construction done now coffee

Well,

Im beat, but well fed the last week working on the construction project with the group from Pine River MN.. All went well, we were extremely well/fed to the point where Im getting heavier now and have something to work off while Im doing quite a bit of walking in the mtns. now..

We put up columns and poured a massive amount of cement in one day to make a cement roof which took tons of prep work to prevent it from all falling down..On the last work day we started at 6 am and mixed alot of cement by hand and some by cement mixer which didnt work most of the time..With only a few small glitches about 35 people poured and mixed 10 yards of cement, pretty much all by hand, shovel, bucket, and wheelbarrow and chain of people bringing it 10 feet in the air to get to the roof..
I went to the Capital, Tegucigalpa to send off the crew on the airplane, while their I stayed at a very nice WGM guesthouse which was nice and had hot water for the first time in 2 weeks..NICE!!! I even spent some time in the not/so/nice central park and bought some junk..
While their we went to the best well/known steak house where I ordered the massive filet mignon, it must have been over a pound.. I almost died in the process when Joel made me laugh and I swallowed a big chunk of meat... So Im sitting hear dying and pointing to Spencer to hit me in the back, finally he did, Thank God!!!And out flew the piece that had completing stopped my breathing process. Nobody finished the same size steak as I did, so I was pumped then they gave me about 16oz to take home, which I ate for lunch...Man it was great!!!!!!!!

Im now in Siguatepeque visiting some coffee fincas and we are about to start an organic certification process which would greatly help the farmers and the local ecology...Well, Thats all for now...Got another big day tomorrow up in the beautiful highlands..
Wish yall cu'd be hear..!!!

Honduras

Well, I writing about last week since I have been on a constant and unrelantly pace the last week.

I arrived safely in Honduras, 5 minutes before closing. The only non government man was a money changer with a nice big glock 9 pistol in his belt so I could see it, well I found someone to give me a ride into town..
I went on another horse back ride around the pine'oak countryside and learned that most Hondurans do not truts their government, so there more apt to have weapons to protect themselves from some corrupt policeman..The next day I met a guy from Chicago and we both wanted to climb the tallest mountain in Honduras and the biggest cloudforest..
He had a tent, I had a sleeping bag also..So instead of doing a day hike we decided to hike up 8 hours into a moss'orchid'bromeliad covered old'growth forest which looked like a scene of ¨lord of the Rings¨or some other black forest...There in the cloudforest was Quetzals, one of the most beautiful and endangered bird know to man...They sang some beautiful songs that night,,I could not sleep do to the eerie sounds and 40 degree cold weather...
Waking up at first light I made a fire and made some oatmeal and coffee in an old sardine can while using pine needles for a quick fire..Now fired up I leave to climb to the top a 2.5 hr uphill hike in absolutely strange and beatiful country where light rarely shines and tree ferts reach up to 30 ft tall and 8 inches thick...As I get close to the top we go over the cloud forest and it is arid so it gave us a crazy view of the surrounding moutains and I could see the volcanoes in El Salvador...
To keep it short, we almost jog back down to camp cleanup and descend the remaing 6000 ft at a very rapid pace to make it back before dark.. ALL in all it is was a strenouse 17 hr hike..
The banks are closed so I searched all over town someone who would take and change 20 dollars and I did..
The next morning I woke very early and started my trip to La Paz, where I now am working on a construction project,,, Thats later..

rio dulce, ruins, and more traveling

Wow, Its been real busy this last week!!

After Tikal the next morning I took a bus to Rio Dulce, a beautiful Tropical Rainforest area and lots of Cattle and banana ranches...We arrived at 3 pm and there was a boat leaving to Dennys Beach at 3.30 so we went and got some fruit and veggies and went to this beautiful area on Lake Izabal which is probably 20 or 30 miles long and surrounded by thick rainforest , old spanish castles with cannons to keep out the English, and a hot waterfall of 30 ft which comes down and gives you a 104 degree massage like when you sitting in the river below..Awesome..
I stayed in a real simple dorm and there was like 10 other people there so the local canadien rigged up a wakeboard boat and we went boarding and swimming in the crystal clear water and just hung out and had a great time..

The next day after a morning dip I went on a sweet horse ride into the lush countryside with rainforest and rolling hills and cattle farms..It was awesome the view of the lake and a swiss alps in the summer like scenery...My horse loved to run and we just galloped hear and there then walked up the steep mountain parts and flew in the cattle pastures, that was great...We came back and had alot of raw veggies for dinner which was ok, but didnt feel me up so I went and got a local fried bass dinner... Alot of sailors dock there becauseits the only safe harbor on the whole carribean coast from hurrincanes and bad storms...The weather was hot but a constant lake breeze kept in beautiful...

The next morning I went to Quirigua, which are some cool stela and hieroglyphics that were built by the Mayans at 800AD....There was massive trees and lush grounds around these massive 60 ton, intricately carved stones and an old ball court with a perfect square and stadium seating built out of chipped stone. I had to leave asap because I was in danger of not making the Honduran border by 5 pm and its 1pm..Then my bus never showed up till 2 or I was really getting worried..So I just prayed Id make it otherwise Id be stuck in the border which is nothing but a road through the forest and a couple of local government buildings...I was going and had to switch buses and it stopped and I got more worried that I would not make it...because it was closing in 1hr and I had atleast an hour to go...
Thats where I ll pick it up next time..Im in La Esperanza in the middle of nowhere but beautiful pine forests, in the Honduran Highlands trying to get to La Paz , My bag is in the bus and I hear it gettting ready to leave so I gotta run!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tikal Mayan Ruins

Last Sunday after my spanish classes and a nice volcanic steam sauna and bath I left for Antigua, a beautiful Spanish city where I was going to watch the super bowl...Thats as far as I made it...
I left Xela and arrived in Antigua at 5 pm where I located a Hotel and took a shower and got some food..I then went and looked for a flight to the Tikal ruins and everything was booked full for a few days except for a Bus leaving at 6.30, so I met some Peace Corps people while eating and told them I would watch the Super Bowl at their place, but now I had a bus ticket, so I went to the hotel and they gave me my money back at bam, I arrived in Tikal the next morning after some problems getting there, long story so I will skip it, but they never actually confirmed my ticket so I waited late into the night for the last bus..
The next morning at 4.45 am I arrived and instantly a man offered my a 5 am departure to see the ruins, so I took it...As we loaded up the bus a met a German guy who let me throw my backpack in his room..We arrived before sunup and all the parrots, toucans, monkeys, etc were howling and singing cause no one was around....
The ruins were magificient, 200 ft tall pyramid like things jutting above a Rainforest that spanned thick in all directions, full of monkey and incredible diversity...I don´t know how the Mayans built these structures, the jungle takes over within weeks of wacking it down due to the abundant rainfall...On top of the pyramid you see secondary old growth rainforest on all sides stock full of Mahogany, Cedar, and Ceiba giants reaching 100-200 ft and which are covered in epiphytes...There was ponds with crocodiles and turtles, massive rat like animals and tons of spider monkeys which come out only when the loud tourists leave and the patient quite ones sit and wait as they get closer to the pyramids at night.....
The heat and humidity is high and I never ate nothing so after 12 hours there we took the last bus back into a small town where we stayed the night...And left for Rio Dulce the following morning which is my next story....
>This is a must see,, probably the most fascinating piece of history and Art I have ever seen, especially considering the sweltering climate and ever persistent mosquitoes and biting bugs.