Day 134 December 19
I woke up and got back to cleaning. I made up my parents bed and continued with the laundry (this one is a big chore, I don’t think I’ll wait this long again.) And I cooked up a nice breakfast of pasta with homemade sauce with tomato, milk, cheese, potatoes, cilantro, garlic, onions, and seasonings. It was tasty.
Just as I was about to leave to go to the internet, I heard from Mom, who was back at home. The airport had closed because of the snow, and the flight was cancelled. They had tried changing over through phone and internet, but the airport was just overwhelmed with requests. Their foresight to go to Richmond the night before paid off, because they just drove over and made their change at the desk. Now the plan is to fly out of Norfolk tonight, sleep in Atlanta, and everything else just happen 24 hours later. Mom was apologetic to me, but I’m just sorry they’ve had to go through all this trouble. Weather will be weather, and I’d rather them be safely grounded than unsafely trying to get here. If they can get off the ground in Norfolk, everything else should go smoothly.
I had lunch in Picame where I checked the internet and chatted with folks. I then came back in and finished my laundry (yay!) and mopped the floors before sinking into my new book The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (I really like her last name.)
Viki, who had invited my parents and I to dinner, called to invite me to dinner. I headed out and met them at the new restaurant across the street. Afterwards, Luis came over to watch the Simpsons, alternating between Spanish with English subtitles and Spanish with English subtitles.
Day 135 December 20
I woke up and re-hung clothes so they could dry faster before getting ready for church. At church, I was hoping to run into more folks that I know so I could ask about Christmas mass. But everyone is otherwise occupied (in Panama and whatnot.) I heard the priest say “Thursday at 9 o’clock” several times at the end of the service, but that could be morning or night, so I really wasn’t sure. Outside, I saw one of Beth’s students, and asked her, and her mother told me 10 o’clock the night of the 24th or in the morning on the 25th. Hmmm. I may have to find someone to clear up my confusions.
After church, I cleaned the house more…I have been living in it, so things become un-perfect. After a bit, I went to Megan’s to print off my plane ticket voucher and edit the information they’re sending out to new applicants. We then stopped into Picame on Chris and Viki who were getting lunch before leaving to buy a bus ticket for Megan, who leaves in the morning, and visit Ave, one of the cleaning staff, before Megan took off. She made us coffee and has squawking birds, one of which must think it’s a cat from the sounds it was making.
I saw Jesse in the central park on the way back and secured a tour with him for Tuesday, which he says will be sunny. I then went home and popped in a movie to keep time going quickly as we were quickly getting down to the last hours of waiting.
At 5:20 I went up to Viki’s house, seeing Judy on the way (who I bragged to about going to a Steelers’s game), and waiting for all my Urban Promise friends who are going home, and most of whom are not returning. Just before 6 I left to grab my book from the house and head down to the bus station.
It was raining and muddy, which I knew would do wonders to the white skirt I put on when it was not raining, but I hurried along anyway. I was pushing through the taxi drivers crowding the doorway when mom walked into the station. Perfect timing. We got a taxi ride back, I showed them around the house, and then we ate in Picame. They both had their first baleadas. It was magical. During dinner we had some internet troubles, but had enough to send off an e-mail saying they had arrived safely.
Mom and I went for a rainy evening walk and I showed her around town, and then we all collapsed into our beds.
Day 136 December 21
Day 1 of the parents’ visit:
We took our sweet time heading into the day. We woke up a bit before 7 and started out with coffee. I made some fried bananas and we sat around catching up. Shortly before noon we took to the outdoors.
First I showed them the roof, pointing out various places that were visible and after I took them on a quick tour of the town. We ate lunch at ViaVia, which has some authentic food and I helped them pick out their dishes so they’d know what was and wasn’t. After a while we started up the hill toward the school. They enjoyed the views and, hopefully, my commentary as we walked. Chando was on duty and let us in. I showed them my room. I think they were glad to finally see it all.
