San Pedro Sula in 3.6 hours

Schools in Central America start the day early. This practice has something to do with proximity to the equator and Mother Nature’s precise if monotonous balance of light and darkness ~ in 12 hour cycles of each.

So there I was saying hello to everyone at the Monday morning assembly at 6:45 a.m.

Si ~ 6:45 a.m.!

In front of me are 800 students in straight rows ~ and looking sleepy in their tidy uniforms. Never mind, a peppy little speech and then to the Headmaster’s office for a cup of much needed coffee.

San Pedro Sula is the commercial center of Northern Honduras (from whence the coffee came, I was assured). The flight over from Miami the other evening was a decent two hours and get this ~ on time!

Coming in over the water ~ very close to the fabled Mosquito Coast just to the south ~ you can see miles of banana plantations. The old United Fruit Company and the still-going-strong-Dole Corp. run pineapple plantations and banana farms here.

I read in a professional journal recently that Dole operates two bilingual schools for its expatriate employees. However, I’m at another bilingual school this week ~ one of many up and down the spine of Central America. Alas, it is a brief visit (hence the 3.6 hours in the post title).

And then its back to the airport before the sun is up. Miraculously, there are few passengers this morning. How can this be? SAP ~ the local airport code ~ has only four gates and there is a plane at each.

The electronic departure screen is not working and a man is carefully sticking small letters and numbers onto an announcement board by Gate 3. He is short with brown skin and wears blue overalls. The name on his shirt says Jorge. I’m impressed at his effort to post all the details in English and Spanish. How efficient.

Oops ~ not quite right. We are now going to “Mayami”. Close enough, I guess. He gets an A for effort in my book.

It doesn’t matter. A few minutes later we’re called through Gate 1 ~ destination Panama City ~ says the handwritten notice.