Catching up

It's been several days.....  We are all basically well.  I have misplaced my USB thing to download pictures to my computer so right now, no pics.  Juan's glasses broke the first day we were here and he lost the lens so they were not repairable.  He has been having horrible headaches.  He made it through the archaeological part of the tour but decided that after we finished the tour of Tikal that he would head back to Yucatan instead of come up to the highlands with us.  This is only the second time in all of his years of being a tour guide that he has had to quit in the middle of a tour.  It was hard to part but we are carrying on.  Several people have had minor tourist kinds of health problems but all are feeling well now. 

The boat ride from Livingston up the Rio Dulce was peaceful and beautiful.  Saw lots of birds, houses on stilts out into the river, mangroves, men fishing from little wooden canoes.  A girl paddled up to our boat to sell us sea shells, necklaces made from shells, star fish, etc.  Another boat with 2 girls joined her.  They made several sales.  After about a 2 hour boat ride, we docked and Gregorio came up with the bus.  Always a welcome site when plans come together. 
It is about a 4 hour bus ride to Flores.  We stopped for lunch at a quaint finca (farm).  While we were waiting for our meal, we enjoyed walking around and seeing the flowers and parrots.  We had some of the best chicken sandwiches ever.  They were made with homemade bread with sliced avocado on them.  Yummy! The vegetable soup was also flavorful with a nice touch of cilantro. 
Our hotel in Flores is part of a beautiful nature reserve overlooking a lake.  Luxury coupled with nature.  We had dinner at the hotel.  It seemed they were out of pretty much everything except tacos so we had tacos.

The next day, we went to the ruins of Yaxha and Tepoxte.  These sites are more remote so we were pretty much the only ones there.  I always like the solitude. After putting in a lunch order, we went to Yaxha.  This is a pretty big classic site.  Several of us climbed the Mirador which is pretty close to the entrance.  The view is spectacular!  Overlook the vast Peten jungle and the lake.  Soon after we got down, it started pouring down rain.  Juan was the only one who really came prepared. He had a rain poncho.  We had a few umbrellas but the rain was much harder than the umbrellas could thwart.  Soon we were all drenched to the skin.  Since we couldn't get any wetter, we continued with the tour.  The ruins really were mysterious looking in the rain.  Like a troop of drowned rats, we made our way back to the bus.  We went to the boat dock to Tepoxte where we had earlier put in our lunch order.  The hot soup, hot chocolate, hot coffee were really welcome.  After a good lunch, many of us were ready to set off again.  We loaded into a large wooden canoe type boat for the half hour ride to the ruins of Tepoxte.  This is a small post classic site.  Juan pointed out several trees and plants.  The strangler fig is one of the most interesting.  It starts climbing up an existing tree and blocks out the sun and grows around the trunk until the main tree dies.  Even though it was drizzling and the steps were slippery with the wet moss, several of us climbed up.  Why?  Because it is there. 
We got back to the hotel, quickly changed into dry clothes and headed back out to go into the town of Flores for dinner.  A relaxed tasty dinner is always a great way to end a day.

On the fourth, we went to the ruins of Tikal, one of the biggest, most famous of the Maya cities.  When we were in Guatemala City at the Archaeology museum, we saw pottery, and items found in one of the tombs of Tikal.  It was nice to see the great buildings that went with them.  Tikal is a large site and we were concerned that some of the people would have difficulty walking the distance.  Luckily, since Tikal is visited more, it is possible to get a ride in a pickup truck to the main square.  The walkers and riders met up at the square.  From there we went to climb Temple IV.  Wow!  that view is really expansive.  It is a sea of green jungle with 2 of the other pyramids of Tikal poking out.  We commented that it was raining off in the distance.  Not soon after, we realized that the wind had picked up and that rain cloud was headed straight for us.  We quickly vacated our high vantage point.  Being on the top of a pyramid in a thunder storm isn't recommended.  We got a ride back to the front gate in the jungle buggy and avoided the rain.  We had a nice lunch and headed back to the hotel where we had an early dinner.  This time, the selection was much bigger and they actually had everything on the menu. 

This morning we got an early start --  breakfast at 6:30 and in the bus about 7:15.  For us, that was quite an accomplishment.  We bid Juan goodbye this morning at the junction where he headed North. It was a long day of driving and we got into Antigua about 5.  We were greeted at the Casa de Capuchinas, the B&B where we are staying for 2 days.  The hotel is a colonial house and every room is different.  We fill the place up.  We had a great dinner at another colonial hotel/restaurant that the bus driver recommended.  When we got there, the marimba band was already playing.  Soon traditional dancers joined them.  A great way to wipe away the memory of the long ride. 

Looking forward to exploring the city in the morning........

 

Copan

After a good hearty breakfast, we met in the bar overlooking the pool for a class from Juan.  He gave us a good overview of Copan complete with handouts.  Guatemala and Honduras do not allow foreign guides to guide at the major sites so we had to use one of the local guides.  His English was okay but the depth of his knowledge was no where near Juan's.  But, a wonderful site, is a wonderful site and with Juan's briefing before we went, and his occasional insertions and corrections, we got the gist of it all.  We were greeted at the entrance gate by about a dozen colorful Macaws, swooping, perching on branches, calling loudly. 
We started the tour at the "Forest of the Kings." This is a large plaza with many beautifully carved stellae of some of the major kings of Copan.  18 Rabbit was the King who had it built and is prominently recognized.  The picture above is of the famous Alter Q which shows the long lineage and passing of power from one king to the next.  It has the name of the 16 rulers and the dates.  The pyramid of the inscriptions has glyphs on  each of the stair risers and was instrumental in breaking the code of the Maya language.  It had to have been magnificent in its day.  There are several levels of building at Copan.  It is impressive to look down from the highest level to see how high and massive the building platform is.

