CHAPTER 7
HONDURAS
Into the Islands
Similar to El Salvador a few weeks prior, Honduras was another country I knew nothing about. Again, I’d heard of the dangers present in the country. By this point in the trip I could feel my energy start to shift. Closing in on four months, I was getting tired. I knew I wanted to photograph a Garifuna person. Garifuna are an Afro-Caribbean population living on the northern coast of Honduras. In my research I found the Garifuna Cultural Center located on the island of Roatan. I hadn’t been in contact with the center yet so I booked a room in Tela, a coastal city on the mainland near the ferry port.
The hotel was by the beach. I would go for long walks every morning. Travel fatigue started taking an emotional toll on me. These walks helped get my mind right. The coast was long and rather empty from my hotel to the pier at the center of town. Just before the pier was a dense grove of coconut trees. I would wander through every morning listening to music. Once I reached the pier, I’d walk out to the end and sit, greeting the early morning fisherman as I passed. I’d return to my hotel for breakfast and stay there working for the remainder of the day. I didn’t venture into Tela much, nor did I visit anywhere else in mainland Honduras. I didn’t even meet anyone in Tela aside from the hotel manager and his son. I kept mostly to myself. I was ready for a break.
Jonathan | Honduras’ Sage
I finally got in touch with the Garifuna Cultural Center. The director helped me with accommodations. I would be staying in Punta Gorda on the northern coast of the island of Roatan. Punta Gorda was the first Garifuna village in all of Central America and marks the oldest settlement on Roatan. Early one morning, I took a cab from Tela to the ferry port in La Ceiba. The ferries were larger than I had expected. Roatan was a popular tourist destination and cruise stop in the Caribbean. I boarded the ferry and enjoyed a smooth ride. Once I arrived I met a driver who had arranged to pick me up at the port of entry. We drove 45 minutes to reach Punta Gorda.
The village had a lively communal feel. The sun was shining and the energy was high. I typically spend a fair amount of time researching the places I’ll go and where I will stay. This had been a welcome exception, as the director of the center had arranged my stay for me. We arrived at a beautiful red duplex on the water. The unit on the left was my rental while the unit on the right was the home of the director’s parents. They were extremely friendly and accommodating, providing meals for me throughout my stay. The food was delicious Garifuna cuisine consisting of fish, jerk chicken, rice and vegetables.
The rental itself was quite large. In the back of the unit off of the kitchen was a shared patio overlooking the water. The sunsets were exquisite. I spent my days enjoying the water, walking the village and exploring the island. One evening the director’s parents invited me to visit a property with them high up in the hills. Another day I went into the tourist town of the island, next to the cruise port. West End had a completely different feel than Punta Gorda. While it had picturesque white sand beaches, the rest felt quite touristic. The driver showed me around other parts of the island before taking me to the clinic to receive my covid test for the next destination.
The following day I met the director of the culture center. She gave me a tour. They were in the middle of a rebrand and were set to reopen soon. I learned more about the Garifuna people and she filled me in about the plans for the center. Shortly after, her cousin Jonathan joined us. He’s a Garifuna drummer who had agreed to take the portrait. Jonathan didn’t speak English so we didn’t get a chance to talk much. His cousin translated for us and we went outside to capture the portrait. He was friendly and a bit shy. We took a few photos on the beach outside of the center and returned inside for him to paint the line. After we wrapped up, I returned to my room. The following morning I would be on my way to the last country in Central America, Guatemala.