I think the warranty just ran out!

Well, I’m at a crossroads of life, at least I think that is the wall I’ve run up to.  

This month I turned 65.  Yow!  When did that creep up on me?  The last thing I remember was standing over the crib just before the birth of my youngest daughter (who is now 36 years old) thinking, “The next time I turn around, she or he will be in college!”  Well, she was born, she did go to college, she graduated, she had children and I’m still wondering “What happened to yesterday?” 

Not that I mind being 65.  You see, I’ve never thought of myself as old and age never really bothered me all that much.  To some extent, living on the island has made me feel younger.  I get sufficient exercise, I eat less “junk” food, I expand my mind with tasks like reading, sewing, and cooking, yard work, blogging and creating “published” works.  Of course now the exercise includes mainly just a lot of walking and the yard work consists of telling my workman what I want done.  Oh, occasionally I pitch in with the planting and pulling of weeds, but those occasions are getting to be less and less.  And, I must admit, if I lived back in the States, I would be spending more time at a desk and/or, ultimately, in front of a T.V. and being a lot more stressed.  So, while we have frustrating moments here, they are moments that can be dealt with without going into orbit.

I have always looked forward to birthdays.  I mean, as they always say, it is better than the alternative.  I fully subscribe to the “You are as old as you feel, not as old as you look” theory.  I once read a quote by Emily Dickinson who said “We turn not older with years, but newer every day.”  And this is so true of my life these past 11 years on Guanaja.  Regardless of my age, I have had many adventures and will continue to do so.  These will bring unexpected joys along with unexpected sorrows, but that is life.  I have never thought in terms of “Boy, is he/she old.”  Rather, people were either on an equal keel with me in life, ahead of me or behind me.  

My Grandmother was never old – she was what a Grandmother, in my mind, was supposed to be.  A heavy-set woman with lots of folds to cuddle in, a handkerchief in her bosom, a stick of gum to give the little ones to keep them quiet in church and funny-looking supportive shoes.  She had gray hair, always wore a dress and always had a smile for me.  Of course, when I look at that definition, I don’t have any idea what my Grandchildren (all 6 of them) think of me! 

Age never meant much to me.  Now, health was a different matter.  Young or old, when a person is sick they are in their own category.  They all need to be taken care of, loved more and more tolerance shown.  I guess some people feel that same way about “old” people.  But, hey, when do you get old?  I have run up against people younger than me who don’t have half the stamina I have.  I have seen “old” people (in their 80's) who do more than my Mom did in her mid-60's.  Sometimes I wonder if happiness consists primarily of an attitude toward time.  If you dread the years slipping by and can find little happiness in where you are at any given time, then you are truly not a happy person.  Some people meet the day with a smile and positive attitude while others grumble and complain never wanting to see the good around them.  So, how old would you be if you didn’t how old you was? 

But back to the celebration!  My female friends on the island and I got together to toast my 65^th birthday.  It was a wonderful day and, in spite of the rough seas, we all forged ahead, climbed in our respective boats and made the wet, rough trip out to a small Cay off the island which is owned by a lovely German couple.  We were joined by two women from Germany who had just arrived on the island and came along to have a good time.  We had appetizers and champagne punch.  We had champagne, ribs, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans and fresh bread and wine and cake for desert!  

They sang the traditional Happy Birthday song and they even put up decorations in my honor.  

We laughed talked, enjoyed each other’s company and took pictures.  For posterity, I turned to the young German woman of 20 and told her “When you celebrate your 65^th birthday, please think of the crazy American woman you met on Guanaja on her 65^th birthday.  Even though I will be dead, remember I wished you a happy birthday!”

Hey, the best thing about growing old is that it takes such a long time!

Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday ----------------- heh, heh, heh.

 

 

Final Report on Copán

As the title says, this is my final report on  my vacation to Copán with my son.

If one checks up on information concerning Copán,you will usually find this: "The Pre-Columbian city today known as Copán is a locale in western Honduras, in the Copán Department, near the border of Guatemala. It is the site of a major Maya kingdom of the Classic era."  Most information will proceed to tell you all about the ruins which, of course, is the main reason one goes to Copán. 

However,not much is said about the town and I love the town!  

The cobblestone streets, the quaint buildings, the open market, the enchanting look of the whole area brings me back again and again.

The area is built in a valley and the town is situated on rolling hills which wind through the town and expose untold views. You will find splashes of color everywhere with interesting touches in the architecture by the way of decoration.

I love the "adobe" look to the buildings, especially when some of the outer stucco chips away and you get a look at the original brick construction. The homes and businesses are painted in Caribbean colors and tropical plants abound.

In the center of town, as in most towns of Honduras, there is a park constructed in spoke-type fashion with various buildings and offices of the local Municipality, some shops and always, the Central Market.  How I love markets. We get such limited types and quantities of vegetables on the island that whenever I go to the mainland, the Market is one of the places I love the most. 

 

Such abundance and variety available in Copán. Foods are brought in from nearby Guatemala and I saw, as pictured in the collage, huge radishes which are one of my favorite vegetables.  In 11 years on Guanaja I've had radishes about 8 times! There are pots and pans, shoes and clothing being sold and a small open air eating place. The photo showing the display of shoes indicates the patience one must have shopping in a Honduran market! I think one would have a hard time finding the mate to the shoe they sought to purchase.

As I was walking the streets I found a shoemaker plying his trade beside a building.  One finds these masters all over Honduras and 

for a few Lempira you can get your shoes repaired as good as new. Evidently he felt more comfortable in his stocking feet at the time.

Another "Kodak" moment presented itself in the doorway of a shop displaying hats.

