Update - May 2002
May 2002
Jeremy’s calendar has changed from a picture of Sterling Marlin to that of Dale Jarrett, so it must be a new month again. May is a fun month because it is so full of family birthdays. However, it won’t be quite as busy as usual without band concerts, awards ceremonies, and graduations to attend. It’s not bad to take the “busyness” out of May - - just different.
As you know, we went to the mainland for four days recently. We had been wanting to go for various reasons, but we were a little hesitant because we aren’t fluent enough in Spanish to communicate very effectively. So, when Daniel and Sadie Johnson mentioned that they would like to go check out the medical facilities in San Pedro Sula and see other sights on the mainland, we felt like it was an opportunity we couldn’t turn down. You see, Sadie’s mom is Puerto Rican, so Sadie is bilingual and fluent in Spanish. It was such a comfort to know she was there if we needed her help, and we did. (Although, I have to say that Joey’s Spanish is well beyond where it was even a month ago.)
We took the two-hour boat trip to La Ceiba, which we had done before; and, from there we rented a car and drove. It was cheaper this way, we didn’t have to hassle with getting taxi cabs all through the trip, and Sadie couldn’t fly in the small turbo prop plane to San Pedro because of her pregnancy. It was a long trip on a curvy mountain road, but we got to see so much more of the countryside this way. We drove all the way to Copan, a five hour trip from La Ceiba, the first night. Aly and Sadie have a traveler’s tip for you. Don’t drink a soda in San Pedro Sula, because the gas stations between this city and Copan do not stay open very late at all!
When we arrived in Copan, the first thing we did was find a baño. After that, we could all enjoy the sights of the town. The streets were paved with cobblestones. The buildings were all joined along a block with one continuous white outer wall. When we peeked into a doorway, we could see that each outer wall protected a square of small buildings surrounding a courtyard. The center of town was a catholic cathedral, with an impressive façade, and the town square directly in front of it. Since it was Saturday night, the square was just full of Spanish people - - some resting, some visiting, and some cooking food.
We weren’t quite sure what to expect as far as hotels. The one we stayed in was not considered one of the nicest, according to our Honduras traveler’s guide book, and we have all seen the term “resort” used very loosely on Roatan. So, we were pleasantly surprised when we stepped into the room. The restroom was very clean - - the fixtures weren’t even rusting! The room had a beautiful ceramic tile floor and very nice furniture. The beds had a set of box springs and a mattress and were very well made with a set of sheets, a blanket on top, another sheet on top of that, and a comforter. We even had a very effective air conditioner. We slept so well!
The
next morning, we got up and went to the ancient Mayan ruins of Copan. We
were very fortunate to find a guide who spoke excellent English and who was
very knowledgeable about the ruins. Aly has studied a little about ancient
civilizations in social studies; and, of course, Joey has taught about
them. So, it was very interesting to see the remains of the huge structures
that these people had built so many years ago. It was really more
impressive that I imagined. The sad part of the civilization is that some
of the remaining Mayans still come back to the site annually to make
sacrifices to their gods.
That
evening, we went for a short horse-back tour near the River Copan. I
mention this story because I think you can all relate to life in a small
town and sometimes feeling like you can’t go anywhere or do anything without
everyone knowing. The first night
we drove into Copan, a
couple of different
people told us that they give horse-back tours. We didn’t commit to either
one and drove on to find a hotel. Well, the next morning when we left the
hotel, both of these guys were waiting outside to see if we wanted to go for
a ride. We hadn’t told them where we were going to stay because we
didn’t even know at the time we had spoken to each of them. I guess it’s
not too hard to track down a couple of gringo families in the middle of a
Spanish town!
Monday morning, we drove back to San Pedro Sula so Sadie could see the doctor there. She hadn’t seen a doctor since she left the States 6 weeks ago, and just wanted to be sure everything was going well with her pregnancy. Also, it was a good excuse for us to check out the medical facilities there, since many people have told us to go there if anything serious ever comes up. We have heard very good things about one of the doctors there, and Sadie concurred that he was excellent. I feel very good about going there, if we ever need to.
We spent a couple of hours at the mall while Sadie was at her appointment, and we were excited to find some items that we have needed for a while - - and at really good prices. Aly and I even found a couple of books in English at a teacher’s supply store at the mall. We also went to Price Mart, which is a store where you have to be a member, like a Sam’s club or a Cosco. There were many items there that we had to buy when we first arrived on the island, and at much lower costs.
That night, we stayed just outside San Pedro at a newly built Microtel, which is an American chain hotel. It was really nicely kept, with a pool, sand volleyball, hammocks outside, and a playground for small children.
A trip like this is such a nice break for us. It’s hard to get away when you live on a small island! It’s mentally uplifting to go to an American-looking mall, stay at an American chain hotel, and eat at American chain restaurants. Prices were cheaper there than on the island; and, we had so much fresh fruit, which is difficult to get at the stores here. We found ourselves thinking that maybe it would have been easier if God had called us to the mainland rather than this island. But, God knows best. If we were in San Pedro Sula, life would travel at a city pace rather than a rural pace. We wouldn’t have the ocean to explore or the dark skies to gaze at the stars. We wouldn’t be learning the lessons we are learning about appreciating the little things in life. And, we wouldn’t have the peace of knowing that we are where God wants us to be.
Love to you all,
Angie