Elsa Gloria Ventura of Tripoli, Honduras

Elsa Gloria Ventura of Tripoli, Honduras

As we drove through Tripoli, we asked Don Pedro (previous article) if he would like to stop for a refreshment, so we stopped at Doña Elsa's pulpería, which had a couple of small tables in the shade of the covered porch. We ordered orange drinks and tajaditas con limón (thinly sliced, fried plantain slices with lemon flavoring), my favorite of the Honduran packaged junk food.

Elsa Gloria Ventura is not from Tripoli either! She replied to our question by saying she was from San Antonio la Guaruma in the departamento of Valle in the south of the country. She then went on to say that she has lived in Tripoli for 36 years. Her husband had found work here and after awhile returned to bring her and the children here to live when she was 34 years old.

Doña Elsa has two sons in Virginia in the US, and a daughter living in San Pedro Sula. She said that her sons were having a hard time finding work in the US and making enough to send money back to the family in Honduras. She may have other children who still live in Tripoli, too, as several young ones who appeared to be her grandchildren were wandering in and out of the back of the store.

This photo shows the only construction that I noticed in Tripoli, the addition of a second floor. This was almost odd, as we frequently see partly completed construction in almost every little town that we go to. Often this is a result of money sent to families from relatives in the extranjera. The houses are completed in cycles, as the cash is available, the walls one year, the roof the next, and so on.

Doña Elsa was curious about us (especially since I was taking notes), where we lived, where we met, and why we were there. El Jefe tried to explain that I was a writer and was going to write about Tripoli on the internet. That was met with furled brows and expressions that said, "Internet? .... whatever." "She writes a blog so that others can know Honduras." That was met with perplexed expressions that said, "Blog? .... whatever."

She was the first to bring up the old politics of Carías (for whom she still harbors hard feelings) and Suázo Cordova (who she still remembers fondly). When asked about the current government, she complained about the road not being graded in more than a year, but just shrugged about anything else. She asked us what we thought about Zelaya's ouster. We try to avoid discussing our politics in order to hear more about theirs so El Jefe changed the subject.

But Elsa insisted and asked me directly, "And you? Golpe de estado o no?". So I told her that I didn't think that it was a coup. Doña Elsa was surprised. "How can you say that?! He was there one day and gone the next! It was a golpe!"

Another man who was hanging out there whispered knowingly to Pedro, "It's because she's a gringa." I'm not sure if he meant that, as a gringa, I didn't know all the circumstances (wrong!) or because some believe that the gringo government was behind the 'coup' and that I was just 'going along' with my government's line (wrong also!).

I smiled and said that in my opinion, golpe or not, Zelaya needed to be removed or we would have a Chávez-like government now. Doña Elsa has been well-indoctrinated, though, and insisted that Zelaya tried to help the poor and that was why los ricos (the rich) took him out. Don Pedro was noticeably silent and told us later that he was a Nacionalista and didn't like to get into political discussions with Doña Elsa because she was so stubborn and militant about being a Liberal. I'm not sure what she thought about the fact that the vast majority of both Liberal and Nacionalista congressmen also voted for the ouster of Zelaya.

Elsa first told me that she didn't want a photo but then went inside and returned with her glasses to pose for the photo above. She had a nice smile, which doesn't show in the photo. Hondurans almost invariably put on a serious face and stiff pose for the camera.


Both Don Pedro and Doña Elsa were aware that something was happening in Libya, but thought it was a war. The only comment Doña Elsa had was that it was "feo" (ugly). El Jefe explained to them that is was a revolution of the people who wanted democracy after having a dictator for 42 years. 'Ah', they nodded with understanding.

We got up to say our goodbyes. Not seeing a trash can, I gathered up the empty snack bags and handed them to Doña Elsa. She looked surprised, but gave me a friendly smile and thanked us (despite my politics), and we returned to the road for more photos and to see if Don José de Jesus Medina would talk to us.


Articles related to the trip to Tripoli, Honduras:
La Gringa goes to Tripoli
Pedro Alberto Flores of Tripoli, Honduras
José de Jesus Medina of Tripoli, Honduras

On the highway to Tripoli

Pedro Alberto Flores of Tripoli, Honduras

Pedro Alberto Flores of Tripoli, Honduras

Part of our plan for the visit to Tripoli, Honduras, was to find a village elder, hoping they would know where the name Tripoli came from. El Jefe said the old folks are always the best ones to talk to about such things. See La Gringa goes to Tripoli for more about Tripoli, Honduras. (Click on any of the photos to enlarge them.)

As we turned off the highway, we spotted an old man sitting at the highway bus stop. Though the turn off for Tripoli was well marked, El Jefe stopped to ask him if this was the way, just to start the conversation. J then asked the man if he was from Tripoli and if he wanted a ride to the pueblo. Jackpot! He was waiting there for a jalón (a ride), as the buses do not run on Sundays.

We thought we hit the jackpot — we had this old, friendly, very talkative man captive in our car! ;-) However, Don Pedro did not know where the name Tripoli came from — but he was very informed about the pueblo and agreed to show us around.

