Bananas, Maquilas, and Ruins - Oh My!

This weekend was jam packed with good. We had the coolest field trip I've ever taken.

Here's a run down through the senses:

touch: a banana tree! Our first stop was to a Chiquita banana plantation to see how they grow, package, and ship their product. The visit was very interesting considering they've been growing bananas pretty much the same way for about 100 years.
taste: poundcake, bananas, and coke. The ladies at the maquila union were so enthusiastic to have us. So much so that they filled the table with many goodies. Their stories were inspiring and a testimony to labor rights' ability to dramatically affect many lives. The point they pounded home was that we have a choice as consumers. We have the power to reward the company who compensates their employees properly.
smell: large mammal manure. specifically, horses. We had a free day once we got into the town of Copán and chose to ride along the river and up to a field. We were promptly bombarded with small children. Picture of this are below.
hear: the white noise of a factory! I was so excited to put on earplugs properly (thanks to the EH&S team at Vermeer) and walk around a heavy machinery. We visited a maquila and a plant where they turn thread into cloth. The processes and how their lines works were very interesting to see and contrast with other plants I've seen. I was most surprised about how much manual labor is put into packing. Because of company policy, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the factory.
sight: Mayan ruins of Copán. I cannot due justice to these with words or pictures. But I'll display a few shots from our visit below.

Oh, and my parents are coming in Thursday - tomorrow! They're bringing funfetti cake mix and microwave popcorn. I'm pretty pumped.

Housekeeping: I understand that the blogspot comment system is tricky to navigate. If you cannot figure out the system or are just super frustrated (like myself) - email me instead! addie.smith22@gmail.com. I recieve it much quicker and can respond with greater ease. 

Thanks again for reading and following! I really appreciate it.

Take care and enjoy the 15,000 words worth of pictures. 

Gringos taking off of the streets of Copán on horses. This is a frightening sight.

One of the many spectacular views on our ride. 

The cause of some soreness for the next two days. Still worth it.

Before running into ruins we ran into some macaws. They were so cute - and slightly frightening at the same time. I kept having flashbacks to The Birds. 

Warning: I may have gone crazy with the panoramic function. It's just too tempting!

An artist's demonstration of what Copán would have looked like back in the day.

The Japanese had been doing more excavation projects within the city and this exhibit just opened up last month. It's a residential area where they think families of the rulers lived. Above is a representation of the area. Below is what the area looks like now. 

Lastly, there's a museum which houses a lot of the original pieces they find throughout the city. They're kept in this museum to make sure that mother nature doesn't erode them more than 1,400 years she got already.