This was the first overcast morning we had the whole time we were in Honduras, and I was a bit concerned that our outing might get rained on. However, it cleared up later, and the weather was fabulous by afternoon.
Sights on the sides of the roads --
Riding two on a mule (or a horse, I can't tell in this shot!)
Carrying loads of wood..... and a spare roll of toilet paper, just in case!
A mule carrying a load down the road, with no-one guiding him!
Sights that take your breath away in fear.....
.....or sights that leave you nearly breathless from their beauty.
What drive through Honduras would be complete without encountering the guy herding his cattle down the road?
Once we reached Copán, we decided to hire a tour guide to show us around and explain what we were seeing. This was VERY helpful, and I know the kids found the information he shared to be quite interesting!
I took this video while standing in the Great Plaza to try to show how huge of an area it covers. You can also hear the voice of our tour guide describing one of the artifacts displayed on the plaza.
This was an altar used for human sacrifice. The guide told us the curved trough cut in the stone was used to allow the blood to flow down for collection -- yuck!
The kids were allowed to climb up the stairs of this temple; this was exciting to them!! And boy, are those steps high and steep!
The cousins at the top!
The ball field -- and the captain of the WINNING team was sacrificed after their victory. It was supposedly considered a huge honor!
The guide said this statue was their "fertility god"!! I think this thing would scare anybody from wanting to have a baby!!
Kenzie looking down onto the grounds of the royal residences.
David and Kenzie taking a break near a carving they liked!
The kids all got a kick out of this statue of a "dancer"!! They thought it looked like a teddy bear!
Looking down from the tallest temple onto the ball field.
Kenzie and David with another sculpture they liked.
Kenzie and I posed on the steps on the back of the tall temple, shortly before the tour ended.
The three musketeers -- and their tour guide!
After leaving Copán Ruins, we headed into the nearby town -- which is called "Copán Ruinas"!! I loved this steep hill covered in cobble stones.
A view up a side street with another steep cobblestone road and a view of surrounding hillside.
Allan took us to a gift shop in town that he knew had good prices, and while we were getting out of the LandCruiser, look who we ran into -- the newlyweds!! They were staying at a nearby hotel for their honeymoon!
A church on the plaza in the center of town.
A very pretty hotel next to the church -- this is where Russell and Iris were staying for their honeymoon.
A fountain in the park -- I wish it had been running!!
And what posting would be complete without a picture of our meal? Allan picked up some very traditional food from a street vendor. He supervised the cooking of five plates of the food, to make sure it was cooked well enough for our sensitive "gringo tummies"!!
After eating, we had another 2 1/2 hour trip back to the hotel in Gracias. We still needed to pack and get ready for the next day's trip back to San Pedro Sula. We would take a photo tour of Gracias first thing in the AM, as well. More on that in my next post!
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Great pictures!
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