Eating my way through Copán Ruinas

I spent large periods of time this week carefully putting extreme amounts of poster putty on the back of all my classroom materials so that I could hang them on the (supposedly freshly-painted) walls. I had been specifically asked to bring down poster putty before I arrived, so I came very much prepared. I managed to get all the materials hung up, especially because the heat here only made the putty stickier. On Friday, Isis, one of my aids in the kindergarten room was hanging something up for the Honduran Spanish teacher, Miss Betty. I asked her if she wanted to use my poster putty, but she just shook her head and pulled out a hot glue gun. She explained that we wouldn't use a lot of hot glue because Miss Betty would get mad, but that it would really just be easier to hot glue the two posters to the wall. I'm still in a bit of disbelief over that.

But now it's the weekend - a five day weekend. Seven of us volunteers hit the road and went to Copán Ruinas, a small town famous for ancient Mayan ruins and a beautiful setting. First, though, the bus ride here. One word for it would be interesting. We waited in Cofradía for 40 minutes for the bus to show and then climbed aboard this tiny busito, a little bus similar to the van we ride to school every day. But when we got onto the busito, it was already completely full. So full that I was literally standing with my back against the door that we'd had trouble closing. So that was interesting. Also interesting was going over all the potholes and curves in the road, while we stood and attempted to maintain balance. Even more interesting was standing for the first two hours of the ride, occasionally alternating with a volunteer who had managed to secure a seat on the ground whenever one or two of us got too nauseated. When some people finally got off and we secured seats, the potholes and speed bumps were just as fun. However, I was then able see out the window and I am still utterly astounded at the beauty of this country. The rolling hills, incredible vegetation, cows everywhere, lush farmland, and stark contrast between immense poverty and money. Before coming here I truly had no idea this was the image of the country I'd find.

Upon arrival in Copán we headed to a hostal where five of us piled into one room with two double beds and a set of bunk beds. Copán is sort of in a valley, and it was truly gorgeous. The hostal was cute and had a fairly clean pool as well as a covered rooftop garden. And with Independence Day on Monday, the streets were decked out with blue and white flags. 

Two of the volunteers who had already been here described the food as one of the selling points of Copán - you can get food that's not just Honduran. I, loving food more than a lot of other things in life, was super into this idea. Shortly after our arrival, I got some curried roasted potatoes for lunch, and then shared a piece of apple pie with Amanda. I readily admitted that I planned to spend my weekend eating, and was just a little too excited about that. 

I'm really really into food. And the fact of the matter is, in the United States we are able to take all our culinary options a bit for granted. So being in a place where I could choose the cuisine that I wanted over beans or something fried for every meal was a big deal. 

Sunday morning Liz and I got up and headed out to find breakfast. The town was alive and full of tourists and delicious-smelling food. We each got a pineapple mango smoothie and then met up with Amanda. The three of us headed to a coffee shop, where Amanda and I split an Argentinian cookie with dulce de leche filling. It was great, especially because there isn't really dessert in Cofradía and I was beginning to go into baked good withdrawal. As we sat in the coffee shop, we talked about how much we like Copán. And how guilty we feel about that. Because Copán isn't truly the identity of Honduras. It is a nice, touristy town, that felt borderline European. And it was truly wonderful for a long weekend - to be able to visit a place where safety wasn't a primary concern, where delicious, quality food of any variety could be purchased, where there were things going on all the time, where white people weren't stared at along every street. 

Before heading to visit the ruins, we had to get lunch. We waited for 25 minutes at an upscale cafe to order sandwiches, only to finally learn that their fresh bread would not be cool enough for sandwich-making for an hour. However, as it turned out, this was the best thing that ever happened to us. We instead walked to a specialty cheese and coffee boutique. This was pretty exciting as cheese is neither great nor very accessible in Cofradía or Honduras. We ordered delicious grilled cheese sandwiches - mine was a chicken pesto mozzarella sandwich - that I know I will dream about for the next month.

