Copan Alone (Tuesday wrapup)

Alone in Copan
Written 8 May 2007 at 6:08 pm from inside Copan

There’s an odd sense of wonderment – and a little fear, I have to admit – at being the only person in the ancient Mayan ruins of Copan after dark.

The sun set about 20 minutes ago, and besides the extremely loud birds, the very large rodents I can’t identify, gigantic ants, and the sounds of hundreds of other animals, I am alone.

But I do wonder a bit if the security guards here won’t take my money on the way out, or what would happen if I fell on the very steep steps here alone, or if I’ll find a taxi to take me out of here, or if there really are jaguars in this “Court of the Jaguars” that I sit next to.

I see a smaller pyramid surrounded by stellae, and the glow of the setting sun. By special permission, I’m here to take photos. But I thought I’d put some words to paper before the feelings too were gone like the hundreds of thousands of Mayans whose souls inhabit this place.

The parrots screech me back to my purpose, though, and I will walk until the fear of the dark overcomes me and I leave here. More later.

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I stayed there for about another half hour, and it was VERY dark when I left. The guards were fine, but there was a long corridor of trees (a few hundred yards) out to the locked parking lot. As I pondered on who or what would jump out of the bushes, I started seeing fireflies flitting around. The magic of their odd flashing light overcame the thoughts of danger … and soon enough I was out on the street trying to find a taxi back to the hotel.

And to finish the night, we had an amazing dinner at the Hacienda San Lucas where we stayed:
– Salad: Bed of greens garnished with fresh fruit, house cheese, and our rose hibiscus vinaigrette.
– Soup: Fresh new corn “atole” served with fresh flowers.
– Tamale de la casa: Homemade fresh corn tamale filled with our own adobo Maya sauce and chicken, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed, served with our pickled green papaya.
– Main Course: Fire roasted chicken served with rice, green beans with sesame seeds, and squash and carrots with a light cream sauce. Dinner is accompanied by our house adobo sauce to dress the chicken, our stewed black beans and our corn tortillas fresh from the comal.
– Dessert: Papaya in light syrup with spices served with a slice of rum cake.