Saturday, October 13, 2012

The freedom to create a building out of buses

The freedom to build a bus walkway

Blog posts on Honduras can gets a little gloomy. 
OK, a lot gloomy.
But there are always upsides. When there are no rules, for example, people can enjoy a certain crazy freedom unknown in a place like Victoria, where opening hot dog cart turns into a regulatory ordeal.
The view from the highway La Prensa
People like Manuel de Jesús Cardoza, who has built a sprawling, four-story building out of old school buses and other scrap. (La Prensa wrote about him today.)
Cardoza, who says he’s an engineer with a degree from the “university of the streets,” has used more than 40 old school buses, old machinery, iron wheels, train tracks and other scrap to build the complex beside the highway at La Lima, near San Pedro Sula. He learned to weld and build things as a child workers in a lot of small workshops.
It’s been a 13-year-project, and judging by the pictures, there’s still a lot of work ahead. He’s spent $150,000 so far, and figures another $50,000 will finish the project,
Cardoza told La Prensa he started out thinking it could be an entertainment  centre, with a nightclub and pool. But two years ago he became a Christian and now only wants to hold religious events and weddings.
La Prensa says it’s pretty luxe, with “areas the envy of any luxury hotel,” including a terrace where people can watch the highway sitting in comfy chairs that were once the drivers’ seats in luxury buses.
The whole thing is supported by pillars made of bus wheels welded together and filled with concrete.
The use of a bus as a pedestrian overpass is a particularly stylish touch.
It’s all a bit crazy looking. But the freedom to follow your dream - even if it’s an odd one - is worth something.
Creativity in action
And if you’re looking for a really different wedding venue, think about the Cardoza’s castle




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

O/t

As a Canadian in Honduras: How's this playing out for you?

Canada embarrassed in Honduras, eliminated from World Cup

Here's what they're saying in the True North

"Loss in Honduras could haunt men’s soccer program for years"

paul said...

I was cheering for Honduras yesterday. This country needs something to celebrate given all the bad news and problems.
I was surprised by how out-of-it Canada seemed. I do think they would have been smart to come down earlier. San Pedro Sula is incredibly hot and humid; some time to acclimatize might have helped.

Anonymous said...

BBC - The Honduran Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional a project to build privately-run cities, with their own police and tax system.