Impecable TIming

No words can really explain how I feel about this weekend. Refreshing, needed, perfect. We hit a 30 second window right away when the English teacher at the school allowed us to hitch a ride with him as we were heading to the bus station. He took us to the next stop and 2 buses later we made it to Copan. After getting a little hustled and played for hotels, (the only bad part of the weekend), we met up with Phil´s friend who is volunteering in Honduras. We went to the Ruins in Copan which are some of the most complete in central america. As awe inducing as they were, I just enjoyed the peace of the place. There is way to much noise in Esquipulas and just to have 3 hours of quite felt different.

I started talking to another gringo (thank god for the attraction to familiarity). He informed us that every year the Peace Corps volunteers overwhelm the city on halloween weekend. This weekend was pushed back 2 weeks (unknownly) and the timing was perfect. They needed the weekend as much as we did. To put it lightly, we went out. Live bands, swings at the bar, lots of costumes, and a makeshift ¨change you can believe in¨ sign. We met up with Phil´s friend´s friends randomly, again good timing.

I slept in...to the afternoon. After recouperating and watching a really bad movie on tv we decided to go to the waterfall. Some guy doing laundry wanted to do the waterfall trip and we met up with him- I don´t know how. We didn´t want to pay the 9 bucks each (highway robbery here) for the ride, so we decided to find it ourselves with public trans. Luckily the freinds from the night before were on their way home and knew the way, we would have never found it. No signs, nothing. Again amazing timing.

The falls were spectacular. No one else was there, the rocks were worn from the water. I felt like I found my paradise. We discovered the water treadmill, where you can simply swim in place against the current. I wish we would have had all day and picnic supplies.

To close a brief note about buses. At first I thought public trans. was terrible and unorganized. Now I love it. You don´t have to wait long (I have always waited longer in the US for buses), it is cheap because everyone uses it. BUT, everyone use it. That means in something larger than a minivan, but smaller than a 16 passenger we fit in (and out cause people hang out the open door) 32 people. When I get home I want to try fit in 9 in my car. Maybe that is why Guatemalans are small- so they can fit more in a bus?

Refreshed, alive, and needed.