A Change in Pace

Hello Everyone,

My apologies for not being good about keeping up with my blog more often. I will try and do better from here on out. Ok so where are we these days. I believe we left off with the end of the school year approaching...teachers and students alike ready for the vacaction, getting final grades in, end of years activities and good-byes. Well, we got through all of it and now we are all on vacation. Some volunteer teachers (and friends) have gone back to the states, others to language schools in nearby countries, and some have stayed in Juticalpa. As for me, you'll have to wait til the end to hear about that.

However, as soon as school ended and all the post- school grades, paperwork and recuperation exams (for students who failed the year) were completed, myself and Mario got out of town as fast as we could for a little vacation. Above is our jolly busdriver, Victor, that gave us a ride to Tegucigalpa. He was almost as happy as we were!

Here is Mario (left), Rosie (volunteer), and Carlos (diretor/plumber/electrician/friend to volunteers/father/Renaissance man of OAF). Rosie was on her way to the airport to got home. We'll miss her.

Carlos and his son, Andre.


After going from Juticalpa (mid-right) to Tegucigalpa (mid-bottom), we jumped onto another bus to San Pedro Sula (top left). We would have to change busses there to got to Copan Ruinas which is not on the map but a little west of Santa de Copan (mid-left).

Mario on the bus to San Pedro Sula from Tegus.

Finally we arrived in San Pedro, only to discover that the last bus for Copan had already left. So we would have to stay the night in SP and leave first thing in the morning.

Mario wanted to buy a Honduran soccer jersey in the bus station because the Honduran world cup soccer game was coming up.

The only jersey that fit him was the one on the manequin...

Upon the recommendation of our two friends Sarah and Beth, who were doing our same vacation route but had started 2 days before us, we ledged at a cool hostel where met people from Ireland, USA and Denmark.

Then the next morning we caught our bus, with our new friends from Denmark who were also going to Copan Ruinas, and arrived.

We were going to Copan Ruinas (Copan Ruins) to see the ancient Mayan pyramids and buildings.
Upon entering the archeological site we got our first glimpse of the ruins...very exciting!

There was a good deal of hiking involved. But our guide told us that some of the hills were actually buried pyramids and buildings that have not been uncovered by archeologists.

And then we arrived at our first good view of the ruins. They were bigger than I had imagined. Our guide told us, however, that they actually even bigger in the time of the Mayans because today many of the tops have crumbled off.

Here are Mario and I with our three Danish friends.

The intricacy of the carvings were impressive. This is the first Mayan king handing over power to another Mayan king.

There were10-12 ft tall statues called "stelae" everywhere.

Think I could fit in as a Mayan?

Me in front of a royal persons' neighborhood.














Once you are really into the center of the once city, you are really quite high. From this view you can over look the Copan Valley, which Copan Ruinas is located in.

Here's Mario trying to figure out how they stacked all those stones with the use of machines.

This is Jaguar Court, which royalty had access to.

This is why the called it Jaguar court. The carved Jaguars were dancing to please their sun god.

Also in this court the king would come out from the plateau in the distance and make sacrifices to purify the people to their gods....sometimes human sacrifices!

Here are King Mario and King Lars, luckily not about to shed any blood.

very Indiana Jones-like to say the least!

Having heard enough about sacrifices we moved onto lighter topics...the ballcourt.

I knew I had seen this place before.

The coverd staircase to the left is the Hieroglypic Staircase, a physical record of mayan history.

What it might have looked like during the height of the Mayan civilization (250-800 AD).

and 1500 years later.

This gives you an idea of the size of the Hieroglyphic Stairway. That's our guide standing in front.

There are several thousand glyphs on the 64 steps.

After getting a close up of the stiarcase we headed over to ball court, which was the 2nd largest in Central America...it is incredible that people have been excited about futbol here in Latin America for so long. The Mayan futbol was a little more hardcore however: a three pound rubber ball, players used their shoulders as well as hands and feet to move the ball, and last but not least, the winning team was sacrificed to the gods. Whoa!

After the ball court we moseyed over the the Great Plaza. This is where the common fold were allowed to mingle.

One of the stelae in the great plaza. You can see the faded red color which would have bright red then.

And that pretty much wrapped up seeing the Copan ruins. I have been wanting to go here even before I arrived in Honduras and so was very satisfied to have made a dream a reality.

After the ruins, Mario and I explored the town of Copan Ruinas. Like all Spanish style cities and towns, there was an iglesia with the parque central in front of it.

Quaint little town with lots of vendors on the stone streets.

and fresh fruit...it is mango season here right now

parque central

we got gigantic baleadas at a little restaurant called Vamos a Ver

The next day we left. This is the fertile Copan Valley where the most brilliant ancient civilization once lived - the Mayas.

More busrides from Copan to San Pedro and then over to the north coast to the city of La Ceiba, where we were going to meet up with our California friends Michael and Kathy. They had been visiting Guatemala for a few weeks before.

Before Michael and left the States we made a plan of when and where to meet them because we knew that it would be difficult contacting them when the arrived to Central America. It was something like this, "We'll see you June 14 in the city of La Ceiba in the central park near the cathedral." Luck would have it that our plan worked and our time with Michael and Kathy began. (Here's Michael and Kathy trying to withdraw money from an ATM after Michael confessed that they had been living heavily off peanut butter sandwiches and that he only had $2 on him...Michael, we call people like that tacano in spanish (stingy).

Our destination was the a little town outside of La Ceiba called Sambo Creek. Here would be our take-off point by boat to the little islands of Cayos Cochinos. This is the beachfront hotel we stayed at in Sambo Creek. It was nice to be with good friends.

Micahel wasted no time getting to relaxing.

And who wouldn't at a place like this?

Bright and early the next day we had some pan de coco (coconut bread) for breakfast and jumped into a boat to go to Cayos Cochinos.

And after at least a 45 minute ride through some choppy water (good job Kathy for making it through that), we arrived....que bonita (how pretty).

This is where we went snorkeling...40 foot visibility at least.

After snorkeling we went to meet up with our friends Sarah and Beth on another one of the islands inhabited by Garifuna people (a mix of indigenous and escaped slaves from Africa).

We got some lunch and bought some souvenirs.

and played with the children.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming.





Then it was time to get back on the boat and return to the mainland.

That night the six of us were back in Ceiba where we got some great seafood but even better was the company.

It was time to part the next day, but also the Honduras world cup game was on at 5:00 a.m.
So we got up at 4:30, put on our jerseys and went to the bus station where they had a tv on the wall. Sadlly we (Honduras) lost to Chile.

Even sadder though was that it was time to part with Michael and Kathy, while the rest of us headed back to Juticalpa. Adios amigos. Tuvimos un buen tiempo (we had a good time)

So our vacation came to an end. Where does that leave us now. Michael went back to the states, Kathy to language school in Guatemala, Sarah and Beth back to the states as well and Mario and I to remain in Juticalpa for June and July.

And what are we doing with ourselves in Juticalpa? Well, we decided to teach an English course for some extra money (mario speaks english very well) in the afternoons.

Here's our flier that we posted around town.

And in the mornings I am working on Mario's farm. With me here is Sam, a short term volunteer with OAF, and four seminarians from the states, who are visiting Honduras for six weeks.

On the farm we grow plantains, yucca, guanabana, onion, carrots, chata, mahogany, papaya and mangos.

Here are Sam and I with Mario's co-workers, Rigo, Manuel and Osman. There are a riot.

So that is where I am at now...working on the farm and teaching english until the next school year starts. Some big adventures lately, but now my pace has changed a bit slower...which is fine with me.

Hope you are well.