Although we had heard from everyone in Nicaragua that Honduras was "very danger", we ran like mad through the country until we reached our ultimate domestic destination -- COPAN ruinas ;) Over the course of our time I found the hills rolled more beautifully than any others that I had seen in my entire life. I also discovered that the majority of Honduran people are generous, exciting, curious, and warm. Unfortunately, "maras" or "gangs" like the MS13 have destroyed this countrys' reputation internationally. Even the brave local people are often afraid to use the city busses or visit certain areas on the fringes. There is a lot to fear in Honduras and we felt this vibe most in San Pedro Sula -- where a crazy man with a giant knife verbally attacked me screaming, "PUTAAA GRINGAA". I looked around and recall making the statement, "Well, it's definitely not touristy here." LOL. Later that night when our couch-surfing host wanted to hit the clubs, Nathan proclaimed "We were thinking we would stay right here...all night". So we did... and we had a blast with Virgilio -- our awesome Honduran friend who was not only deep and intelligent but also very kind. He taught us about Baleadas, our favorite food of the whole trip! And how to make caramel from his Grandmas recipe ;) Cheque amigo!
You will find many photos below of the Maya ruins of this place, recognized as the Athens of the Americas because of such advanced art and intellectual remains. This is where the longest hieroglyphic record exists... in the form of a staircase!
At the entrance to the ruins, a Honduran news crew began talking to us, inquiring into our interest and our knowledge of Copan. I have taken three classes through EWU Anthropology and Archaeology which I told them... and that we hoped to also visit Tikal in Guatemala. They asked if it was okay to interview us live to be on TV. LOL Thus, we fulfilled another commonly held goal -- getting on the news! Ideally it would have been for world domination stuff, but hey... ancient society extraordinaire... I knew all of these seemingly bizarre and far-out classes would align perfectly with this life ;) Because well, let's face it, the paths of life can be quite zig zaggy at times!!! Don't be fooled by those who tell of straight and narrow. It is nothing of the sort. I see wild, and swirly, circular, and rocky paths ahead. So do the Maya.
Here is the hieroglyphic staircase. As this is recognized as the longest historical record of stone inscription in historical societies, it is also seen by Archaeologists as a sign of the coming collapse of the Maya empire. The stone work was done in a sort of desperate rush to put up stelae as opposed to the strong and intricate monuments that had been constructed in the height periods.
Oh by the way! Just to clear things up for all you conspiracists out there... The world is not predicted to end as is commonly believed because of the Maya calendar ending. In fact, there are over 7 Maya calendars all working together like gears of overlapping "periods". The Long Count calendar does end -- December 21, 2012 -- yes. And as far as Archaeologists can see this has always been a BIG deal. A transition period where bad things often happened, like the fall of great kings and such. We shall see! Whatever the case may be, the tides they are a changin' ;)
GUATEMALA! I entered this country almost immediately missing the Honduran hills but was soon happily being greeted by hard-working and happy Guatemalan folk. There was even an American flag next to a Guatemalan flag in our first bus ride. Pheewww. They don't hate us. And this was the first country that didn't have a deep scarred history with the US that they continue to grudge over. An old man intercepted Nathan and I when we were transferring busses to head into the center of the country and immediately took my big heavy backpack and refused to let any younger guy or me... take over with the carry. MUUUYYY fuerte.
Guatemala was hectic too, our busses broke down, our bank cards wouldn't work, drunk people grabbing me, street ex-gang members hustling on the busses at night (which 20 percent of the time ends up in robbery with weapons). The first time this hapenned we were sitting in the very back of the bus and I was observing how almost everyone on the bus took a candy bar as they walked by handing them out. Later they return for your money -- or the candy bar if you decide not to purchase it. Everyone sat up a bit straighter, got a little more serious, and very few made eye contact. When they had left I asked the guy across from me if gangs hold the bus up with this tactic. He replied "Si. Very danger. CChqchq." As he made the sound of a gun and held his hand down by his side. Ohhhh okaaay. Freaky. On this bus ride where neither Nathan or myself had any money, while I was describing our situation to the bus driver, a woman called me over and told me that we were sleeping at her house that night. I looked at her like a deer in headlights and asked, "PERO cuanto cuesta?" Because we don't have any money. She replied, "No no no. Cuesta nada. Quiro ayudar ustedes." She wanted to help us, for free. Hmmmmm We went with her after the three hour bus ride! She took us home to her entire Maya family. They fed us and gave us some "mush mush", a traditional oatmeal drink, and let us sleep on their couches. We had breakfast with them in the morning and they sent us off to our ultimate destination of Guatemala (faaarrr awaaay from Guate -- the big city), Lago Atitlan.
Initially I was hung up trying to figure out what kind of Spanish this woman was speaking...it was Maya. Q'eqchi'. This was the best part about Guatemala... the people are still traditional. Indigenous culture has not disappeared in Guatemala as it seems to have in Nicaragua. You still have to look for it, BUT at least it is there. You will notice the traditional Maya dress that follows among the photos of our time in Atitlan -- known as the most beautiful lake in the world.
Life is truly a balancing act... and it seriously appears that many cultures are losing the balance of the old and the new, traditional and modern innovation. Real cultures must have been waaaayyy cooler back in the day. I hope we can all give this some deep pondering as we move cautiously and strategically into an uncertain future. Hold on to what your Grandparents taught you. Preserve your values wisely. Save old recipes and old seed varieties! Remember your history. Protect the land of your ancestors! "We're gonna make it a better place... with our own two hands!"
And on a different note -- Hello my beloved Washington. It's good to be back. Pacifica Northwest por la vida!!!
"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile."
~Unknown
