Torch is fine and has been since Olaf at OL Motores fixed her in Guatemala City. I received an offer I could not refuse and flew over to Roatan for 3 nights. On a “dye Designs Drive” though I flew here… La Reunion in Guatemala, El Encanto in El Salvador and played Black Pear (Honduras) today! Torch and I head to Nicaragua on Saturday! (-:   (Facebook Post 10 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 11/20/13)

I knew this would happen… left Torch behind in Tegucigalpa, Honduras… traveling light… life is still good! (-:   (Facebook Post 1 Pic, Andy Reistetter, 11/20/13)

Thinking I am a Beach Club sort of guy! Awesome first round of golf on the Pristine Bay Resort & The Black Pearl Golf Course – Roatan yesterday. Snorkeling today and golf tomorrow! The food here is awesome, best Tortilla Soup ever, sorry Max & Erma but it is true!   (Facebook Post Video, Andy Reistetter, 11/20/13)

JTOG041 This is My Room Pristine Bay Roatan Black Pearl

With Henry Kattan and his father at the Coffee Cup in the Multiplaza Mall in Tegucigalpa.

Day 40 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras was one of those great days in life where you are literally going from dawn to dusk, was lucky enought to play some golf and just celebrate life and all the friendships along the way. My experience reminded me of the Sunday family picnic outings to Chenango Valley State Park in my childhood. Full of adventure and new experiences!

My day did not start at dawn, well close to it as I was up early to shower and then wash some clothes in the bathtub before a scrumptious breakfast in the penthouse Club Intercontinental. I really do like mango juice and found the litchi (lychee) fresh fruit to be as refreshing and sweet as advertised.

With my Honduras Golf Association sticker and flag pin!

Henry Kattan, my host in Honduras came to meet me at the Real Intercontinental Hotel at 9 am. We walked over to the Multiplaza Mall across the street to the Coffee Cup. His father, a retired baker of 50 years, was there to meet us and have a cup of coffee. I enjoyed another new food to me—catrochos—a toasted open French bread with refried beans and quesilla (little cheese). Very tasty. Henry’s friend and fellow golfer Kurt stopped by to say hello. He said something very interesting to me—” I like it (golf) because it is so difficult to play.” Awe, the challenge of the game! I felt the same way about the Journey, sometimes very difficult to navigate, especially at borders, but overall a great delight!

CLICK here for Part 1 of the Video Interview with Henry Kattan, President of the Honduras Golf Association.

CLICK here for Part 1 of the Video Interview with Henry Kattan, President of the Honduras Golf Association.

City view from the golf course, nothing more beautiful in life!

Henry is the president of the Honduras Golf Association and has almost single-handedly revived the HGA from a dormancy of nearly 25 years. I saw a report from an R&A visit in 2006 so I figured he has been going at it for nearly 10 years in between which was 2009 Honduran coup d’état. Interestingly enough, the First Lady of then President Mauricio Villeda, Iris Xiomara Castro de Zelaya ,was now running for president. ‘Hillary of Honduras’ would be my affectionate nickname for her. Back to golf. In a country of 7 to 8 million people there were less than 1,000 golfers and less than 50 junior golfers with only a handful of golf courses available to play the game we love.

The first tee at the Country Club of Tegucigalpa, a downhill par-3.

As my good fortune would continue on the Journey, Henry was also the Marketing Director for the Honduras Olympic Committee. After a visit and playing the 9-hole Country Club of Tegucigalpa we planned to venture over the Olympic Village where I would be able to meet some officials and Olympic athletes. While Tegucigalpa has not hosted the Olympics, here on JTOG Day 40 I would be combining golf and the Olympics yet again on my quest to define the ‘Olympic Spirit of Golf,’ something no one on Earth has experienced in 112 years.

I liked Tegucigalpa. It’s high location and hilly terrain reminded me of San Francisco without the bay and the ocean. Honduras, like Guatemala and the upcoming Central America countries of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama have the best of both water worlds with the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. I enjoyed touring the city as we headed over the the Country Club of Tegucigalpa (CCT) and after that to the Olympic Village.

With Henry (L) and Rodolfo (R) at CCT.

