Blogs from Copán Ruinas, Western, Honduras, Central America Caribbean - page 11

19th MAY 2009 - A LITTLE TIME IN COPAN!! My alarm went off at around 3.30am. I tried putting the covers over my head and wishing I could just have another hour at least but unfortunately, the time kept ticking and I had to get up. After a quick wash, I dressed and we headed down to wait for the bus. Sooooo sleepy and as usual being on the mini bus was like being on a rollercoaster but I did manage to get a little bit of shut eye!! Would have got more sleep if 2 English guys hadn’t kept jabbering on to us. Honestly….I love meeting people but at 4am, my conversation skills are limited!! One of them never shut up but I think he was a little bit special so I overlooked it!! We ... read more

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

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

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

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