23-25 December, 1998

After our arrival in San Salvador, El Salvador, we found accommodations and stayed the night. Thinking of what lied ahead and organizing our priorities for the days ahead was for most on our minds. The next morning we took a taxi to another airport where the Avalon 450 is stored. Being unfamiliar with the area, we again relied with the care of the local Aero club. The San Salvador Aero Club is well organized and we were able to find a secure parking area while we were back in the U.S. getting medical supplies.

We accomplished immigrations and customs and filed an international flight plan for Honduras. Accurate pilot weather is not always available, so the safe bet is to have plenty of fuel and keep checking pilot weather every hour, and always have a way "out". Our flight was uneventful to Tegucigalpa, Honduras

As we arrived in Tegucigalpa, we were met by the Aero club and prepared for our next missions. We brought aircraft spare parts in for the Honduran Aero Club. Simple things like sealers, tires, aircraft wire, and filters are expensive and difficult to obtain.

The weather reports showed a cold front coming in from the Caribbean and sure enough the winds started picking up to 30 mph in town and the airport. The aircraft was tied down securely and we decided to plan a trip to an orphanage with the help of Mr. Jack Midence of the Cornerstone foundation via land route.

We set out the next morning for the town of Guaimaca, some 45 miles distant. After passing several bad sections of road and a bridge that was washed out, we arrived at a small orphanage of 18 children. Most of the children had been orphaned by a variety of reasons. It is tough for these organizations to make ends meet. What this group does is to make farming their principal source of food, of which all the children have their "duties". Barbara had wrapped Christmas gifts and the kids were most appreciative that "Santa" had come to their house. We were reminded again of the security problem that the farm and surrounding communities face on a daily basis. There are some bands of thugs that prey on the local villagers and farms. When the economy of any country is on the line, and people are suffering, people do some desperate acts to survive. The orphans in this town of Guaimaca, were locked up in their house, behind steel bars at 4:30 p.m.! We were advised to be off the roads before sundown to reduce the chance of confrontation and getting mugged. We left feeling sad that situations exist like this in the near 21st century.

On the other hand, for a moment, we also saw happiness in these children's faces and that made us feel wonderful

 

Ed and Barbara

Guaimaca Honduras

P.S. Merry Christmas All !!