I could tell I was at a historic place as we entered the gate of CCT. The club was perched on a significant hill with city and mountain views all around. It reminded me in a way of my beloved Ely Park Municipal Golf Course in my hometown of Binghamton, New York. The views were exceptional. The course was only nine holes with a length of 5,417 meters and a par of 68. Four par-3s, no par-5s and a whole lot of par-4s replaying the nine from different tees. Juan Carlos Alvarez holds the course record of 58. No worries with that being broken today although Henry is a formidable 3-handicap. The course, especially the greens has definitely seen better days, having never fully recovered from Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Mitch was so devastating to Honduras that the name Mitch was retired from the Atlantic hurricane naming list.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Rodolfo Castaneda, Little Caesar in Honduras.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Honduras Junior Golfers Diego and Eduardo. 

Junior golfers Diego (L) and Eduardo enjoying a mid round snack.

We were joined by Henry’s childhood friend Rodolfo. He owned Little Caesar Pizza in Honduras and brought a pizza for us to share for lunch. It was sort of a reunion for Henry and Rodolfo as they had not played golf at CCT in 3 or 4 years so it was a good time for all of us as they shared childhood stories and growing up together in junior golf in Tegucigalpa.

The visit to the Honduras Olympic Village was exceptional. Speaking (of course being translated by Henry) with President Salvador Jimenex Caceres and Secretary Oscar Rene Berganza Deras was very interesting. I received a sense of what it means to countries like Honduras to have golf officially declared an Olympic Sport. Along with that designation comes official government support to further develop the game of golf at home with the hopes of one golfer getting hot, rising in the the OWGR, competing on the new Olympic Golf Course in Rio and bringing home a medal.

With London Olympians Joel Pavon (L) and Ronald Bennett (R).

In the gym I met  Joel Pavon and  Ronald Bennett who competed in the London Olympic Games for Honduras. Joel is a weightlifter (320 kilos combined) and Ronald a sprinter in the 110 meters with obstacles. They both spoke to how representing Honduras in London was such a great honor. Ronald carried the Honduras flag in the Parade of Nations during the Opening Ceremonies.

We stopped by the housing for the Olympians and in the lobby was a banner from the 1968 Mexico Olympics. I like how everything ties together and you can see the process and the progression through that process. Who knows, maybe one day, like Mexico City did, Tegucigalpa will host the Olympic Games?

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Dania Ferrera, Conceirge, Real Intercontinental Tegucigalpa.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Alfonso Martinez, General Manager, Real Intercontinental Tegucigalpa.

The Real Intercontinental Tegucigalpa was a wonderful place to stay!

I headed up to the penthouse Club Intercontinental for a late dinner. There I met a reporter from NPR and another from CNN Espanol. They thought my journey was a bit strange especially being in Tegucigalpa on the eve of a presidential election. During the last election they said there was a coup but I think they were referring to 2009. They thought I was even crazier with my idea to drive through the FARC-infested Darian Gap as a golfing humanitarian gesture. Somewhat concerned I wondered aloud if something was to happen to me would they write a story about meeting me so at least my sons could get an idea of how happy I was my last days alive. They resisted saying golf wasn’t that big for their news outlets. Finally I got them to agree to at least promise me that they would make a pitch to their editor with no guarantee that the story of my demise would run.

While there were no Christmas presents under the tree for me, the Journey to Olympic Golf certainly seemed like a present from above to me!

Oh well, dinner was good, the company interesting and tomorrow another day, hopefully just like the one I experienced today—absolutely brilliant in the ‘Olympic Spirit of Golf!’

My last journal entry for the day was “WOW, what a day.”

It could have easily read “WOW, what a tomorrow.”

I was booked on a 7 am flight to Roatan, the island paradise of Honduras.

Life was good as I set the alarm for 5 am and closed my eyes to sleep.

There are some more stories in the pictures below this request to make a donation to The First Tee… please make a donation today. Much appreciated.

I am looking for 100 new friends in the next 100 days to make a $100 donation (or any amount that you are able to make) to The First Tee. Each day I will be reliving the original “Journey to Olympic Golf” and hope to find a new friend in golf. Is that you? Please join me in giving back to the game we all love.

CLICK here to make a donation to The First Tee.

The First Tee has a positive impact on young kids in life and on the golf course.

Please select ‘Andy Reistetter’s Journey to Olympic Golf’ on the drop-down menu for the question ‘What inspired you to make a gift today? This is for tracking purposes only, Andy does not receive any part of your donation or anything financially from The First Tee organization.

There are interesting incentives for making your donation to the First Tee…

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Thank You!

Little Caesar Rodolfo!

Putting with Henry Kattan on the first green.

A view of the city from the fairway of the golf course!

CLICK here for Andy’s Recap of the Spirit of Golf in El Salvador!

It seemed like I was going from volcano to volcano in Central America. This one is San Vincente, also know as the mountain with two breasts. Shouldn’t her name be Vinta?