El Jefe quickly found out that Don Pedro Alberto Flores was from Ocotepeque in the southern part of the country and had only moved to Tripoli five years ago to be a caretaker for a finca de ganadería (cattle ranch). He has eight children, four boys and fours girls, and still has a couple of kids at home. Don Pedro thought that the school was pretty good, but needed more classes and said that when the El Violín river rises, the children from outlying areas can't get to school.

Pedro got permission from the ranch owner to develop milpas (corn plantations) in some unused fields. He proudly told us that the year before he sold 160 cargas of corn. Don Pedro said that a 'carga' was two quintales, which is 200 pounds, and that he most recently sold a carga for L.1,000 (~US $53). That didn't sound like very much, but Pedro told us that the price this year had risen from around L. 700 (~US $37) per carga in prior years.

We have been paying L.4 per pound (US $0.21) at the market for dried corn for our chickens, and most recently L.5 per pound (US $0.26) — which is the same price per pound for which Pedro sold his crop. So we will probably be seeing an additional increase soon. He remarked about how terribly expensive food is these days (todo! — everything!). Since corn tortillas are a major staple of the Honduran diet, this increase is really going to hit the poor people hard.

Don Pedro also raises chickens and seemed surprised that we did, too. He noticed some little madriado branches in the back seat and told us that the leaves are good for rubbing the chickens to rid them of piojíos (lice), but that the sticks that I had were too small and too green to grow. He also said that the small branches were good for feeding the cows.

Madriado (Latin name Gliricida sepium) is a common tree that is used for living fence posts, with each branch (post) stuck into the ground quickly growing into a tree which then is normally cut back each year. You'll notice this type of fence in many of the photos. That's ingenious as lumber would likely rot away quickly in the tropical climate and metal and/or concrete is too expensive for many folks, especially if they have a big property. Some, as shown at this blue house, use concrete and metal for their main gate, but continue the fence with ramas (branches) and barbed wire.

I've also been told that madriado trees repel rats and some insects, and that the leaves can be made into a tea which is an excellent natural insecticide spray for the tropical fruit fly that so plagues our guava. Madriado also makes an excellent natural fertilizer and, because of the quick, luxuriant growth of the tree, the trimmings make a good, plentiful addition to the compost pile. I love learning about natural uses of local plants.

For all of those reasons, I have been interested in planting two or three sticks. This photo shows Don Pedro instructing El Jefe as to the size of branch needed. Unfortunately, my little traveling garden clippers weren't up to the job. Don Pedro said that we needed a machete.

Next, we stop at Doña Elsa's pulpería for a drink and a snack.



Articles related to the trip to Tripoli, Honduras:

La Gringa goes to Tripoli
Elsa Gloria Ventura of Tripoli, Honduras
José de Jesus Medina of Tripoli, Honduras

La Gringa goes to Tripoli

On the road to Tripoli

Being the fearless, dedicated blogger that I am, El Jefe took me to Tripoli yesterday to hear first-hand what the people think about what is going on — "What?!!!!", I can hear you asking! You went to Tripoli? Yes, Tripoli, Atlántida, Honduras, that is. ;-) Since we were on a road trip, we swung by Caracas (Honduras) as well. Our initial plan was to visit Paris (Paris de Leán, Honduras), too, but we ran out of time. Traveling on those bumpy, back roads takes hours!

The whole north coast of Honduras, from El Progreso to Trujillo was without electricity on Sunday for maintenance work so it seemed to be a good day for a road trip. No-hay-luz days are like national holidays with everyone heading out to visit with family or go to the beach. Sunday traffic is usually sparse but yesterday it was like rush hour with everyone heading somewhere else. (Click on any of the photos to enlarge for a better view.)

Tripoli is a little pueblo in the municipio (municipality, which is kind of like a county in the US) of Masica in the departmento (state or province) of Atlántida. We were curious how Tripoli got its name and what the people thought about what was going on in Tripoli, Libya, if they were aware of it.

Click map to enlarge

We had our plan in place, including printing some Google maps, mapping out the back road scenic route, and writing down the questions we wanted to ask. I was prepared with four sets of batteries, hoping for some great video interviews. The best made plans, however .... well, you know how that goes in Honduras! We didn't find anyone who had too much awareness about Libya or where the name Tripoli came from, so we went on to plan B, which was to find out more about the life in Tripoli, Honduras.

The 2001 Honduras census lists Tripoli as having a population of 799 living in 180 homes. As the map shows, Tripoli is in a low area, and we found out later that in the early years (1920s - 1930s), parts of it were actually under water and much of it was planted in rice fields. Now much of the area is used for raising cattle and cultivating corn, as well other crops. A current resident estimates that the population may now be about 1,000.

The little pueblo included no businesses that we saw other than a few pulperías (sort of small mom and pop type convenience stores — read more about pulperías here). The community is somewhat self-sufficient with small crops of bananas, yuca, coconuts, and other staples. Meat is obtained from backyard (or free range) chickens, pigs, and cows. Many people fish in the nearby rivers. The campesinos occasionally travel to nearby Masica or take a longer trip to La Ceiba for more extensive shopping.

