Dear family and friends,

After several tests and hours lost waiting in the doctor's office, it has been declared that I am free of the following:

Parasites

Hepatitis

Viruses

It appears to be just a bacterial infection that should be resolved with some antibiotics. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger.

Love,

Ellie

Well, part one of my Central American adventure has come to a close and part two has just begun. I loved every second of my time at Earth Lodge and it was incredibly difficult leaving a place that after such a short time felt like home. I gave lots of hugs and shed a few tears.

I spent Sunday night in Antigua and woke at 3:30AM to catch a 4AM shuttle (that didn't arrive til 4:30). The ride was bumpy and I drifted in and out of sleep, feeling the gradual climate change from cool and comfortable to hot and humid. I tried not to keep track of time because I had been told the ride would be 6-8 hours and looking at the clock would have only made me ansy. When we got to the Honduran border I rushed through immigration. For my first border crossing, it was a breeze. I paid some fees, filled out the forms and waited for the rest of the group to do the same.

While I was waiting, a man walking with a stick came up and greeted me. "How's it going?" I asked. The man, with his three kids and wife behind him, replied honestly and under his breath, "Everything's f***ed." (rough translation). He told me how his foot was run over by a motorcycle and was looking for a few bucks to cross the border. I felt bad, but in my sleep-deprived state, I was skeptical and apologized profusely. His kids snacked on watermelon and seemed content. The little girl put on a proud grin and said "Bye!" in English. Minutes later I watched the family walk across the border and felt assured that someone had the generosity that in that moment I lacked.

I arrived to Copan, Honduras shortly after and put on my two backpacks (one on my back, one on backwards) as I got out of the van. I was bugged by taxi drivers who told me my hostel was far, there were too many turns and I would get lost. I repeated in my head 'Up one block, left, right, left' and made it to the Iguana Azul Hostel in 5 minutes flat, even with my big bags and the steep, cobblestone hills.

I checked in, asked too many questions, and napped right away. When I woke up, I went to a highly regarded local restaurant called Comedor Mary. I ordered a Central American speciality called pupusas (stuffed tortillas): one chicken and one ham & cheese. They are small and delightful but the heat and exhaustion overpowered any feeling of hunger I would normally have.

Then I took a tuk tuk (a three-wheeled motortaxi) up hill to Macaw Mountain, a park with rescued parrots, toucans and owls. I walked around for about an hour with no one in front of or behind me on the trail. It was so peaceful (with the exception of being barked at by a three-legged dog). Did you know parrots have an average lifespan of 30-80 years?!

At the end, I had a photo shoot with three parrots named Buffy, Piña and Mixi. I tried not to piss my pants as their claws wrapped around my wrists and scratched my head. It was quite an experience to say the least...

On the way out, I met the owner, a man fromTennessee, as he fed two 6 week-old toucans. They had fallen from a tree when a plot of land was being cleared and were brought to the park. The man hand fed them papaya and told me stories of how he got to Central America, started the park and continues to get donations of various birds. He told me I could reuse my ticket if I wanted to come back at any point in the week.

Later in the day I ran into three British girls who had stayed at Earth Lodge and joined them for dinner. I have a feeling I will cross paths with plenty of former guests on the backpacker trail and therefore am not too worried about being alone.

After dinner, I sat on the curb with a local making artisan crafts. We had a good chat as I perused his selection of rings, bracelets, and earrings. I must admit, I have a soft spot for artisans and can't help but buy something from each one I pass. This particular vendor told me I could pick out whatever stones I wanted, design my own ring and name my price. So for $2.50 he whipped me up a ring as he told me his sob story. His wife is 7 months pregnant and has just gone back to the States. He applied for a visa to join her but was denied when he failed his drug test... Oops! He has been punished for a year and must now pass drug tests monthly. The kid will be born in the US In September and he wont be present. We said goodbye, knowing we both had busy days ahead of us and probably wouldn't see each other (today alone I have run into him on three separate occassions).