By the time we left it was getting on toward 4 and the bird park, another 10 minutes up the road closes at 6. We went over and headed in. It’s been a few months since I’ve been in the park myself. Shortly before we left, one of the men who works there let us know that he was taking the Macaws and Toucans out for a group coming through (that they were apparently staying open late for.) So, we went over and got to hold the birds, though the tax for pictures with them was that Dad had a button from his shirt stolen.
We came back toward town and stopped for dinner at the restaurant by the river. This place has a nice locations, but it a place where you walk in and ask what they have for dinner: pork, chicken, or fish. We all got chicken, which came with banana chips and chismol (sp?). They were healthy portions, so mom and I got some of our chips to go.
We came back to the house for a while before going up to Anne’s house for card games with her family and Viki and Chris. We played crazy eights and Kings corners. It was fun, and as we tired early, Viki and Chris were also heading out (venturing into the darkness and mud from construction, which we’d been avoiding by taking the big hill.)
We came home and crashed again (walking all over this town can take it out of you!)
Day 137 December 22
We started off the day slowly. I made coffee and a small breakfast, but at 8 approached, we decided to do the Ruins another day. Instead, we headed out around 11. I showed my folks my usual shopping places and toured the market (while picking up some foods for future breakfasts.)
I wanted to have lunch at Casa Villamil (and introduce them to tres leches cake, but it was closed!) So, we went to Yatbalam, where mom made a bank phone call and we met up with Luis who had information on the hot springs, so we could decide if it was worth the drive and cost of the drive. We decided it was worth it, and went home to get ready after convincing Luis to come with us.
It was an hour drive up, but it was good for my folks to get to see more of the Honduran country side, and it’s a view I always enjoy seeing. When we first got to the springs, we were not very impressed, but then the guide took us back past the entrance pools. There were levels of different hot pools. One was designed to be a foot massage, you walked in a circle (7 times) between a hot and cold pool lined with smooth rocks. It was nice. There was a heavy flow of water from a pool above that serves as a back and neck massage, also nice. There was also a sauna section and a mud spa. We took advantage of all before the hour long drive back (and the weather was cold, so getting out of the springs was not real pleasant.)
The four of us got dinner at my student’s, Katia’s, mom’s comedor. Luis swears by them having the best baleadas in town and Dad agreed (me too, actually.) They only have one table, and that was taken, so we were set up out back on a nice pile of rubble. I love that place, and I think it was a real Honduran experience for my folks.
After dinner, we headed to bed pretty quickly. The hot water seemed to suck the energy right out of us after the first couple of days of walking.
Day 138 December 23
We got up early and actually headed out on time. We bought a couple bottles of water on the way to Jesse’s store and waited outside for him to get there. Because the weather had been chilly, we had loaded up the backpack with layers, just in case, which turned out to be wholly unnecessary.
Jesse lead us out of town by the bus station and across the bridge. He pointed out the bullhorn plant (that houses angry ants that protect the plant) and it was interesting to watch them come out very slowly, because of the cold. The hollow points are very durable and sharp. He also showed us “Touch me nots” that curl up like a dead plant when you brush them, to deter grazers from eating them. It’s practically instantaneous and very amusing for someone who’s easily amused (ie me.)
Our first stop was on the way up the hill to La Pintata, the aldea up the mountain from Copan. We stopped at the fertility sight of the Mayans, called Los Sapos (toads are not typically related to fertility, but this one has a few carved out.) After we hung out there for a while, we moved on to the waterfalls below the village. Jesse now hires a vigilante to watch bags, since once a kid stole his clients bags. Usually there’s no problem, but all it takes is once. We climbed around the falls for a while, did one jump into the water, but only once because it was cold. We could see into the cave, but as it wasn’t very deep and would involve wading into the cold water, we opted out of climbing up that way.
