Takin' A Hop on the Wild Side... Very Soon!

So I'm getting pretty excited about my upcoming trip to Honduras--especially after reading a helpful and encouraging tidbit of information about this jewel of Central America on the U.S. State Department website:

Poverty, gangs, and low apprehension and conviction rates of criminals contribute to a high crime rate, including horrific acts of mass murder. Many men in Honduras carry firearms and machetes, and disputes are often settled with violence.

Wow, I can't WAIT! Just another restful vacation in paradise for the frogg...

Hey, it can't be any scarier than my last trip out of country two years ago, which took me to... the Middle East! Haha! Fun and games for everyone!

But in spite of my fears, I actually had a wonderful time, and met quite a lot of very friendly people (who somehow never make it onto the evening news, I've noticed). In the end, the greatest disaster that (almost) befell me during my sojourn in what is admittedly a pretty hair-raising region these days had nothing to do with bombings or rioting or anything so cliche. No, for me, death (nearly) came in the guise of a (huge) semi truck that I (barely) avoided being hit by while riding a (mean) donkey (named Jack) through a Bedouin village. And that was after that same (stupid) donkey (aka Jack-Ass, by the time I was tired of riding him) also tried to do me in by running me into a cliff wall on a (very) narrow trail (high) above the ancient city of Petra, in Jordan.

Such wonderful (parenthetical) memories...

But anyway, I'm sure my trip to Honduras will be fine, and lots of fun. I'm not (too) worried. For one thing, I'm not planning on riding any donkeys in Honduras. And for another, despite my natural proclivities, I'll just be extra careful to avoid disputes.

Especially since I broke my machete last Tuesday. Wah.