I woke up today and went straight to a lab to submit some samples. I have been feeling fine energy-wise but haven't maintained a meal or had an appetite in over a week. It was the sketchiest doctors office I have ever visited. The exam room was also the lab so I stared at tubes of blood while the doctor took mine (without gloves or much warning). I was told to come back later in the day for my results.

In the meanwhile, I walked to the Copan Ruins. I was told the walk was simple but of course I managed to take a wrong turn. Two men on the side of the road hollered at me to ask where I was going. I stopped and they redirected me. One of the guys was wearing a UNC shirt so I paid him a compliment. Turns out he lived two years in Charlotte.

Anyways, I got back on track and made it to the entrance. I had been informed that tours cost 500 lempira ($25) but if you get a group together you can split the cost. The first guide that walked up said in a familiar tone "¡Hola Rebecca! ¿Cómo estás?" He asked if I was going to work today and I responded that I didn't have a job, although I knew he was confused. He came over minutes later and realized I was not the American archaeologist he met weeks earlier.

I heard a small group speaking Spanish and popped up quickly to see if I could tag along. An Argentine couple and their daughter had arranged a private tour and told me I was free to join if the guide didn't mind. I looked to the guide and she told me it was up to the family. So it was settled, I had been adopted for the morning. Within minutes, another girl asked the same question and looked to and from the family and guide for approval. The Russian girl was adopted to the group as well. As we entered the ruins we saw half a dozen red macaws. The guide, Gladiz, said "Did you know...those birds, just like all men, are monogamous?" We all took a second to catch her sarcastic remark and then guffawed. Once we started the tour, I couldn't stop smiling. I hadn't planned to come to Copan but an Australian family gave me their itinerary and I just decided to follow it so I wouldn't have to make too many decisions. So far, I am so happy to be blindly following someone else's travel plans.

The ruins were spectacular and the guide made it all come to life. She told us of nature, Mayan gods and culture, making plenty more facetious remarks.

One of my favorite annecdotes was about the sun. The Mayans believed that the world was a giant turtle and we all lived on the top of its shell. The sun would go from one side to the other and at the end of the shell it would be devoured by a monster. The sun then turned into a jaguar (I guess inside of the aforementioned monster) the fastest animal they knew, so it could run through the underworld and rise on the otherside. If ever the sun didn't come out, it was thought that the jaguar had been detained by the evil gods of the underworld. The Mayans would then throw huge parties and make animal & sometimes human sacrifices until the sun returned.

Another favorite was at the Mayan ball court. They played a game (as a ritual, not for fun) where they hit a dense, 9lb ball using only their knees, hips or shoulders. No hands or head allowed and very minimal protection. The captain of the winning team was then sacrificed. Maybe we should ask NFL players to do the same...

After the tour, I gave Gladiz a tip and parted ways with the Argentine family. The Russian and I walked back to town comparing Latin American travels (her list of countries blew mine out of the water). We said goodbye at the edge of town only to discover later we were staying at the same hostel. (I'll admit this is a very small town)

I went and got my results from the lab, however I have to go to a doctor to have them read. I did lots of translating and Googling but can't make sense of them myself. I was told the doctor would read them and I assumed he would just look them over and hand me a prescription. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. I will go back to the office tomorrow morning before leaving town. Then I return to Guatemala by bus, headed for a community called Rio Dulce (Sweet River). It is a two-hour boat ride from there to the Caribbean coast and a fascinating town, Livingston, with a mix of cultures distinct from the rest of the country. Who wants to place bets on the number of bug bites to come??



¡Hasta pronto, amigos!

