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This past week has certainly been a busy one although not all for reasons that I would have chosen! Work on Monday was as bracing as ever but unfortunately I came down with what I later discovered was an intestinal infection on Tuesday and was pretty much out of it until Friday morning, by which time I'd been on antibiotics for a day and the pain has gone down. But more of this later.
Back to last weekend briefly as promised - most of our time was actually spent travelling as is the case when visiting anywhere from La Esperanza as it is in between all of the major Honduran cities and near none of them! But the place we stayed at was a little town called Pena Blanca by the Lago de Yojoa - no more than a hotel and a few cafes and charming for it. The hotel cost an epic 5 pounds a night, but given that I had to exterminate an ant's nest in the bathroom wasn't a fantastic deal! The main sites of the area (of which you can see pictures of) are the Pulhapanzak falls and the Cuevas de Taulabe. Pictures cannot really do justice to either of the placed though - the roar and spray from the falls and the damp mugginess of the caves are impossible to capture. We ate at an amazing little American-owned micro-brewery with proper hamburgers and odd beer flavours - rasberry and mango for example that were nevertheless very tasty. This was also the place where I ate the salad that gave me the infection but we'll pass over that!
As nice as both sites were the Honduran buses are exhausting, especially the cheaper ones. Regular stops are made at which hoardes of small food stall owners take over the bus and press all sorts of things in your direction and swear at you when you don't take anything! More annoyingly, the locals seem determined to corrupt their country by throwing all rubbish straight out of the windows - most of the sides of the highways are littered with the stuff. When another volunteer asked if there was a bin, the conductor just opened the window for her. Enough complaining though - the 2 pound ticket prices make up for the quirks.
The rest of the week, other than an energetic Monday was grim to be frank - I started getting a bit of a fever before I went to the doctor on Wednesday and inevitably pessimistic thoughts crept into my work-free days. Going to the local clinicwas a cultural experience in itself - for about 16 pounds I got consultation and full medication which is saying a lot since I was given four boxes of the stuff! He even spoke a little English and between our shakey language skills he quickly sorted me out and sent me on my way - very impressive service overall. A few days of eating nothing but bananas and soup later and I was almost fully recovered. I still fill in need of some rest but the medication has undoubtedly worked and I should be fighting fit for work tomorrow after a solid night's sleep.
Luckily, I was well enough by Friday to head off with the other volunteers to the Copan Ruins. I'll gloss over the epic journeys there and back (16 hours on the road, 4 of them on the way back in a luxery coach, perfect for nodding off). Coming into the town itself was very strange - we saw more foreigners in 10 minutes that we had in the whole of the rest of the trip. The restaurants were fantastic though - very well cooked traditional Honduran food for lunches and dinners (beans, rice, chicken, tortillas, egg) but we gave in when it came to breakfast. There was a local pancake bar that proved too tempting - super smoothies too. The hotel was great - another massive 5 pounds per person and the ultimate luxery of hot running water. Never has it felt so good to take a shower.
On Saturday we saw why the Mayan ruins are so popular. The site initially looks small - some stele are scattered by the entrance and a few stairs lead up to platforms. But round the right hand corner and two huge flights of steep steps leading up to elevated altars and the sides of the ball court spring into view. One of the stairs has the typically intricate carvings arranged along the side - they are so detailed that there is a huge canvas cover for their protection. In words it's hard to convey how impressive the hand carving is - the best thing is to look at some of the photographs! After climbing the first flight the rest of the site lays itself out - more platforms, stele and altars cover a corridor abouty 100 metres long and 40 wide and confirm why this site is so important for archeologists. Inside the museum are some of the finer pieces and a replica of a temple - the original is actually inside one of the great constructions. Apparently many more temples lie underneath the surface ruins and work is still being done to carefully expose them. Overall the site is epic - everyone felt a little numb after walking through the whole complex (not just from the heat!). The sheer scale and cultural richness is disarming.
Little other news - many volunteers left this weekend so we're down to a core of four with more arriving on Tuesday. Also I'm about to book the only real piece of travelling of the holiday - a trip to Utila, one of the Bay Islands to complete a beginner's divers course. I am looking forward to a few comforts then too - English cinema and great beaches among them. Back to the graft tomorrow - the last layer has gone onto the outside of the building and only a few more are needed on the inside for the roof. Must dash back to the homestay for some much-needed sleep!
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