Going back up to La Pintata was steep and muddy. The path was really narrow, but the vigilante had cut us all walking sticks which helped. We went up into La Pintata where we saw a La ceiba with so many bees we could hear the buzz as we came up the hill and the “eye” looking down on the ruins. It was a really cool tree. Jesse told us about how the Mayans believed the great La Ceiba holds the universe together, roots hold up the underworld, branches hold up the heavens, and the trunk ties the two together. This one also had a platform for the zipline, which we’d get to use later.
Usually, when you enter La Pintata you are swarmed with the children, but most of the kids were in town selling the corn husk dolls. There were only three kids in town, and really only one spoke to us. She held my hand on the way to the restaurant. When folks eat at the restaurant, whatever kids are in town get the left overs, and it’s a huge pile of delicious food. We all ate our fill, and then didn’t stuff ourselves. We gave the rest to the kids. Usually, since there are so many kids, each one only gets a handful, but today they had a feast. When I brought my plate to the table, the little girl said, “for me?” and I told her it was for all of them. When I put the plate down, she grabbed the chicken and told the boy next to her “the vegetables are for you.”
After lunch, Jesse showed us the co-op where the women made fabric for various things. We did some Christmas shopping while we were in there. We also got to see the houses, and Jesse explained how the mud bricks were made and carved out.
We hiked back down the mountain to where the zip line end is. We left our things and got harnessed up before taking a truck up with a family from CT. The mother had many questions about the area and the school, which I was happy to fill her in on.
There were 16 platforms for stopping and starting again. Some lines were longer, some were faster, all of them had a great view. I could see the waterfalls, the town, and the ruins from up there. It was awesome. It was also really fun to watch our guide showing off on when they went on the zip lines. One of the platforms had a colony of ants under it and when we the first person landed, they came out rather angry. You can tell these are serious ants when the guides and Hondurans react by running off the platform quickly. One of the guides turned to me and said, “They bite hard.” And it was true. I didn’t have to be told to move off the platform quickly, I could see them swarming as I came up on the platform and hardly touched it.
When we got back, we saw some beautiful Honduran Jays while waiting for a truck to take us back into town. When rode back and did some more touristy shopping in town before getting Dad his first mojito at Twisted Tanya’s. Tanya’s niece did well to swoop in and grab Christmas eve dinner reservations from us before we left.
Shortly after we got back, Sierra returned with her parents, Josue, and Jose. It was nice to finally meet her folks and we let them settle into her room before we went out to dinner at the new place with the hammocks (which lead to joking about how we never know the real names of places.) Dinner was fine, but probably will not make it into our regular repertoire of places to go out.
We all headed back and crashed: my family: tired from a day of hiking, Sierra’s family: tired from traveling since 3:30am.
Day 139 December 24
I was up at 6:30 for coffee making and getting ready to head to the ruins at 8. Turns out, at 8 we were all in Picame getting breakfast, but we were off before 9. We walked and pointed out various things along the way.
When we arrived at the ruins, I asked Juan Carlos if he wanted a group, but he said he was waiting on one. He later came up to me and thanked me for the offer while wishing me a merry Christmas. Instead, we got Julio, Luis’ stepmom’s nephew, to be our guide. He did a wonderful job. It was great for me, because Julio’s tour took us around the ruins the opposite way than my last tour and covered a few different things. It was in English too, which helped make it easier for me to follow.
The ruins were particularly beautiful because all of the La Ceibas were in bloom, which only happens every 4 years for 2 weeks. It was wonderful. We also took note of the nature trail that starts before the entrance to the ruins, and is therefore free. The Honduran rodents were out (and I can never remember their names) as well as many a macaw, and I saw my first Honduran squirrel (and 4 of his friends.)
After the ruins, we tried to go eat at my student Isaac’s mom’s restaurant, but it was closed (the 24th is a national holiday.) Instead, we went to Casa Villamil and hit a few more food staples my parents had missed thus far, including pastel de tres leches. Delicious.
