OMG! We nearly died and Darren laughed! He was still crazy with the high produced by the colorful market at Solola. He loves the markets here. We got the chicken bus back down the mountain afterwards. I knew we were going to die. The driver took the hair pin curves at top speed. I could feel the wheels on one side leave the road as the bus swayed. My hands were white gripping the seat in front of us. Darren laughed and took copious photos of me and the view of the lake like we were at bloody six flags!
As you're reading this, you may have guessed that we didn't die after all. But I've had second thoughts about riding the chicken bus back to Antigua.
The market at Solola was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it-not even Walmart on double coupon day on the day after Thanksgiving. We could barely walk through the crush of native ladies doing their shopping. One guy carried a full size wardrobe on his back. This wasn't the tourist market like Chichicastinango, so we weren't hassled. There were some persistent ladies just outside the market in the park. One caught Darren as we left. He was still counting things in Honduran currency, so she got a very good price, but it goes to support the local economy, so can't be mad.
Everything under the sun was sold there. Great tarps protected the sellers from the sun. Darren held his camera at his hip and snapped away, trying to be discrete. There weren't many tourists, and those mostly weren't discrete. Darren's looking at the photos now to see if he got anything usable. I will have to remember to get him a James Bond type camera for Christmas for these types of situations.
As you're reading this, you may have guessed that we didn't die after all. But I've had second thoughts about riding the chicken bus back to Antigua.
The market at Solola was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it-not even Walmart on double coupon day on the day after Thanksgiving. We could barely walk through the crush of native ladies doing their shopping. One guy carried a full size wardrobe on his back. This wasn't the tourist market like Chichicastinango, so we weren't hassled. There were some persistent ladies just outside the market in the park. One caught Darren as we left. He was still counting things in Honduran currency, so she got a very good price, but it goes to support the local economy, so can't be mad.
Everything under the sun was sold there. Great tarps protected the sellers from the sun. Darren held his camera at his hip and snapped away, trying to be discrete. There weren't many tourists, and those mostly weren't discrete. Darren's looking at the photos now to see if he got anything usable. I will have to remember to get him a James Bond type camera for Christmas for these types of situations.
We’re packing up now for the ride back to Antigua. We'll spend the night in our hippy retirement hostel and get a shuttle to the airport at four am. Last night was the last chance to do laundry with any hope that it would dry before the trip.
Yesterday was a quiet day. We rested up for the horrendous journey home. We did our part to support the local economy by buying souvenirs. We sat by the lake a while and watched the shoe shine boys having a high old time swimming in the lake. Darren people watched at the cathedral while waiting for a wedding party to come out so he could get a photo. It was a long ceremony and he finally gave up.
My hat is now the worst for wear - sweat stains from El Peten region, dirt spots from being rolled around in shuttles and buses. It looks well traveled.
I think I mentioned the lovely garden at the hostel in Copan. It was small, but had an impressive range of plants and blooms. I was there two days before I realized that she'd wired on big fake red blossoms to one type of plant(don't know what it was). There were enough genuine flowers that you assumed they were all real.
The reason I mention this is our current hostel in Panajachel also has an impressive garden in the courtyard and they have also included a few fake blossoms amid the impressive real collection.
We're now on the roof of the hostel enjoying the sun and a cup of tea before our shuttle arrives - no more chicken buses in the mountains.
Darren says he will fill you in on the true story when we get home as he doesn't find my posts reliable. :)
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