Blogs from Western, Honduras, Central America Caribbean - page 16

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Yesterday was another unexpected adventure. I was up at 4:15 for my 5 AM shuttle pickup to Copan. Coffee and a light breakfast was ready at 4:30 (excellent service as Hermano Pedro). But the bus still had not come at 5:45 so we began phoning the company. When my hostess finally got through to them, she got a blast on the phone for being abusive (she was anything but because I was standing right there). She told me they were into "narcotraffics", which she said is very common in Guatemala, or at least around Antigua (where I bought my tour package). I finally suggested I might try taking a different bus. She phone again to the company and perhaps got a different guy, but no satisfaction as the bus was gone. Then a few minutes alter ... read more


March came in like a lion and left like a lamb, true to the saying. We are now in the throws of summer and it is just wonderful. Sunny days, blue skies, hot, hot, hot! But I love it. There is nothing like feeling so hot and then searching in the stream for a place deep enough to swim, then plunging it!!! This month I have been especially busy with school activities. The first thing that happened of interest is a "field trip" to San Pedro Sula with the teachers of Los Pinos. We went to the Three T conference, "Teachers Teaching Teachers". We had a wonderful time there, learning in English and Spanish how to be better teachers. I really needed that conference, there was a lot of good information there. And the teachers got ... read more
The Hotel in San Pedro Sula
The Father's Day party at church
The girls from the church


Happy March everyone! Well, March came in like a LION here. So I don't know if the saying is true here, hopefully it will go out like a lamb. March and April are very dry summer months here, with hot, unbearable temperatures. At least, that is what everyone told me. Yesterday we were in the service at church and this incredible rain came down, I thought the gusts of wind and the rain would pull the roof off. And it is COLD! But I suppose in two weeks everyone will give their left foot for a bit of cool weather so I won't complain too much. The highlight of every February is Valentine's Day, and we had a nice party at school. It seems like every party day is the same here, the same games, the ... read more
Happy Valentine's Day
Toucans
April and Me


today i had one of the most amazing days of my trip!!!!! i went hiking to a waterfall, passing by an ancient mayan fertility site and it was amazing!!! at the waterfalls we got to climb around and dive into natural pools and such!!!! then we went on a canopy tour: u are hooked up to steel zip lines with a harness and u go from one tree to the other. on the course we did 15 zip lines, the longest one being 1km long!!!! normally u are just above the treeline (so maybe 20m in the air) but at the highest point i was at least 100 m in the air!!!! it was mental!!!!! tomorrow im gonna cook for the owners of Twisted Tanya's, the best restaurant here in copan. its famil;y owned and they ... read more


Bad news for ruin buffs and good news for those a bit 'ruined-out', Copan is the southernmost city of the Mayan empire. A colony has been here for 3000 years but the founder of the famous city arrived in AD 426, a powerful shaman named Great Sunlord Quetzal Macaw. Copan grew in strength through jade trade and military power but the empire mysteriously collapsed around 900 AD. One of the most memorable Kings was the 13th: Ubak K'awil or 18 Rabbit is immortalised forever on the magnificent carved stelaes. His untimely demise was brought about by his successor Smoke Monkey who decapitated him in battle. Whilst Tikal is famous for it's pyramids and Palenque for it's progressive architecture and sheer size; Copan has it's intricate carvings. Stelae are the Mayan equivalent of totem poles and are ... read more
The carvings and buildings of Copan were originally painted
How it would look back in the day
A giant stone head, over a metre tall


Here are a few photo-memories of my week in Copán Ruinas.... read more
Daniel after mopping the house
Widman!
Emerod ... the newest member of the family!


Friday - February 13 The San Pedro Sula sun beat down on us in the tiny airport parking lot. Along with the gorgeous green mountains, it was the heat that made me smile to myself and say, "April, you're not in Michigan anymore!" Within an hour or so of landing I was in the bus station, buying a ticket to Copan on the Casasola, and counting down the minutes until I'd arrive in the town that I called home for a year and a half. I'd already been traveling since 6 am, flying from Detroit to Houston and then to San Pedro. Now I had another 3 plus hours waiting for me. But I entered the bus bursting with the enthusiam of being back in my beloved country. I flashed a smile at two guys sitting ... read more

Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Western » Lake Yojoa February 6th 2009

Ticabus did the job. We were whisked north across the border into Honduras and onwards to our next stop. The general advice on Honduras that we had received was to avoid it. Consequently images of a sun baked, treeless, rubbish filled, unfriendly and charmless place had been created in our minds. Instead we discovered a damp, verdant, cared for, hospitable and endearing land. We had jumped off Ticabus at Lago de Yojoa to be seamlessly connected by shuttle bus and then by something akin to a three wheeled go-cart to D&D’s Brewery the micro-brewery cum hostel that we had targeted for our first nights in Honduras. Having risen up towards the mountains we expected a slightly cooler climate but the damp chill that met us was a shock. Apparently Honduras’s rainy season finishes around early Feburary ... read more
It's inside this old shipping container that the brewing magic happens

Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Western » Lake Yojoa January 31st 2009

Après cinq bus et un taxi, nous débarquons face à une petite ruelle de pierres qui nous mène tout droit à la porte du D&D Brewery, quelque part au beau milieu de nulle part. Cette petite micro-brasserie, muni de quelques chambres confortables et d'une exellente table, a vu le jour lorsque son propriétaire Robert Dale a découvert un pur cristal au fond d'une caverne, lors de recherches archéologiques! Suite à cette incroyable découverte, "Bob" à donc saisi l'occasion pour vendre son joyau et bâtir son rêve, ici, à quelques kilomètres du lac de Yojoa, un spectaculaire sanctuaire pour les quelques 3000 espèces d'oiseaux (migrateurs ou non) qui peuplent le lieu. C'est accompagné d'un proche voisin du nom de Malcom, un excentrique londonien, que nous découvrons cet univers fragile qu'est celui des oiseaux. Toucans, geais, hérons, vautours, ... read more
Pullapanzak, honduras
Lago de Yojoa, Honduras
Copán Ruinas, Honduras

Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Western » Lake Yojoa January 31st 2009

Taking another early bus, we left Copan around 6am and found ourselves in San Pedro Sula at 9am, we made our way to town so Pedro can sort out his flight change, meanwhile me and Joey went to Wendy´s for brunch. Then went back to the bus station and took a bus towards Lago Yojoa, our mistake is we did not clarify we want to El Mochito bound bus, so we ended up getting dropped off at La Guama and took a collectivo from there to Peña Blanca, hot and bothered we were relieved to arrived at D and D Brewery hotel after taking a taxi from the center of town. The place is nice with swimming pool, there was only a matrimonial bed left and me and Joey have to share it, Joey being 6´5¨ ... read more
PULHAPANZAK FALLS
PEÑA BLANCA
PULHAPANZAK FALLS




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