We then went to the hardware store, did more shopping, and picked up some beer for the evenings festivities. With my new cement nails and light bulb, I put my room back together (tapestry and mirror back up on my wall) and re-illuminated the downstairs bathroom.
Mom and Dad took a naptime to prep for being up late, but I seem unable to nap, so I did some laundry, cleaned the house up, and worked on updating here. After they woke up, we got mixed juices in Picame and did more tourist shopping.
When we got back, Sierra and her family were doing a gift exchange, so we went on the roof with my laptop and listened to Christmas carols while viewing pictures from the trip so far. After a while of sitting up there and chatting, we decided it was time to start getting ready for dinner at Twisted Tanya’s.
Dinner was superb. I’ve never eaten a full meal there, and Tanya really takes pride in her creations, with reason. We enjoyed dinner, and the view for a while. After, we went to the church for the nativity reenactment. The costumes and set were very nicely done, but it was hard to see, because once it started many folks stood up in the front, inhibiting the view of everyone else. It sounded well rehearsed, but it was hard for us to know. We left before mass started.
When we headed back, we got the beer from the fridge and moved to the roof. Fireworks were being set off all over town. Most could only be heard, but some could be seen, and they were beautiful. We sat out in the chairs and talked while watching. Sierra and her family went to ViaVia and around 10:30 Luis joined us on the roof.
Around midnight, the kids across the street stretched out 35 yards of loud, small explosion fireworks, that, once lit, worked it’s way down the line in roughly 2 minutes. I covered my ears to protect my ear drums. Midnight was the climax of the night, and we watched as everything died down. I finally made it to bed around 1.
Day 140 December 25
Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Granddaddy!
It doesn’t really feel like Christmas when the weather is like this, but Christmas it is! We got up and out the door for 7 o’clock mass, on time and everything. Only to discover that the information we had received was wrong. There is no 7. In fact, there’s not one person (who’s slept during the night) on the streets of this ghost town. Defeated, we went in search of a place that might possibly be open for breakfast (we had folks sleeping in the living room after last night’s festivities and didn’t really want to go back and disturb them again.)
Viavia was open, and so we went in for breakfast (Sierra’s dog had been following us around and actually followed us into the restaurant, but was quickly chased out.) We all got typical breakfast platters, because Viavia’s are great. Coffee too, of course. Maricio the cat sat with us in the fourth chair at the table, but was very polite, so we were just amused. The waitress chased him away before we were served so he wouldn’t beg. She also happened to know that the real mass time is 10.
Between breakfast and church we headed home for a quiet gift exchange (I was proud that I had gotten gifts down by the tree before mom and down ever headed down, but because of our dozing guests, mom and dad never saw them. We took the tree and the gifts up to my room for the exchange.) We then went to mass, which was one of the quickest we’ve ever had. Mom actually knew some of the carols and it was the priest who enunciates clearly, so Dad got a bit at the end of the homily.
After church we took care of some last minute errands and went to visit with Ava. Sweet as can be, she let us try some tamales and chatted for a while. Conversation was limited because of my Spanish but I was able to translate for both sides, at least sufficiently. We didn’t stay too long because I didn’t want to take time away from her family, but these visits really are helping build my confidence with Spanish.
We then headed back toward the ruins for the nature trail (off before the actual park, so it’s free.) It was beautiful, vine-y, fungus-y, and labeled. We saw beautiful birds and avoided angry ants (a few times.) In the middle of the trail, there’s an old practice field for the Mayan game (which was really cool, because we immediately recognized the structure as for the game, and then Dad commented on the size and we speculated on it possibly being a practice field before coming across the plaque that said just that.)
When we got home we took a breather and relaxed before we started packing up. We had our last dinner at the new restaurant on the corner, that I enjoy frequenting. It’s good Honduran food and the waiters are really nice. Luis came as we finished up dinner and we all went home to watch The Santa Claus (with Spanish subtitles.) It was amusing for all. After which, we headed to bed to prepare for the trip tomorrow.
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