Honduras 3 photos

Honduras 2

On Saturday, Mel and I arrived at Lake Yajoa and checked into a well known travelers and beer lovers spot called D&D Brewery. The owner Robert is from Oregon and has been making beer for over a decade. Mel loved the beers and the samples I tasted were all the same to me (definately not a beer drinker). There was a swimming pool, restaraunt (the food was edible but not delish!), plenty of games, books, and other travelers. Mel and I took a walk to the river which leads to the lake. We took photos and absorbed the abundance of natural beauty; lush green trees, tropical flowers in amazing colors, large varieties of birds (there are nearly 500 species in the area), and lush green 8000 ft moutains partially covered by clouds, creating a cloud forest.

We met Malcolm the birdman, an eccentric ornatologist that clearly has a passion for nature, birds, and nature and bird lovers. He was quite a funny man in that he had no interest in politics, tv, modern inventions, etc....loved him!

After Mel and I took cold showers (was supposed to have hot water), she got in the bed and promptly jumped out screaming. Pulled back the covers to see big black dead ants. I pulled my covers back and discovered the same, the room had been exterminated but not cleaned. Then we were upgraded to a cabin which was large with a private shower and bathroom. Unfortunately, this room had not been cleaned either. The owner Robert was away and left a newly unemployed American named Lauri to look after his place. Clearly the employees were taking a break too, and not cleaning). We called Lauri to the room and she was embarrassed and apologetic. We changed the linens, swept the floor, and I never slept as the mattress was not comfy.

We moved out the following morning and are now staying at El Cortijo which has view of the lake, a talking/singing green bird, dogs, a white cat, and clean rooms. Mel had to study her University coursework. I got to visit the waterfalls at Pulanpanzak Nat. Pk. The local people are sweet and very helpful so I got around on the locals buses effortlessly. The hike to the waterfall was a long hot one but alas, I followed the sound of falling water until I was there, along side of the falls, walking on slippery rocky steps with my China town umbrella keeping camera and I safe from the mist. I saw another sista (local) who wanted to take a photo while holding my umbrella, then her friend did, and another, and etc. The umbrella was a big hit and the ladies later joined me for a chat and lite lunch at the local eatery. Pictures to be posted soon.

I take a break for now and chat more later. Miss U Mucho,

Lonnie

Lonnie´s in Honduras

Hola Hola,

Arrived Thurs. morning in San Pedro Sula, Honduras then took a bus to Copan, city of ancient Mayan ruins (see photos). I met a Canadian woman named Mel and we shared a tour of the ruins. We were amazed and impressed by it all: the history of the Mayas, routes, culture, architecture, engineering, irrigation, etc. The animal and human sacrifice signifigance was clarified and put in perspective with the Mayan beliefs regarding life and death. Because various groups are involved in excavation projects at the site, there are tunnels from which other levels ands histories are contained. The lights in the tunnel were out during our tour so I really didn´t take any photos as they would have been disappointing. The one thing that did impress me was the latrine was a work of art and insight. It was set up so that you could sit while toileting, then lake water washed waste down and out to a river with continuos flow.

On Friday night, the buckets o´rain came with earpiercing thunder and blinding lightening. Power went out for a while, but I was impressed with how quickly it was restored as well as how much damage and flooding occured in other areas. The cobblestone streets of Copan got a good wash, and all was refreshed in the morning. My breakfast came with a most wonderful cup of coffee. The beans roasted, ground, and brewed on site of my $15 per night room which was clean, comfy, equiped with a fan and cable TV! Breakfast was $3!

On Saturday morning, I decided to skip a horseback riding tour to the coffee plantations and other points of interest due to the previous day´s heavy rain. The last thing I wanted to do was sloosh around muddy moutains on a caballo!

I went out for breakfast and was plesantly surprised to run into Mel who was supposed to have been on her way to Guatemala. She had some technical difficulties and decided to join me on an adventure to El Lago di Yajoa (lake ya-ho-wa). And adventure it has been. Will write more later about that. For now, suffice it to say, I´m sooooo glad to be here and having a wonderful hot, sunny, rainy, humid wonderful time...wish you were here,

besos (kisses),

Lonnie

more photos

brotha from S.Africa

brotha from Belgium

Sista Emily (Kenya), India Gate, Fort entrance (formerly used by elephants), some of my peeps!

I/m preparing to leave India:-(

Honestly, i'm just really get acclimated to the weather and rhythm of the place and it's time to go, (sniff sniff). I really need about 2 more months here and i'd have some remedial Hindi language skills and would be able to get around on my own a lot easier, but as it stands, I'll be returning '...back to life, back to reality...' My birthday yesterday had some highs and lows but overall, it was pretty good. I took a bit of a tour around Delhi and only saw 1 cow all day:-( No camels, sheep, monkeys, etc. just people, and city stuff. I actually bought some teas last night and will head to the malls as they are open and have A/C, Yeh!

Photos: Temple, family going to the Karni Mata Temple (Rat Temple), posing in a Palace, plate of traditional Rajastani food.

I took the metro train yesterday and had a sardine experience of being shoved and packed on and tackled from behind to get off. I did go off on one guy who tackled me and vowed to never get on the metro again as I knew i'd shank somebody...fo' real!

My Delhi guide was supposed to be English speaking but if 10 words of a language implies that you are fluent, i'm multilingual!!! So I ended up cutting the trip short and asking to return to my hotel after he asked for 100Rupees for parking (cost 10) and took me to a shopping market where he'd get a commission for bringing me there. I never got out of the car and he was annoyed about it but so was I as it was not one of the monuments, forts, palaces, or temples on my list. I later went walking around the bazaar and just became overwhelmed.