We went back to town for a late lunch and then some went back to the hotel, some back to the site to visit the museum.  The main attraction of the museum is a full size replica of the Rosalilla which is the inner buried temple under Pyramid 26.  The colors are still vivid showing the snakes and feathers well.  Dave, Charlotte, Paul and I decided to go back into the site to see the original.  Unfortunately, it was too close to closing and it was already closed.  But, since it was close to closing, almost all the people had left the site and we were able to enjoy the beauty and tranquility.

Many of us enjoyed cooling off and relaxing in the hotel pool and hot tub before going to dinner.  We walked through the main square to a little restaurant.  The evenings are cool and comfortable so people are out.  Children playing, young couples getting to know each other, friends chatting, vendors selling food, trinkets, etc.  Copan is full of small 3 wheeled motorcycle taxis.  Sandra and Charles took advantage of one to get a lift back to the hotel after dinner. After dinner, Ann, Patty and I enjoyed a stroll through the park looking at the sculptures and the monument in the center of the square with the cardinal points all in Maya glyphs. 

The end of our first day at the ruins.

Archaeology museum and down to Honduras

We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the hotel with an array of fresh juices to choose from - watermelon, papaya, pineapple, orange, made to order omelets, beans, breakfast crepes.  Even had lox!  All to enjoy in a beautiful patio beside the pool. 
The National Archeology Museum is only about a 10 minute drive from the hotel.  I really like this museum in that it is small enough to not be overwhelmed but big enough to have some great stuff. Of course, since I'm such a fabric person, I love all of the examples of the embroidered traditional dress.  It also has lots of stelae that are in beautiful condition, pottery, dioramas of life during classical Maya time.  One of the highlights was an exhibit of all of the things found in one of the main burial sites at the ruins of Tikal.  It was a good preview of things to come.

Then the long ride to Honduras.  The road has been improved a lot since I was last here (2001), even so, it took 8 hours.  At least the bus is comfortable and the scenery is dramatic.  Climb over one range of mountains, descend into a valley, climb over the next range, descend, repeat many times. 
The border crossing into Honduras was busy with trucks lined up on both sides of the border.  This was also modernized since I was here last.  Before, it was one small building on each side with a couple of officials sitting behind a desk and a gate that was raised by hand.  It really felt like Woody Allen's movie, Bananas.  Now, there are multiple modern buildings on both sides, no gate and a fee to exit one country and enter the next. 

Only about 15 minute drive from the border to Copan Ruinas.  (The town is called Copan Ruinas and the ruins are just called Copan).  The hotel is lovely and they were efficient in checking us in.  The pool enticed many of us for a quick dip before dinner.  A lovely, relaxing dinner and then a swim for some and a walk around town for others.

A great day.

We're all here!

After a long delay, the whole crew got here and through customs about 3:00, check in at the hotel and then went to the historic district to have lunch/snack at the Pan American hotel where they specialize in traditional food. There are many colorfully embroidered huipils (traditional dress) decorating the walls, a fountain in the middle of the dining room. We all felt refreshed and ready to see the world.  We walkede to the main square, seeing the cathedral and governor's palace.  In front of the cathedral are columns that have the names of all the people who were executed, tortured, disappeared during the civil war.  It is quite sobering.  It is wonderful to see the families, friends enjoying the square.  The temperature is perfect!  In the 70's!  What a relief from the heat at home.  Tomorrow we will be traveling down into the jungle so will be much hotter and more humid.

Gallivanting in Guatemala

I'm so excited for the group to join Juan and me!  The hotel is elegant and a busy place.
 Yesterday, I got money exchanged which was a bigger deal than I expected.  To try to curb money laundering, the bank will only change $200 at a time to Quezales if you don't have an account at the bank.  $200, thats probably one dinner for the group and I need to pay for a bunch more than that!  What to do?  A young man who was doing his banking at the teller next to me heard my problem.  He offered to have me deposit the money into his account and then he would withdraw it in Quetzales.  Well, sometimes you just have to trust the world.  He got $20.00 for his time and I got my quetzales.

We then went to the travel agency who will be providing the bus for us.  We had a few additions we wanted them to make.  No problem.  The woman didn't know Juan but knew his name as he is often the guide they use when there is a Mexican portion of a trip.  I am always amazed at the extent of Juan's contacts.  Many years ago, someone said, "Ah, Juan Vazquez, como sal, conocido en cada casa."  Ah, Juan Vazquez, like salt, know in every house.

We took a walk from the hotel to find a restaurant for the group for dinner.  McDonald's is right next door to the hotel but we agreed that the group would really wonder about us if we took them there for dinner!  We found a nice place about 3 blocks away.  We really enjoyed it and are looking forward to taking the group there.  We especially liked the salsa that they made right at the table side.

Breakfast buffet this morning was great and eating it out on the patio, hearing the birds was a delight.  It will be a great start with the group! 

Off to the airport to meet the group!

Just a few more days!  Now I'm trying to remember how to post, how to add pictures, etc.  This is a picture in Guatemala City, our first stop. See you soon!

We will be leaving for our adventure in Guatemala in just a couple of weeks! We have a full group going - 11 plus Juan and me. Everyone is getting excited - asking questions, exercising a bit more, brushing up on their Spanish. It's going to be a great trip! Watch for updates. We leave June 28 and I hope to be able to post, at least a little something, everyday.