I'm waiting for my bus out of San Pedro Sula to the capital of Tegucigalpa and he walks in. Actually he doesn't so much walk in as trots in. A shaved-bald 30 year old American with a Texas t-shirt, gym shorts and a giant duffel bag. In the middle of the bus station waiting room he loudly says "Hi... another white person! Can I join you?" That was the most intelligible thing he said in our entire time together.

He began our conversation by stating that San Pedro Sula "sucks." That there are too many guns and it's so dirty. He also mentions that he lives off some kind of Social Security check and has had to leave his life in Mexico because it was getting too expensive. But I knew I was in trouble when he began apologizing to no one in particular.

"He then pointed to a Honduran gentleman across the aisle."
I was trying to ignore him when I heard him say in a mummer "I'm sorry. I apologize. I'm sorry." He then pointed to a Honduran gentleman across the aisle. Apparently he doesn't like people looking at him, which locals tend to do when gringos walk into their bus stations. So our entire trip he would stare back at these people on the bus and apologize and say... in English even though he spoke Spanish... "what do you want?" He also couldn't sit still for more than ten minutes and was constantly standing and walking around the bus and messing with his bag in the overhead rack. He also kept asking me why I was here when it sucked so much.

I was seriously afraid that everyone thought we were together and as soon as we arrived they would pull us into some alley and beat the hell out of us. As soon at the bus stopped in the capital I got away from him as quickly as a could.

"People want so much to help."
I must remember to never be afraid to ask for advice. I'm always a little hesitant to ask for information on a city or whatever but I make myself do it anyway. Today provided an example of why. The bus terminal at which we arrived was quite far from the hotel I wanted to stay at. I asked the guy sitting next to me (not the idiot from California) if there were buses that ran there, since I didn't want to pay for a cab. He said he didn't know but I should ask around when we arrive. I get off the bus and before I turn around, he's back at my side telling me he's lined up a couple of local girls who happen to be walking to the park that's close to my hotel. So I just follow them 20 blocks or so and everything is great. If you just ask, people want so much to help.

So Bush did his thing tonight. I wanted to see it and don't have a TV in my room... so I went by a gringo bar I saw on my way to my hotel. The nice owner dragged out a TV for me and we watched. I know you don't read this for political diatribes, so I'll say no more than that I'm not necessarily against pursuing military action in Iraq. I am, however, troubled by the way in which this war seems to have come about.

"The odd situations you find yourself in."
While watching CNN I met a guy named Bill who knows the tiny town in Virginia where I grew up. He's an ex-US Forest Service ranger and now helping start up a company that's gonna produce turpentine in Belize. So yeah, I'm watching my president declare war with a retired overseas turpentine baron who's telling me about his travels around Jonesville, Virginia. The odd situations you find yourself in.

Tomorrow I hope to head off to a national park just north of here and hike a little before heading on to Nicaragua. You have to get permission to stay in the park, so I hope the typical Central American paperwork nightmare doesn't rear its head.