Most shops were closed to commemorate Ghandi's birthday but a few opened in time for me to buy some earrings, incense, etc. I ate a good meal of rice and veggies on the rooftop of the Metropolis Hotel and people watched until it was time to go toward the airport. Before I left, I spent time with my new friend and Couchsurfer (traveler's network) Ambassador for Delhi, Barbara. Love her to bits!

Finally went to airport and got rid of the rest of the Indian Rupees I had and settled on the plane for a 14hr journey which went smoothly. Stopped off in Chicago for some time with the family who I hadn't seen in 4 years. Everyone was fat and fine! The horror for me was leaving India's 91 degrees for Chicago's 41 degrees....burrrr! Serves as a reminder of reason #97 why I left that city for sunny California!

Started back to work with a stomach bug (from my trip), jetlag, and 12 and 1/2 hour time change to reacclimate to...barely functional but trying to hang in here until my off days so I can have time to recover and resettle in peace.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip but too short! Nevertheless, I have seen the Taj Mahal, touched it, walked in and around it, and can say...it was definitely worth it! Truly a Happy Birthday present from me to me! Hope you enjoyed what I shared, feel free to send comments and thanks to all who already did...they were well recieved presents!

Hugs to all!

Namaste,

Lonnieworld aka Nubian Nomad

Lonnie in India cont.

Hope you are keeping well. The heat here is scorching but thank God for A/C in the car and hotel rooms. The food is excellent and very cheap. I've been sticking to vegetarian items as I had a chicken dish once and the chicken was undercooked. I've toured more palaces, forts, and temples than I can count and forget about naming them. I am very impressed that so many Indians are very interested in their history as they are abundant at every point of interests. I am still blown away by the tiny streets made even smaller by the constant flow of foot traffic, cars, motorickshaws, bikes, motorccycles, sheeps, dogs, camels and the ever present... cows!

I was sitting in an internet shop and all of a sudden, I heard..."Moooooo!" It seems completely normal now to hear that. I saw a man chase a couple of cows away from his shop and not only did the cow return, there were at least 10 more. The man gave up but I was hoping to see 'the running of the bulls' :-) The saris the women wear are the most beautiful I have ever seen. There are colors everywhere, including the spice shops where there are mountains of exotic spices in the most brilliant colors i've ever seen. I have seen a number of folk shows where the dancing and singing of the gypsys and other Rajastani tribes make me feel like I am in a time of old.

I get a lot of attention, stares, finger pointing at me, people passing then recircling me to get a longer look, folks actually stopping, coming closer and just staring at me. I always smile and greet them with a Namaste or Hello so they know all is well, and they almost always return the greeting with a smile. I sometimes even take pictures of the folks who stop to gawk at me, and they pose for the photo! Touche!

Something I had not realized when I was packing my luggage for India, virtually everything I'd brought was made in India...how crazy is that? I called myself packing for hot weather without a thought as to the items being bought in California, but made in India where I was going until I started seeing some of the fabrics I was wearing....surreal!

Oh, forgot to tell you about my monkey experience! I was in Mangore Park in Jodhpur where I visited ancient ruins that date back hundreds of years. I climbed up to a high point and tried to retrace my steps back down only to run into a monkey. I'm not afraid of wild monkeys but 2 days before, a Swedish woman told me her story of how she was bitten by a monkey because she had a bag that the monkey assumed had food in it, so he came after her. She had to go thru a whole prophylactic rabies exposure protocol which included injections, medical evaluations, etc. That was all I could think of when I was trying to figure out how to get down off the top of the ruin without passing the monkey!! I was anxious for a few minutes until I heard some boys voices and saw them enter a side gate. I was glad that I was no longer alone in case the monkey attacked me but even happier that I now had an escape route. I started talking to the boys who didn't have a clue what I was saying after Hello! I didn't care but I was saying, 'thank you little guardian angel boys, I will always be grateful for your arrival...may God, Budha, Allah, Krisna, Vishnu and all the Gods bless you and your families always....Namaste! they responded in kind with a puzzled expression, 'Namaste' and I departed without one single monkey bite!!!

I saw my 3rd and 4th Black people today, a couple traveling with a French group which explains why they didn't speak to me. Those Frenchies! But the Belgium brotha and I took a photo together as we were genuinely happy to connect. I saw the other brotha in Delhi and we greeted while passing. Otherwise, there are loads of Israelis traveling around Rajastan as well as Japanese. I've even met folks from eastern Europe and Australia.

Anyway, i'll stop for now and post more photos for your enjoyment! Namaste,

Lonnieworld1

Lonnie in India cont>

Hope all is well in your world...I'll keep in brief as not to bore you with details but the adventures cont. I had a day of culture shock shortly after arrival in Agra as I was sitting in an internet cafe, and out of my peripheral view, I could see large black objects passing. It was a herd of buffalo, I say OK. The street is narrow, there are people , cars, bikes, motorickshaws, motorcycles, and now black buffalo. OK, cool. Then I see something else that my peripheral vision had not made out and I turn to see a herd of goats being sheparded by a small child and I say OK, that's cool. Next, was a white cow walking casually thru the maze of movement, and I say OK that's cool and a well known common occurence in India. Then I turn back to see a giant camel pulling a cart loaded with rice, grains, spices, etc. and I think...Where the hell am I for real? Am I being punked? It was surreal as the narrow street had all this action going on much as it has been for milliniums! Loving It. Wish you were here!

Just finished touring Udaipur, Jaipur, and Bikaner (Rat Temple), now in Jodhpur. Will fill you in on the visits later. Kisses,

Lonnieworld