Yesterday I made the crazy decison to ride twelve hours in a bus to spend three hours in Honduras! While I am incredibly tired today, it was worth it to see Eastern Guatemala as well as hop the border and see the Mayan ruins in Copan, Honduras. The experience of the ¨real¨ Guatemala was an trip in and of itself where I saw things that will probably forever be etched in my mind... I watched children play in a trash filled- filthy- river, a horse taking in the afternoon sun lying in a heap of trash on the side of the road, stray dogs running alongside children too small to let go of their parents hands along a busy highway, shoeless women and men- young and old- carrying exremely heavy loads up mountain passes, trucks with so many people in the back of them that some were on the outside standing on the bumper at 75 miles/hr, houses made out of mud, twigs, and thatch, trash everywhere... and after taking it all in for five hours or so I arrived at Copan completely overwhelmed. I spent most of my time there sitting on top of one of the sets of stairs deep in thought and prayer. It was overwhelming to think that an entire civilization existed where I sat; incredibly sophisticated, organized, and affluent and now the descendants of those same people are living scattered in such extreme poverty. The geographical backdrop of Eastern Guatemala reminded me surpisingly of home (Colorado), with foothills that are breathtaking, and rivers creeping in through the different mountains. The entire 11 or so hours in the car I kept thinking how unreal it was to experience such beauty as a backdrop to such tragedy. But such is the life for so many people, and how sheltered I truly am. I have a few pictures from the ruins attached below... such a true word!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Copan, Honduras
Yesterday I made the crazy decison to ride twelve hours in a bus to spend three hours in Honduras! While I am incredibly tired today, it was worth it to see Eastern Guatemala as well as hop the border and see the Mayan ruins in Copan, Honduras. The experience of the ¨real¨ Guatemala was an trip in and of itself where I saw things that will probably forever be etched in my mind... I watched children play in a trash filled- filthy- river, a horse taking in the afternoon sun lying in a heap of trash on the side of the road, stray dogs running alongside children too small to let go of their parents hands along a busy highway, shoeless women and men- young and old- carrying exremely heavy loads up mountain passes, trucks with so many people in the back of them that some were on the outside standing on the bumper at 75 miles/hr, houses made out of mud, twigs, and thatch, trash everywhere... and after taking it all in for five hours or so I arrived at Copan completely overwhelmed. I spent most of my time there sitting on top of one of the sets of stairs deep in thought and prayer. It was overwhelming to think that an entire civilization existed where I sat; incredibly sophisticated, organized, and affluent and now the descendants of those same people are living scattered in such extreme poverty. The geographical backdrop of Eastern Guatemala reminded me surpisingly of home (Colorado), with foothills that are breathtaking, and rivers creeping in through the different mountains. The entire 11 or so hours in the car I kept thinking how unreal it was to experience such beauty as a backdrop to such tragedy. But such is the life for so many people, and how sheltered I truly am. I have a few pictures from the ruins attached below... such a true word!