The inside and outside of buildings present unusual photo opportunities, especially in the hotels, of which there are many. Like all of the town of Copán, everything is kept very clean. Every hotel I looked into was tidy and pleasant looking. Only one hotel that I visited had a pool. The Marina. although we had the availability of a hot tub at Don Udo's where we stayed.  At the Marina Hotel I found some really interesting lamp covers made of shells.  

They had a beautiful, mahogany, curved staircase that presented a beautiful play on light and shadows so I just had to take the picture of it.

There were some unusual sights; a fence surrounding a home was made of woven palm leaves.  The interior of a building had been decorated at once time with hanging paper decorations which are finally falling into disrepair but attractive none-the-less.  There was one yard where I saw corn laid out to dry in the sun and, of course, there is always the local dog.

The other plus of Copán are the varied and excellent restaurants.  We had wonderful meals wherever we went with excellent, friendly service. One such place was the "Twisted Tanya", a local restaurant owned run by a Brit who was a former owner/partner at the restaurant "Twisted Toucan" in Roatan. She became disenchanted with Roatan and moved to Copán.  The food is outstanding; the salads unlike any other and the drinks - well, the drinks are amazing.  We spent a wonderful evening at the restaurant visiting with the owner, her daughter and staff enjoying the ambiance and food.  We left late in the evening but had no fear as the hotel was only blocks away and the streets relatively deserted. We were surprised to find our hotel door locked and after calling out to the night watchman, we were allowed entrance. 

We were very lucky as the weather was beautiful and cooperated fully. There was rain late one afternoon, but other than that the temperatures were mild to cool.  Of course during the rainy season I would not recommend visiting the area.  Roads are washed out, streets are flooded and viewing the ruins would be a disaster.  So, December through mid-February is not the best time.  The rest of the year is wonderful; the tourist "season" is April through July, so judge your vacation accordingly.

So, if you like variety; horseback riding, hiking, hot springs spa, bird parks, fine cusine or just taking photos, Copán is one place you will not want to miss! 

Jaguar Spa - One of Nature’s Wonders

As part of my blogging attempts to report on my recent visit to Copan with my son, I now want to relay our experience with one of Nature’s Wonders that is just 45 minutes away from Copan, Jaguar Spa – Natural Springs.

I had learned about the natural springs from a friend who visited there last year and returned to the island with rave reviews. So, naturally, when my son and I planned our vacation in Copan, I had to include a trip to the hot springs.

We arranged (through our hotel) for a driver to take us to the springs. The 45-minute drive was interesting as well as “rugged”. We passed through some beautiful countryside and some small hamlets with a spattering of homes and, once in a while, a small school with children spilling out into the play area.

We left early in the morning as we wanted to dedicate our afternoon to the ruins. We arrived well before 10 a.m. and were guided back into the springs by a friendly young man. We had arranged for a massage after a relaxing soak in the springs, which is an extra on the visit.

The hot springs are located on a well-kept, nicely manicured area, with a parking lot that gently slopes off down towards the river. There’s a ticket booth, an outdoor cold shower, a place to change into your swimming clothes, and typical lush flowers and plant-life all around. Luna Jaguar has been built to resemble, or at least pay homage to the Mayan ruins in the surrounding area. There is a lot of dark-gray rock set off by deep green leaves. The resort is pretty large; it took an attendant at least ten minutes to show us all the pools, the massage area, the foot bath, the mud bath, and the vapor area.

Much attention had been paid to carving out areas leading to the springs. We crossed over a rope bridge, carefully walked on stepping stones across a pool of water, entered a tunnel-like access which had been carved out of the mountainside and came across some interesting carvings of human skulls along with the ever present tree roots growing inside the tunnel.

We passed a small cascading waterfall, an interesting Mayan head carving along with a carving that constantly receives the sulphur-like hot water flowing over it 24/7.

There are several “steps” to relaxing in the hot springs: There is a natural mud bath area which one goes to after soaking in the hot spring and then the cold spring. The mud provided there acts as an exfoliant to scrub away dead skin cells and cleanse the body.

Next is a circular area for a natural foot massage. This area consists of smooth stones lining the bottom of the circular walkway divided into two areas; one walkway receives hot water and the other cold. One is told to walk around the area 6 times before proceeding onto the sitting area where you then soak in the hot springs before moving on to the cooling off pool.

There is also an area for a steam facial which consists of leaning over a rail and putting your face into the ascending column of steam. Really cleansing!

The final step in this relaxing program is a massage, if one cares to partake and how could we pass that up?

Above the springs is a shaded, covered area to change out of our swimsuits, don a soft robe and then lie down on a massage table and have a relaxing massage while listening to the sounds of nature. It couldn’t get much better than this!

We spent a couple of hours at the springs and I would recommend that if one plans on including this side trip in their journey, then, please, set aside the whole day so you can fully relax the relaxing waters, return to your hotel for a late nap and then have a great dinner. Since we were pressed for time we had to leave well before we wanted so that we could take in the ruins.

Along the drive back I was able to take a photo of an average Honduran house in the mountains. These are adobe-like houses finished with an outside coat of mud. On the way back we came across a huge tarp laid out alongside the road and on it red beans (or black beans) are laid out to dry. At the right time of year you will see coffee beans laid out in the same manner to dry in the hot Honduran sun. Small children are seen at various areas alongside of the road and I managed to get a quick photo of a group of charming, but wary, children.

The people at the Spa were friendly and accommodating. We had a wonderful experience and if I’m given the opportunity to return to Copan you can bet that I’ll return to Jaguar Spa Springs.