Copan Mayan Ruins

We had a great time in January visiting the Mayan Ruins in Copan with Auntie Trudi.  Just went for a quick 3 day trip.  It was SO relaxing and laid-back.  We had a great time.  And the best part....the food and drinks!

 The hotel had welcome coctails waiting for us when we arrived.  A local drink made with cucumbers and rum. Delicious!

 

 

 

Here's Aaron at our favorite Jamaican restaurant, Twisted Tanya's.

 

 

 

 

We arrived at the perfect time...Happy Hour!!

 

Our hotel was filled with beautiful flowers and adorable passageways.  Everything was very authentic looking and you really felt like you were in a different world.  They also had very friendly service.

 

 

 

We left early in the morning to tour the ruins, hoping to avoid the hot sun.  They were really beautiful in their own way. Amazing how intricate the stone carvings are...made without the use of lasers or modern machines and they have endured thousands of years.

As you enter the area the first thing you notice are all the wild parrots and tropical birds everywhere.  The park feeds them so they stick around, along with squirrels and other wildlife.  The parrots were amazing!

 

 

 

 

Our tour guide was Toni.  He has worked at the ruins for around 40 years and was very knowledgeable.  He was fluent in a handful of languages and could say hello in almost 30 different languages! He was quite the character!

 

We found most interesting the history of the Mayans' religious beliefs and where their culture came from.  Historians think that the Mongolians originally came to Central America and got stuck here when winter came so they settled here.  You can see a strong Asian influence in the carvings and their religious beliefs. 

 

We finished the tour just in time to escape the hot part of the day. It was an interesting morning and we really enjoyed it. Definitely worth the trip to see these ruins!

After the ruins, we needed a nice cool dip in the pool and some dinner.  The hotel has a wonderful restaurant with a great view!

 

 
 

 

 

The next day we got up early and checked out of our beautiful hotel to make the long journey home.  Got to the bus stop at 9am and bought our tickets.  Then the clerk tells us that all the buses for the day have been postponed because there are protesters in the street somewhere in Guatemala and all the streets are closed down!  So we had to wait until around 4:30 in the afternoon for our bus!!  At least we took advantage of the time to check out another delicious restaurant!!

 

We found an Italian place that made their own cheese and wines! Amazing!  I had the pesto and mozzarella grilled cheese!

 

 

We finally made the bus to San Pedro and arrived around 6:00 pm at night. Since it was too late to catch the bus back to our little town, we stayed overnight in San Pedro.  It was such a shame that were forced to stay another night in a fancy hotel and enjoy Applebees food! Hehe.  Even though there was a little change of plans to the vacation, we had a marvelous time and were so happy to experience it with Tia Trudi!

Super Hero Party

Aaron's Annual Boys Party! 

Theme: Super Heroes

 

 

 

 

In total, we had 13 boys (and some "boys" at heart) at the apartment.  We were especially happy to have Nick and Manoah here from the states, and Raul and Mario here from the construction group.  Aaron made welcome "goodie" bags to each person.

 

 

Nick and Manoah brought ties and shirts from the states for everyone!

 

 

They played several games including "Repollo" (Cabbage) which basically is like hot potato. The ball that gets passes around has either prizes listed or silly pranks. When the music stops, whoever is holding the cabbage has to do whatever it says.  Below, you will see little Angel eating a whole lime!

Manoah had to act like an elephant!

 



 

Angel also had to hop on one foot 20 times!

 

 

Noe had to blow up a balloon and then sit on it to pop it.

 

 

Afterwards, they played a game where they split into 3 teams and try to build the highest tower out of spaghetti and marshmellos! 

 

They stayed up all night and played video games and watched movies...super hero movies of course!  The next morning they all had to wake up bright and early for meeting.  It all turned out great and we loved having them all!