Copan Ruinas

My instuctor with whose family I'm staying this first week said before leaving for church tonight (in translation), "Don't worry if you hear thumping on the roof during the night. Street cats leap from one house to another."

My room here hugs close to the street. Outside the window I hear a cacophany of barking dogs and the shouts of children playing. So different from the hills of Caledon.

You can see the origin of "Ruinas" from the picture on the side of the truck (below). Even though we saw a number of Mayan temples last year in Mexcio, these will be spectacular I think.

Copan gains revenue from tourism. So it's relatively is well off. But a hurricane in 1998 wreaked devastation in the country and a political coup in 2009 created instability.

There is no government aid for anyone from what I understand. But honestly, people are so very friendly and pleasant.

As the B and B owner in San Pedro Sula said last night, "It's a hard scrabble life here and you have to work very hard and manage your money carefully in order to get ahead."

Sandra and her husband work hard to save money for the education of their three kids. They volunteer for a Christian organization and have also taken in two young children from poor families in another area.

When the children arrived they had no shoes, had never eaten at a table, did not know how to use a fork or spoon and had never seen a toilet.

Now these two children attend school with her children, eat good food and are interested in helping a little around the house. When they return home to visit their parents (four hours by bus), their friends hardly recognize them.

School starts at 8 am tomorrow. I haven't spoken English since arriving here in Copan. But my seatmate on the bus here from San Pedro, originally a Honduran and now an American citizen and graduate of UCLA, spoke English almost better than me. Interesting guy -- a social media consultant.

Adios until tomorrow.