I almost got into a fight with the security person who was checking us into the bus from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula. (Arguments with security people = theme of my trip to Honduras. Why? I have never been prone to arguing with security people ever in my life before.) The bus company security person was taking a picture of each person who got on the bus, and I did not want my picture taken. I refused, and he told me that I could not get on the bus without it. "Why?" I asked, and I didn't catch all of it, but his first explanation seemed like it involved publicity.
I am a lawyer, y'all, and I've lived in too many places where your words or presence can be taken the wrong way. I do not do publicity, not for anyone. I walk around the block, here in the US, to avoid being caught on camera walking down a public sidewalk behind a newscaster who is filming a report. I was not about to allow myself to be photographed to advertise a bus company, particularly one that I read on the internet has political connections. I do not know enough about politics in Honduras to risk this.
"No," I said, holding up the line. "I do not want to be a part of any advertisement." (This may have come out in French, now that I think about it. Do I even know how to talk about advertisements in Spanish? I know that I do in French.)
"You have to be photographed," the security man said. "You cannot get on the bus without a photograph."
"No photograph," I said. "I do not want to be in an advertisement."
"It is for security. You cannot get on the bus without a photograph."
"It is true," the woman behind me said, leaning around me. "They take everyone's photograph, in case there are problems."
Apparently a digital Kod@k is the remote bus station's security camera. At the main station in San Pedro, they take your ticket and say, "Look up at the camera," pointing to a little eye on the wall. It's harder to get on a luxury bus in Honduras than a plane in the US, these days.
I am a lawyer, y'all, and I've lived in too many places where your words or presence can be taken the wrong way. I do not do publicity, not for anyone. I walk around the block, here in the US, to avoid being caught on camera walking down a public sidewalk behind a newscaster who is filming a report. I was not about to allow myself to be photographed to advertise a bus company, particularly one that I read on the internet has political connections. I do not know enough about politics in Honduras to risk this.
"No," I said, holding up the line. "I do not want to be a part of any advertisement." (This may have come out in French, now that I think about it. Do I even know how to talk about advertisements in Spanish? I know that I do in French.)
"You have to be photographed," the security man said. "You cannot get on the bus without a photograph."
"No photograph," I said. "I do not want to be in an advertisement."
"It is for security. You cannot get on the bus without a photograph."
"It is true," the woman behind me said, leaning around me. "They take everyone's photograph, in case there are problems."
Apparently a digital Kod@k is the remote bus station's security camera. At the main station in San Pedro, they take your ticket and say, "Look up at the camera," pointing to a little eye on the wall. It's harder to get on a luxury bus in Honduras than a plane in the US, these days.
1 comment:
that always bugged me in colombia when they would take my picture before getting on the bus. i always felt like the subtext was "if this bus gets blown up, we have photographic evidence that you were on it." it's sort of true, sadly.
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