By Douglas: Stuck in the 6th of May

This was emailed to the Bug by one of its owners, Douglas, who is in Honduras. We hope you enjoy.

"After arriving in Honduras, we rented a car and decided to drive to the Bay Islands through Copan and a lake district. On our way to the ferry departure city with another traveller picked up in Copan, we noticed there may have been a festival since there was a lot of trash on the road and roaming populace. When we got to the point where there were men on the highway with machetes and clubs we tried to turn around. They detained us with the threat of pounding the car with clubs and slashing the tires. They made us park behind a mile long double lane backed up with semis, trucks and cars. We didn't feel threatened personally. They appeared to let anyone one leave so we were not kidnapped, but they were definitely detaining property for political ransom. After talking with some other motorists we found that they were trying to get the government of Honduras to grant some educational and labor benefits for the region. We decided to see if it would dissipate by day end.

These two great guys from El Salvador had us follow them with our car to a side street in this tiny village of Seis de Mayo that we were detained in. I had been attracting local children with pictures from my books and magazines and trading English and Spanish words and laughter. 20 children followed me around the village where wolf packs of men with weapons chanted. The locals in the village did not seem wholly part of the movement but did not fear them either.

Some children's parents called us inside to sleep on their cellar floor since Anna was with me and their children loved us. They said there might be police clashes with the protesters and it wasn't safe.

The next morning at daybreak I took Anna and Brain and our packs out of the village and skirted a field as an angry mob confronted police on the highway. The police turned and left in army trucks without great incident since I think that they did not want bloodshed. However as we walked on the road out Toyota trucks full of weapon toting mobs sped past us and hijacked more semis parked along the road trying not to get caught up in it all but with nowhere to turn around. It was pretty damn dramatic and not a good situtation for us. Some locals picked us up and drove us out.

We are in the Bay Islands now and way behind schedule but having a great time. I will see you all soon.

Douglas the Intrepid"