What a beautiful day yesterday! I celebrated with Honduras their Independence Day and I tried to experience all that the capital city had to offer (which was much less this year because of all the political commotion).I started out to meet a friend for coffee in Parque Central, by the Cathedral, but quickly found out this day refused to be like all the other September 15 holidays. Though everyone was surely celebrating, there were certainly two sides. In Parque Central everyone gathered in red to support the exiled President, Mel Zelaya, while others dressed in blue crowded the stadium a short 10-minute-walk away. I walked through and saw each processional (impressive in their own ways) and was thankful that a unspoken vow of peace surrounded each ceremony. Police and military were lined up outside on the streets and at main government buildings just in case things got out of hand, but they didn't.
Unfortunately, I didn't know I would be happening on such an event, otherwise I would have brought my camera. The pictures you see above are taken from one of the main publications, El Heraldo(www.elheraldo.hn), but you can insert my face in some of those crowds.
The most impressive (to me) was watching about 8 paratroopers dropped from helicopters somewhere above the stadium and then seeing their precision as they glided down to perfect landings in front of the huge crowd. I felt kind of proud of my little adopted country. I think I felt a lot proud yesterday, actually, that I could take part in celebrating the independence of a beautiful place with such wonderful people.
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