Written 3-2-08
Copan is a mayan ruins site close to the Guatemala border, and along with it is a small town with the same name. although i thought i would only stay a day, i took 3 to kick back, relax, and enjoy. first day i hit up the ruins, which of course, were amazing. i met two ladies in the gift shop, and we decided to split the price of a guide book. the guides were expensive, but we didn't want to wander around like total idiots, staring with our mouths open and not know what for.
Tina, Linda and I set off! Tina and i ended up off on our own, hiking up the big steps, around hills, and generally pretending to be "outdoor-sy." after the main ruins, Linda went back to town and Tina and I walked further up to a second set of ruins and hiked around trails for another hour or so. on our way back, we stopped at a gas station for the premise of getting a soda, and each eventually chose beer instead.
***note about Tina.
Tina is 68 years old. she has a granddaughter my age. she is a kick-ass traveling granny and we had a blast together. i would honestly love to travel with this woman and get into mischief, which would inevitably come our way. the only problem with this friendship is that either 1) Tina is fit and awesome for keeping up with me hiking all day, or 2) i'm at the exercise level of a 68 year old. the problem here is that i know option number two is probably true. kind of a buzz kill, you know?
***note about Honduras.
I have never seen so many guns in my life, and i'm from TEXAS. Honduras is an amazing country with amazing, kind people, rolling lush green mountains in every direction, and great street food. but the gun thing is a little weird. the reason i bring this up is because Tina and i made friends with the gas station attendant, who was missing his 4 front teeth and was toting a pump action 12 guage shotgun. the type of guy you want as a friend...he even let us take a picture with him. we were laughing so hard i could barely stand.
so, back to Copan. the streets are cobblestone, and the local fashion trend is a cowboy hat and a machete. seriously, along with the guns, everyone and their mother has a machete. some have little belt holsters, some wrapped in fabric and carried, most just randomly swinging. i looked into buying one, but it was too expensive and i don't think i would have been able to talk my way into taking it to another country. oh well...
the next day i hitchhiked with a couple of botanists living in alabama to a hot spring, which was pretty cool. my father is going to kill me for saying this, but it must be said. hitchhiking is fun. i have never done it alone, and i'm always following safe good vibes with it. that said, hitchhiking is a way of life here. most people don't have cars, and it's very common. and fun.
i finally left Copan, and took a shuttle to the border. there was this english kid in the van with me, 18 years of age i believe, without a single word of spanish. he also had stayed in Honduras about 4 months over his visa time. the guys at the border didn't know what to do. finally, after lengthy discussions translating, i get fed up and ask this scared kid how much money he has. i throw down the equivalent of $25 and explain that he'd like to pay a tax for the problem. the look at each other, pocket the money, and take us into a back room with no windows so he can get a special stamp...it said Welcome to Guatemala. Get the Hell out of our Country.
so yesterday i bribed a border cop. again. this is becoming quite a habit. after i make sure everything is ok for the kid, i go get my legitimate stamps, and we head out. it took 3 buses, but i made it to Rio Dulce. on the way, literally hundreds of motorcycles are passing on the other side of the street-highway thing. upon asking the driver, we find out that every year around this time there is a motorcycle rally at the border town of Esquipulas, and every motorcycle enthusiast in Guatemala is headed there. on a funny side note, if i translated it correctly, the name the riders call themselves is the Fighters of Zorro.
i rock up in Rio Dulce last night and am invited by some english guys to this dance bar, where i salsa dance til the sun rises. this morning i woke up and hopped on a boat to Livingston, where i am now. it's a tiny Garifuna village, not all that impressive. what was impressive was the boat ride. jungle lining both sides of the waterway, little hotels only accessible by boat dotting the shore. i tried to take pictures but i gave up because it was just too beautiful and the pictures weren't doing it justice. Guatemala has been, so far, great. the landscape is rich and beautiful beyond belief, the people are friendly and happy you're in their country, and i've made some great friends.
and i haven't even seen any guns yet.
sweet.
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