Hapless Hondurans

So i had the morning off today and thought that I might as well schlep over to the Honduran consulate in NYC. A month or so ago, I had called them up and much to my dismay,was told that I did indeed need to procure a visa at the stupendous cost of $60 ("Who the hell do these people think they are?!", I cried out, with smoke coming out of my ears),and among the documents to be presented were my bank statements, letter of employment, etc. Not trusting this information, decided to let a couple of weeks pass by and then called up the consulate again. This time a cheerful young woman actually asked me some questions, and having ascertained that I had a green card, cheefully told me that yes, I DO need a visa to visit Honduras, but with the halo of the green card over my head I was deemed trustworthy enoughnot to have to present bank statements and such, and more importantly nor did I have to shell out the $60 fee. Thus, armed with this information, I made my way over there. Upon arrival, I immediately stepped up to the counter (no lines, some Honduran natives milling about) and informed the guy about my intentions, as well as the fact that I possessed the magical "tarjeta verde". He ushered me into the office of the consul general herself. After I explained the situation to her, she consulted a handbook and said, "No, you DO NOT need a visa to visit Honduras. However, we will give you a letter which states this, and you should present this letter to the border guards." She then instructed me to fill out the lengthy application form right there in her office. (Strangely enough, people kept on coming in, usually Hondurenos applying for passports, visas, etc and she efficiently questioned the applicants and handled each case with aplomb - I took delight in playing the dumb foreigner, all the while eavesdropping on the platicos en espanol lol). As I finally finished with the forms and handed them to her, she scanned the forms, uttered some remarks under her breath, and told me, "Excuse me, I'll be right back". After a few minutes, she re-entered the room and at the same time triumphantly declared,

"You don't need a visa...have a nice trip. Goodbye!".
"Are you sure??? What if they don't let me into the country?". (incredulous at turn of events)
"Yes, bec you have a green card.", (smiling at this extranjero tonto and not taking any offense)
"Do they know this?". (still in disbelief)
"Yes, they have the reference book." (firmly to get rid of me)

So that was my experience with those hapless Hondurans. On one hand I was relieved to have gotten over the whole thing quickly, yet at the same time it was a waste of time and effort. Remains to be seen if the border guards will indeed let me into Honduras. Promises to add an element of excitement (and apprehension) to the trip, don't you think?