Any time you only stay two nights in a country you miss out on a lot but I felt my 48 hours spent in El Salvador, especially when it comes to golf, gave me a great deal of insight. The above video captures that spirit of golf in El Salvador which is historic and traditional in one sense and new and cutting edge in another way. I missed out on a lot that El Salvador has to offer. I wish I could have toured the city with a guided tour operator and I wish I could have gone to the beach. That’s the nice thing about El Salvador—everything is compact and close by. I definitely have to come back some time soon and play Cuscatlan and El Encanto in all their beauty!

It is never a bad day when you stay in an Intercontinental Real. It’s a great day when you wake up in one Intercontinental Real and go to sleep in another one, even when there is 200 miles, a 5-1/2 hour drive in between and a international border to cross. That was my goal today and I accomplished it but not without a few surprises along the way!

Real Intercontinental Tegucigalpa, a beautiful hotel, especially so lighted up at night!

I left Volcano San Salvador behind as I left the Intercontinental Real Hotel. I was hopping capitals today going from San Salvador to Tegucigalpa. It took me a while but I finally learned how to pronounce Tegucigalpa—Teg-uci-gal-pa, always with an image of a horse galloping away. It seemed like I could still see Volcano San Salvador in my rear view mirror as my focal point on the start of the day’s journey, Volcano San Vincente became visible. I would head east, cross the border into Honduras then head north to its capital city Tegucigalpa. San Salvador is at an elevation of 2159 feet and it seemed like we almost went down to sea level before starting the climb to Tegucigalpa at 3250 feet. As Torch and I went up we went through some wind mills. Never seeing the city until we got to and over the mountain I felt like we were full of anticipation on the yellow brick road like Dorothy and Toto.

El Salvadoran Coca-Cola restaurant in Coca-Cola town on the way to the Honduras border.

I got a little ahead of myself there. Along the way to the border I stopped in a nice little Coca-Cola town for an early lunch. I say Coca-Cola town because of all the Coca-Cola signage. Torch had a rest out front while I refueled in a Coca-Cola restaurant. My tour friend Jorge from the Guatemala-El Salvador border really had set me up with his buddy Roney to help me pass through to Honduras. I met him at a Puma gas station a few kilometers from the border. Ah, communications, it was nice to have a cell phone again!

Things with Roney (C) and his brother Jose started off well at the Puma station but deteriorated once we crossed the border into Honduras.

Things with Roney went well on the El Salvador side of the border. It is always easier it seems to be leaving a country than entering one. On the Honduras side there was a little issue which resulted in me letting Roney go. We needed to get Torch her temporary vehicle permit in Honduras. Roney, without consulting me, paid an official $US 10 to not have Torch inspected. At least that is what he told me. Of course I was curious to his thought process and his expectation of spending my money without asking me. The fear he communicated was that without paying the bribe, it would take three hours to inspect Torch down to actually unscrewing the air conditioner vents to look inside. I asked Roney what the chances of being inspected to that extent were. He said 100 percent. I said I would take my chances and drove through the checkpoint, got the vehicle permit and did not get inspected. Maybe he did pay them off so just in case I reimbursed him $US 10. Who knows?

With Roger the Honduras Customs Official who rescued and helped me get all my paperwork finished!

Now on my own, going solo, speaking no Spanish, I drove on through the border realizing I missed stopping at the Customs building to get my temporary visa. Torch needs hers and I need mine. While making a U-turn on a fairly broad street I bumped (not hit since I was more stopped than moving) a little red streetcar that shuttles people around town. The operator took exception to it although I looked out the passenger side of the car and saw no damage. I smiled and waved my hand and said thank you and drove another 30 yards into a parking spot. He followed, I got out and a customs official came to my rescue since there really was no damage. He then took me inside and helped me complete the paperwork to enter Honduras. The funny thing was that when I came out about 15 minutes later I was expecting some more interaction with the operator fellow but he was no where to be seen. When I went to my car, I saw and realized that I had left Torch all alone, unlocked, with the keys in the ignition and the engine was running! Who says I am not an idiot and that Honduras is not a safe country!

Going Up, Up, Up to Tegucigalpa!

The ride up to Tegucigalpa was beautiful, especially within 50 miles of the capital city. The mountain outcroppings were dramatic, irregular and stunning in their natural design. If Tegucigalpa was a fort it would be hard to attack, at least from the south. My Garmin connected with its satellite occasionally confirming I was heading the right way. Though once we arrived in the Tegucigalpa city limits the satellite connection was lost and it was useless. I managed to meander around a bit, in hindsight overshooting the Multiplaza Mall and Real Intercontinental Tegucigalpa that I was searching for. Eventually Torch and I found our way and located home for the foreseeable future.

