From Olancho...

Saludos desde Olancho!  It’s been a crazy first few days here in Honduras.  After 8 hours of air travel and 4 hours on a bus, we arrived in Juticalpa on Wednesday night.  We were greeted by our old friend Francisco Carrasco, his sister Abi, and their two brothers Pedro and Josue.  The Carrascos have opened up their home to us and have been more than hospitable.  With so many people living under the same roof (and several other primos and amigos always coming in and out) there is never a dull moment in the Carrasco household.  Needless to say it didn’t take long to feel the warmth and love of the Olanchano people. 

                        Tegucigalpa as seen from the road going up to Olancho

                             Our bus driver cut the right turn into town a bit too close.

                          One of our favorite Hondurans, Francisco Carrasco

                                           Melvin, our smallest housemate



We spent the first few days talking to CD peddlers and taxi drivers around Juticalpa about what they know about “the band.”  Some people told us the band members recently fled to the US because of “problems” here in Juticalpa, some said they’ll be here for a concert in December, while others seemed too afraid to answer us at all.  It was an emotional rollercoaster hearing such inconsistent reports on the band’s status. 

Then we met Filadelmo Figueroa.  Filadelmo is the premier ranchera music DJ in Juticalpa.  We stopped by his station and chatted with him while he was broadcasting his program on the air from Radio Juticalpa.  Radio Juticalpa is the oldest radio station in Olancho, having continuously served Juticalpa for almost 51 years.  Filadelmo has been a wealth of knowledge and we’re sure he’ll be a great connection to Olancho’s ranchera scene.

            DJ Figueroa.  Notice the booth is lined with the newest egg-crate acoustics.

We hope everyone is doing well back in the good ol’ US of A.  Keep your fingers crossed as the search continues!

And we're off...

It’s 6:00am here in Boston.  The sun has yet to rise and temperatures outside have dipped to below freezing.  With half a dozen packs of camera gear and personal supplies in tow, we’re finally heading to Logan International airport to begin our journey south (and equally important, to grab our last Dunkin Donuts breakfast).  

                                                       Boston's finest chauffeur service

 

                                                  Curbside check-in

We’re both nervous and excited to arrive in Olancho and get started.  It should be pret-ty  interesting making our way from the airport to the bus station and on to Juticalpa with thousands of dollars  worth of equipment. 

We have a full month of planning and preparation before Shlomo joins us to begin filming.  Between now and then we’ll be searching for the perfect subject for the film… Our chauffeur is outside waiting so it’s time for us to head to Central America.  Our next blog post will be from Honduras.  Until then, saludos a todos!