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dinero

the honduran currency is called the lempira;

13 lempiras to each US dollar while i visited.

the plane ticket, from houston to tegus and back, costed ????. this was the single most expensive thing about my trip. i found out while i was there that it is possible to take a casino boat from brownsville, in the southeast part of texas, to puerto castilla, in the northwestern part of honduras, for 200$ round trip.

i originally signed up for a week of language instruction. that cost around 250$, for 6 hours a day of one on one instruction and a family stay - 3 meals and shelter provided.

my mom funded my trip as a language learning program. i didn't know that i wanted to sign up for 10 weeks of classes immediately, so i asked my mom to give me 2500$, the cost of 10 weeks of language instruction, and i would make my way from there. thank you mom, for your faith.

once i arrived in honduras, the incredible cheapness of things was clear. the lempira, the unit of currency, was 13 to the dollar. i was living in la ceiba, and found the cheapest place to eat, a plate of rice and beans, was 6 lempiras. under 50 cents.

most of the hotels, if you wanted a room with a bed, a padlockable door, modest cleanliness, maybe a light or a fan, between 15 and 50 lempiras per night - between 1 dollar, and $3.50. this was true in la ceiba, as well as across la moskitia, which is both undeveloped, and beginning preparations for tourists. most of these hospitajes are set up for hondurenans.

my daily total living expenses, food and shelter, in la moskitia, were about $6.50 a day.

i did pass my first weekend with some americans - we ate at the fanciest restaurant in la ceiba, and stayed at the poshest hotel. for that restaurant, two pina coladas, some creamy rich stupid fish, 20 dollars. for my share of a room sleeping three, two nights, 17 dollars.

my favourite luxury in la ceiba is paty's juices - for 7 lempiras, you can have three fresh oranges, a few carrots, and some bananas, all squeezed into pure juice pleasure.

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