Nice kid who helped me find the bank on the Honduras border. probably Roger’s son, two great people!

I couldn’t document exactly what I did that night because all my camera batteries, two Go Pros and the Canon were spent. As I recall I did some more laundry in the bathroom sink of my luxurious room. My stay had VIP status with access to the concierge floor so I headed up there for some dinner. I met a few interesting and knowledgeable people who updated me on current events in Honduras and gave me some insight into the city of Tegucigalpa. Both that and a confirmation email who change my plans for my visit to Honduras.

Here I was always searching for white pearls in those oysters on the Redondo Pier in LA back in the 80s, when fast forward to the 2010s to Honduras, I learned that it was a black pearl that will come into my future and very soon.

There are some more stories in the pictures below this request to make a donation to The First Tee… please make a donation today. Much appreciated.

I am looking for 100 new friends in the next 100 days to make a $100 donation (or any amount that you are able to make) to The First Tee. Each day I will be reliving the original “Journey to Olympic Golf” and hope to find a new friend in golf. Is that you? Please join me in giving back to the game we all love.

CLICK here to make a donation to The First Tee.

The First Tee has a positive impact on young kids in life and on the golf course.

Please select ‘Andy Reistetter’s Journey to Olympic Golf’ on the drop-down menu for the question ‘What inspired you to make a gift today? This is for tracking purposes only, Andy does not receive any part of your donation or anything financially from The First Tee organization.

There are interesting incentives for making your donation to the First Tee…

PLEASE click here to make a donation to The First Tee.

Thank You!

No damage really or the lady would have been upset!

Technically I guess it was a failure to comply ticket but it felt more like a bribe from a friendly guy. He wanted $20, I countered with $5, he agreed but I had to give him $10 because I had no change and he didn’t either! (-:

I liked being an Ambassador and part of the Club Intercontinental!

CLICK here for Andy’s Video Update of JTOG’s visit to El Salvador.

Checked in at Real InterContinental Tegucigalpa… another nice place… city has the feel of San Francisco to me without the water… nice Nob Hill like neighborhood…. the days of travel tend to be long and tiring but the evenings and nights are extremely comfortable… I love these Real InterContinental hotels! (-:   (Facebook Post 3 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 11/18/13)

I liked playing ‘Dirt Golf,’ especially the 4×4 golf cart!

As if getting to meet and interview Perry Dye was not enough, this likeable, talented and insightful guy invited me to play his newest course in Central America called El Encanto which means ‘The Charm.’ Of course I was delighted by the gesture and readily accepted the proposition! There was only catch though—the golf course was not even opened yet, actually the golf course was not even built yet! There were six holes done that were scheduled to open in a month. Technically, since there was grass already on these holes, I would not be playing ‘dirt golf.’ But since it was prior to opening and there were 12 other holes yet to be grassed, I am making the call—I played dirt golf for the first time in my life other than the little golf whiffle ball course I built in the yard at 2 Florence Street growing up!

CLICK here for Video Interview with Alejandro Lahrssen, GPS Specialist.

With Alejandro Lahrssen who hits it like John Daly back in the day!

Alejandro Lahrssen, one of Perry’s right hand guys, who does the GPS hole layouts picked me up at the Intercontinental Real San Salvador at 9 am on Sunday morning. I had met him and his wife Antonella the night before at dinner with Perry. El Encanto was about 15 miles west of downtown, about half way to the Pacific Ocean. As a residential development, El Encanto was ideally situated close to both the city and the beach where fishing and surfing are both some of the best in the world.

CLICK here for Video Interview with Rick Moreno, Construction Manager.

The wondrous home hole at El Encanto with tree left, water right protecting the green below the Dye Hills of Love Grass with clubhouse to be above!

Alejandro was an awesome host giving me a feel for San Salvador as well as the golf course being built and the development and club surrounding it. There was a huge crane on site erected to build what appeared to be a gargantuan clubhouse overlooking the 18th green. We threw our clubs in the back of a 4×4 golf cart and were joined by the irrigation specialist with a four names—Fabiano Pericles Gois Espinola. We played Nos. 1, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 18. The home hole is impressive with the green guarded by a lone tree and water right and surrounded by the “Dye Hills’ of love grass leading up to the clubhouse site. I met and interviewed Rick Moreno, the construction manager as we finished on the 18th. One other tidbit to share—I witnessed Alejandro drive it and carry it 320 yards from the member tees on the 9th to the front right greenside bunker. His carrot in this project was an invitation to play in the inaugural Guatemala Stella Artois Open , a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica event at La Reunion in May 2014. Although he missed the cut this guy can play!

