San Pedro Sula.

If you have ever read my other blog www.thetravelcompanion.blogspot.com you will find out that I lived in Honduras for two years and three months before coming back to the States.  I had my reasons for moving and I don't regret it one bit, but I do have to say that if you read what I wrote about Honduras, you might just catch a glimpse into the madness that lays in Central America.  Anyone living in the Americas should at one point in their lives visit both Central and South America to get a complete understanding of their land and the culture they were born from or came to learn and love (or love to hate).

For the first year in Central America, I lived in San Pedro Sula, currently the second most dangerous city after Cape Town, South Africa, according to urbantitan.com.   San Pedro Sula reminded me a lot of Los Angeles.  The infrastructure was built in a similar way, and the traffic in the city was horrendous.  But what most reminded me of LA were the shenanigans that took place every single day in the city.  Central Park was the place where everything started and ended.  Sometimes I would see concerts in the streets, followed by riots and arrests.  Other times I would see marches taking place, followed by riots and arrests.  And my favorite were the soccer games where I would see the national team either win or lose, followed by riots and arrests.  I remember one specific even where my ex-fiancee and I went to a soccer match to watch the national team play against Mexico (my fave).  At one point, people started throwing beer at our section because we wouldn't sit down.  My ex made some hoodlum friends and decided to run up the stadium and beat the shit out of the people that were throwing beer.  He didn't get too far before the cops came and took him along with two others away in handcuffs.  I was completely freaking out and wanted to go look for him, so I took my white girl friend and looked for the idiot.  In the midst of all of this, I ran into some policemen and told me that chances are he either got out of the stadium or had gotten his ass kicked and got out of the stadium.  I freaked out even more and called his cell.  Before you know it, he was back in the field, in our seats, waiting for me to come back.  While walking back, I got my ass pinched and wanted to scream.

The best part was the story he told me.  The boys that had gotten kicked out with him were given two choices:  get kicked out or get your ass whooped and go back to your seat.  They chose the latter; my ex chose the former.  He then bought another ticket outside for $2.50 and came back with a different shirt.  Good times.

He got arrested a total two times, but was never charged.  I am glad he is no longer my fiancee.

San Pedro Sula has its faults, but its beauty lies in the chaos that keeps this city hanging on by a thread.  There are many things wrong with this city:  crime, corruption, extreme poverty, no middle class, and a population of children running it.  I still think it's beautiful and would live there again, if given the chance.  The only difference would be that I would have lots of money and a fiancee that didn't beat me.  Maybe I would feel just a tad bit safer.  But surviving and thriving in the city, for me, is just another indicator of the bad-assery I have in my soul and the strength I carry wherever I go.


On a side note, I was never arrested, assaulted, or bothered by any many, woman, or child while living in San Pedro Sula.  The closest I came to a crime was watching a hold up on a Thursday afternoon after work.  It wasn't so bad and the lady still got home.  We can all manage.  


To check out the source: http://urbantitan.com/the-10-most-dangerous-cities-in-2012/