculture, mini terracing, vegetative buffers (both live and dead), alternating rows of crops and contour farming… these were all common practices, at least in the plots Franklin showed me. Why can’t Iowa be more like this? I think we can, and I have hope that we will become more agriculturally sustainable in terms of soil and water conservation. Now I want to take a trip down in the wet season to really see their practices in action.

(This image is from another day, but very relevant to what I am talking about. Check out the mixed crops of cabbage, corn, carrots, peppers, banana, pineapple, and much more)

Franklin and I visited these agricultural plots and villages Monday and Tuesday. It was amazing, although, I am not sure if I should recommend the traveling part.

Staying at the Rectory was pleasant. The food was delicious and plentiful. I may even be gaining weight, just on Rice and Beans. It is a healthier eating lifestyle for sure. I slept in an office both nights that I was there, on very unsupportive foam mattresses. We I got up each morning, I could see the impression, like a bird nest) that I had gotten stuck in every night. It wasn’t too bad though, since I was exhausted anyways.

And again, I climbed back up the bell tower to the top of the church to watch the sun go down. What a wonderful couple of days.