CLICK here for Part 1 of a Video Interview with Bobby Moore, Country Club Cuscatlan.

CLICK here for Part 2 of a Video Interview with Bobby Moore, Country Club Cuscatlan.

With Bobby Moore having lunch at Laca Laca.

After the El Encanto experience, Alejandro dropped me off a the Laca Laca Taqueria Mexicana restaurant back in San Salvador where I met up with Bobby Moore, a premier amateur golfer and member at Club Campestre Cuscatlan, the Country Club Cuscatlan or a.k.a. CCC. Cuscatlan is the smallest department, or state, in El Salvador and it was an indigenous word which means “land of precious jewels.” The Country Club Cuscatlan and all of San Salvador lies on or just beyond the slopes of Volcano San Salvador. After a tasty lunch Bobby took me over to CCC and gave me a great interview. Interestingly, club member Fernando Figueroa was the first Central American golfer to qualify for a major. That major—the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, was Tiger’s last major victory and my first one out on tour. Things did not work out for me to play the golf course but I got a good look at all the memorabilia in the clubhouse and a great view of the golf course. Bobby dropped me off back at the Intercontinental Real San Salvador.

Back at Cuscatlan CC for a quiet, enjoyable and informative dinner with ‘Chema’ Duran.

As things happened so often on the Journey to Olympic Golf, things worked out for another dinner date that evening. This time it was with a fascinating guy and the founder of the El Salvador Golf Association—Jose Maria “Chema” Duran. He came and picked me up and took me out to dinner. Guess where? No, not Il Buon Gustaio, that was last night with Perry Dye. Chema took me back to the Country Club Cuscatlan. Not only was it a great meal but the conversation was interesting and informative with some more connections for me further along in Central America. I wish I had another day or two in El Salvador but I did not!

CLICK here for Video Interview with Chema Duran, Founder of the El Salvador Golf Association.

I loved staying at Hotel Intercontinentals in San Salvador, Tegucigalpa, Managua and San Jose. My home away from home in Central America!

I felt like I was double dipping a little bit at CCC with the tour from Bobby and the dinner with Chema. But hey wouldn’t you if you were invited? Plus this is my job to discover and document the spirit of golf along the way to Rio and combine it with the Spirit of the Olympics to come up with an understanding of the ‘Spirit of Olympic Golf,’ again something no one has experienced in 112 years. It was definitely a trifecta sort of day—playing ‘dirt golf’ at El Encanto and meeting Bobby Moore and Chema Duran.

Tomorrow was another day for Torch and I to be on the move. Almost 40% of the way through the odyssey on a time basis and way less than 40% of the way distance wise. Another day, another border crossing into our 5th of 14 countries, this time Honduras heading to its capital city of Tegucigalpa.

At the time I could not even pronounce its name let alone cross a border and find my way there without the help of GPS.

What a difference a day makes!

There are some more stories in the pictures below this request to make a donation to The First Tee… please make a donation today. Much appreciated.

I am looking for 100 new friends in the next 100 days to make a $100 donation (or any amount that you are able to make) to The First Tee. Each day I will be reliving the original “Journey to Olympic Golf” and hope to find a new friend in golf. Is that you? Please join me in giving back to the game we all love.

CLICK here to make a donation to The First Tee.

The First Tee has a positive impact on young kids in life and on the golf course.

Please select ‘Andy Reistetter’s Journey to Olympic Golf’ on the drop-down menu for the question ‘What inspired you to make a gift today? This is for tracking purposes only, Andy does not receive any part of your donation or anything financially from The First Tee organization.

There are interesting incentives for making your donation to the First Tee…

PLEASE click here to make a donation to The First Tee.

Thank You!

With Rick Moreno (L), Fabiano Espinosa (C) and Alejandro Lahrssen (R). I can’t wait to go back and play the full 1 at El Encanto and see the completed clubhouse!

Dye Designs, my golf course architect of choice on the JTOG—I played La Reunion, El Encanto, Black Pearl and Buzios GC, all Dye Designs!

All construction at El Encanto was first class including the St. Andrews like stone bridges!

I need to go back and play Cuscatlan CC beautifully located in the city of San Salvador in the watchful eye of Volcano San Salvador!