Honduras: Copan alone (AM) and home…
I have to admit that I didn’t really want to go back to Copan in the morning. I’d been there about 3 or 3.5 hours, and was all “shot out” of the place. But with Lulu the taxi driver arranged to arrive at 5:15 am (for 3 times the normal fare), and a campesino waiting for me at the gate at 5:30, I didn’t have much of a choice.
Yes, of course I’m glad I went. The AM pictures were amazing, and there was even more of a sense of wonderment to the Ruins. It was “Indiana Jones-like” … traipsing through the jungle only to discover ruins overgrown and lit with the soft, cool morning light.
And I even had time for a quick (not well done) self-portrait before sitting down and relaxing for a bit to read the guidebook on Copan.
I rushed out of the park, found Lulu to take me back up the hill to the Hacienda (by the way, the little “tuktuk” 3-wheel taxis barely make it up … I thought I was going to have to get out and push), had pancakes fresh off the griddle, and left for our uneventful 6+ hour drive back to Tegucigalpa and flights home.
Thinking back on it all, I’m astounded how much we fit in in 6 very, very fast-paced days. We overdid the travel with something like 8 flights and many car trips, taxi rides, boat rides, etc), but the memories (and photoes) were worth it. And — more importantly — the day with the kids reminded me how fortunate we are here, and gave me impetus to do more for the people in the world who can’t just run off on an indiana jones adventure whenever they feel like it.
And the next Honduras trip? It’s tentatively scheduled for next February, to La Mosquitia (the Mosquito Coast), with a Brigade of Doctors heading to one of the most remote places on earth.