A village elder told us that a creek was filled in and the road was built during the administration of Roberto Suázo Cordova (1982-86, the first democratically elected president under the current constitution). The road is gravel but extremely wide by Honduran standards so it will be nice if and when it finally gets paved.


One thing that I really noticed was that most everything was neat and tidy and even some very poor looking homes were well maintained. No piles of trash in front of the houses or strewn along the road as we so often see in La Ceiba.

Our interviewees informed us that Tripoli has had running water for approximately 20 years. A line was run from up in the mountains, then under the highway and on to their village, which the sign says is about 7.5 km. (about 4.75 miles) from the highway. (I'm not too sure about that mileage. We both thought that it seemed much further than that and took at least 20 minutes to drive.) Water is generally available 24 hours a day, unless a pipe gets broken or some other maintenance is needed. I saw water running from an outside faucet during the entire time we were there so awareness of the need for conservation has not arrived.

Tripoli has had electricity only for about three years, but residents have jumped full force into current times with many, many of the houses, even the most modest, sporting these Claro TV satellite dishes!

The people were relatively satisfied with their local mayor who they believe has accomplished some projects for them and with the Masica municipal government. The only complaint that we heard was about the road, which hadn't been graded in more than a year and was quite bumpy and dusty. The mayor has promised to pave it, and "we'll see" was the general attitude. The mayor says (as all politicians do!) that he is hampered by the debts left by previous administrations. They said that the area is muy tranquilo (very tranquil, quiet, laid back) with no crime problems.

When it came to the national government, everyone proudly proclaimed their "colors" (blue = Nacionalista or red = Liberal) without being asked, but admitted that it didn't seem to matter what was promised by the politicians or which color they were, that they were all the same when they got into office and forgot about small communities like this.

Though we didn't even ask, it was interesting is that two of the old-timers brought up President Tiburcio Carías Andino (1933-49) as being the worst president, who "treated the people like slaves", according to Don Jesús. Doña Elsa said that he didn't allow women to have any rights. (Wikipedia states that Carías was pressured to leave power by the US government.) Although these were two separate interviews in different locations, both also remembered President Roberto Suázo Cordova with fondness, saying that he liberated the country and gave rights to women. When asked their opinion about current President Pepe Lobo, we were met with shrugs and "¿Donde están los cambios?" (Where are the changes?), referring to Pepe's campaign slogan, "Cambio Ya!" (Change Now!)

The pueblo includes a nice school that was built during the Maduro administration (2002-2005) and several churches. Initially we were told that the teachers never strike there, but while talking to a younger man who lived across the street from the school, we found out that the Resistance teachers locked out the children pretty frequently last year, but so far this year (two weeks) the teachers hadn't missed any days. He said it was a shame especially because so many of the children walk a long distance with their backpacks from other even smaller villages and are so disappointed when they don't have school.

We had seen a big sign welcoming the Resistance "Martires" at the highway turn off to the town of Masica so we asked this younger man, the grandson of Don Jesús, if there was a lot of support for the FNRP in that area and whether they were admired as martyrs (heheheh — trying very hard not to show our personal opinion in order to get a frank response). He responded with something like "Pfffft!" "More like delinquents!" he said. He told us that those same teachers are the ones who put up the sign.

I was surprised to see that Tripoli had a Centro de Salud (health center) in which we were told that a nice lady doctor attended to people 5 or 6 days a week. It looked like a tidy, well-maintained little building (lost the photo). I had no idea that Centros de Salud were available in such small towns. Don Pedro, who had agreed to be our guide, also pointed out the two nice soccer fields for the young people. We all laughed about him being our tour guide since Tripoli basically only has the one street.

Don Pedro, who is originally from Ocotepeque, described Tripoli as a 'zona de trabajo' (work area) and a very nice place to live. When asked about availability of work in the area, both Don Pedro and Don Jesús stated that there was agricultural work, but that was all. Many of the people that we talked to during the day had sons or other relatives living in the larger Honduran cities or in the US and seemed sad about that. Oh, in case you aren't familiar with the term, 'Don' and Doña (for females) are common terms of respect when referring to others, especially older people.

I love these road trips out into the country and the small villages. I have a ton more photos from Tripoli and the various pueblos of Burgos, Orotina, El Gancho, Cáceres, and Caracas that we drove through that I'll be posting soon. These last two photos are of the mountains as we neared the highway when leaving Tripoli.


I also want to tell you more about Don José de Jesús Medina, Don Pedro Alberto Flores, and Doña Elsa Gloria Ventura from Tripolí, as well as Don Leonidas Flores Espinosa and his wife Norma Medina from El Gancho. I promised some of them that I would post their photos and mention them by name so that their family in the extranjera could see them. There may have been some disappointment that we weren't from "the media", but the mysterious internet .... well, at least that's something. ;-)

Beautiful!