It's hard to believe I have been in Guatemala over a month (and that I haven't written more). Here is my update of the past few weeks:

• I picked up a book last week called How to Steal Like an Artist. I read half of it before bed and the rest in the morning. It is a short book about creativity that was truly inspiring. A few parts I couldn't get on board with but several chapters really lit a fire under my @$$. Before I left for Guatemala,I laid out a few goals for myself that I neglected upon arrival. Among them: meditate, practice yoga, hike, help at the local school and other personal goals for my physical and mental well-being. Here are a few quotes that spoke to me and helped me yo revisit my initial goals: "Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic."-- Jim Jarmusch
• "Whenever you're at a loss for what move to make next, just ask yourself 'What would make a better story?'"
• "Establishing and keeping a routine can be even more important than having a lot of time."
• I have started using all of the above quotes, and so much more, to inspire me. This past week has been filled with goodness.
• I met a beautiful girl named Bird who showed me her art. From that day on I have been painting water colors. It has been so delightful!
• I have practiced yoga twice and the instructor LeeLee is such an inspiration. Her teaching is so full of passion and her energy is contagious.
• I went to school for craft club and had goofy conversations with the kids while putting together puzzles and making friendship bracelets. On the way there, I greeted every man, woman and child who crossed my path. One group of young girls stopped to chat. In English, the littlest one asked "What's your name?" I replied and we both began to dance the funkiest little dance in the middle of the road. It was a mix of the Chicken Dance and the Charleston. They all giggled like the little school girls they are as I danced down the road headed in the opposite direction.
• Every day I show guests a map of hiking trails in the area and explain how to do a 90 minute loop (having never done it myself). So after craft club I went for a hike on my own, without a phone or camera, nada. Just a map that I have seen dozens of times, a water bottle and strawberry wafers. I hiked up and around through fields of flowers, forests of pines and oaks and by small homes. I came across a group of teenage boys with shovels in hand, looking like they were in the midst of farm work and I asked what they were up to. "Chatting" they replied and we had a good laugh as I powered up the dirt hill. At one point I doubted my own instructions and took a turn with great hesitation. I chose not to ask for directions as I passed a smiley, local woman carrying her baby on her back and balancing a bottle on her head. We said "Buenas tardes" and I continued down, down, down. Finally, I stopped to ask a little girl how to get to the pila (a water station where women go to wash their clothes just near the lodge). She offered to show me the way and ran ahead of me barefoot. I struggled to keep up but within 3 minutes I was back at the top of the hill I call "home".
• The bugs in my room struck back so the other night I got to stay in our coveted Tree House. It is booked almost every night til the end of August but I lucked out Wednesday night. It is constructed in an oak tree(that shakes when the wind blows) with a huge window looking out at the valley. The bathroom has a wide, open window so you can do your business or take a shower with the fresh breeze and breath-taking vista. I woke up at 6AM just to take a picture at dawn.
• I went down to Antigua a couple of times. I went to the market and bargained for a top I (kinda) wanted. It was listed as 90 Quetzales ($12) but I didn't have enough. I told the woman I still had to pay my bus fare and I really wanted, no NEEDED, an ice cream. We went back and forth until I told her I just couldn't pay the price. She relented and let me take it for 70 Quetzales ($9.33). Victory!
• I also went to a Mayan cosmology museum and got a free tour. Main take away: 'The End of the World' last December was all a hoax. None of their writings had any mention of such nonsense.
• In the Central Park, I was approached and interrogated by half a dozen school boys who trembled as they spoke. When they walked away, an old man named Francisco chatted me up. He works in real estate and his office is the park. He arranges meetings and says 'You'll find me in the park. I have a moustache, wear a black cap and a green shirt.' He pays no rent or electricity and his clients find him without fail. Francisco wished me the best of luck in my future endeavors and we parted ways.
• In a week I will have my last shift at Earth Lodge. As a common theme in my life, and particularly this last year, indecision haunts me. My original plan was to go south to El Salvador and Nicaragua, but I am now considering going north to Mexico instead. Ayayay... Any input is welcome. Leave a comment and cast your vote!

¡Hasta luego amigos!