After lunch we grabbed a moto taxi and headed to the ruins. Upon entering and passing through a heavy-duty fence and guard station that we joked was basically Honduran customs and immigration, we saw a sign that read "do not feed the macaws." We thought this was great and extremely fitting for Honduras, until we actually saw the macaws. They were absolutely stunning; bright red, yellow, and blue. They were everywhere, and seeing them soar in pairs across the temple ruins from enormous tree to enormous tree was unbelievable. Occasionally they would fly low and tourists would have to duck to avoid collisions.

The ruins were fantastic. I've seen a lot of ruins in my life, mostly in Mexico, but also in Guatemala. But I'd forgotten how cool ruins actually are. The idea that these structures are almost 1500 years old and represent an entire civilization is awe-inspiring. And since we are in Central America and liability is not ever of major concern, one can climb all over the ruins, exploring them and walking over these ancient structures. All three of us were blown away. The defining factor of the Copán ruins is the intricate and geometric designs and hieroglyphics. That, I had definitely never seen before. 

Archeologists unearthing the Copán ruins had dug a network of tunnels below the structures, to learn about construction techniques. Two of these tunnels were open to tourists - for an additional $15 fee, the same cost as entering the park. Rather than spend $30 to see what is basically exciting ancient rocks, we decided we'd simply stride confidently towards the tunnel entrance. Upon doing so, we were clapped at loudly by some guys. We played dumb, but were still not allowed to enter. It was okay though, because instead Liz and I had our first experience with fire ants. 

Monday was Independence Day. Despite an obnoxious car alarm outside our window all night long, a marching band, and screaming children, we got up early and headed towards the square. Liz and I split an omelette and Amanda and I split a piece of German chocolate cake. All was delicious. We then walked into the square where Hondurans were dressed in elaborate costumes or school uniforms. There was loud music playing, people everywhere, and a parade of each school in the area was making its way around the city.

By afternoon it was raining and six of us headed to the hot springs that Amanda had read about online. It was an hour-long drive through the mountains, and the pickup truck only had room for four in the cab. Theresa and I sat in the back of the pickup truck on a soggy mattress. And while the ride and views were astonishing, the drizzling rain and constant stares of Hondurans along our route were loads of fun. 

When we arrived at the hot springs, only a little bit nauseous, we were blown away. I'm not sure I can really describe it. For one, by then it was pouring. We were given a short tour of the hot springs and natural pools that had been created, and were soon drenched. It looked the way I imagine a luxury jungle spa would look. There were small pools of varying temperatures everywhere, all constructed by man, but done in a beautiful and natural way with lovely stones and rocks and paths. And the trees and vines surrounding everything were lush and untamed. It was incredible. Until the very end, we were the only people there. The rain made everything more beautiful and the steam rising into the jungle was pretty much magical.

Starving after having only eaten breakfast and cookies, we went out for dinner. I got a Greek gyro platter which was beautifully seasoned. It wasn't actually a Greek gyro platter, but a plate of grilled chicken with pineapple and veggies, alongside homemade "Moroccan" bread, a salad, and three very different but fantastic sauces. Then Amanda and I, of course, had to split a piece of homemade cheesecake smothered in strawberry sauce. 

This morning Liz and I got up really early to get breakfast before the 8am bus back to Cofradía. We headed to a local market for papusas and then got coffee. The bus we got was a slightly nicer busito and we all scored seats. 

Sitting in the bus, trying to snooze but instead watching the cows and landscape, I realized how happy I am to be here. I realized that I do like Cofradía, and the simplicity of living there. While it was so nice to be in Copán and to be able to spoil myself with delicious and varied food for every meal, I was ready to go home and make a big pot of rice and beans for tonight. I was ready to go grocery shopping and I was ready to sleep in my own bed and I was ready to lesson plan. I really do like my kids. It was so nice being able to take my phone out to take pictures on the streets of Copán, but I've come away from this weekend feeling so refreshed and motivated to jump back into school. And my belly is happy and full. 

I'm in Honduras and I still can't believe I'm here. I can't believe that this is for real, that this is my life. That I am in this existence. And I just feel so excited, all over again, that this is what is happening. 

This is the gap year I've been waiting  for.