Leaving Honduras

This morning I got up at 3:00 am.  By 4:45 am we were walking out of the door.  When we got to the airport the lady who gave us the departure declaration cards got on to us for being late.  Our flight left at 6:20, boarding starts 5:20, and we were suppose to be there two hours before (we had arrived around 5:00 am because our host had previously asked the airport and was told the airport opens at 5:00 am. However the lady insisted that we need to be there two hours before the plane leaves), so we were late. We got in line and got our checked bags checked and got our tickets. 

As our group was waiting for everyone to get their ticket, an attendant came up to us and asked for Sierra.  She said that airport security wanted to search her bag.  As the assistant took Sierra and Bryan into a back room, we were all trying to guess what it was that airport security wanted.  We were thinking that it could be the knives that she bought, or the plastic gun she had in her bag (a prop for a skit – she was the prop holder), or who knows what.  As Sierra was returning the assistant asked for me to come back because airport security wanted to search my bag as well.  So Bryan went back with me to the back room.  I was figuring that the machine had seen either my knives that I bought or all the Honduran drinks I had packed in there.  Though, praise God, I was not worried, nervous or scared.   God has told me over and over again that He will protect me, and that I have nothing to fear.  When we got to the back room, full of several machines with bags going through them, Bryan greeted the man (again, since he was just back there with Sierra).  A man put on some gloves and we opened my bag, and he started digging, pulling stuff out, searching it.  Bryan talked a little bit to the guy; he was friendly and nice.  I helped him find my bag of liquids and helped him pull some stuff out. He kept searching.  He came across the Honduran drinks, and that wasn’t what he was looking for.  He found some of my knives, and put them with all the other stuff he had pulled out, commenting, “neat knives.”  He tore almost everything out of my bag, making a huge mess – which was alright since my bag was already a huge mess.  When he couldn’t find anything he zipped up the bag (with most of the stuff still out of it, and he put it thru he machine again. Upon looking at the screen of my bag, he pulled out my bag and started digging through it again.  When he couldn’t find anything, he joked that it was one of  my pairs of pants that he was looking for (one almost matching his).  We put everything back in the back and he said we were good.  I don’t know what he saw, but I’m glad that I didn’t have to loose anything.  Sierra lost some bug spray because it could have been explosive. So we went on with the security process.  I was quite surprised that they let my water bottle through security. Yes, it was way less than 100ml but normally they won’t let you take it through if there is any at all. 

We a puddle jumper plane do the 40 minute jump from Honduras to San Salvador.   When our plane landed in San Salvador, our plane to Toronto was already 20 minutes into boarding.  All was well though, and there was no trouble time wise. 

Our Airliner was Avianca.  They treated us amazingly!  On the 40 minute flight they gave us a fancy-ish box containing a sandwich and a small cinnamon roll.  On the 4-5 hour flight they gave us breakfast (eggs, beans, plantain, some kind of cheese, a fruit dish with pineapple and papaya chucks, a bun with butter and jam and a drink) followed my a round of water and coffee, and a round of ham & cheese sandwiches and drinks.