What to Bring

Clothing

It will be rainy season during July. I’ve been down there twice in July and saw rain one time…of course, now with that said, it will open up on us. So, I would suggest the following:

* Light, comfortable clothes. It will be HOT! Wear something that will “breathe”. It will be ok to wear jeans and T shirts. This area is filled with Internationals that attend the various language schools, so they’re used to seeing everything. We would suggest you NOT wear jewelry, or at least, down play it. There’s no reason to “tempt” some of the younger locals with all the “ bling”, giving the appearance you are wealthy. Watches…simple, even possibly a leather or cloth band.

* Light, comfortable walking shoes. It’s your choice, sneakers or hiking shoes or both. We will be doing a lot of walking, as well as, hiking in the Natural Forest at the Ruins of Copan.

* If you don’t have a photographers vest, you may want to consider purchasing one. Not only will it help keep the gear you use often close at hand, it will also be of help to keep documents, plane tickets, passport, etc. in the many pockets of the vest. It’s also great if your luggage is a pound or two over weight…slip it in your vest pockets.

* Of course, you’ll need to take your camera gear…more on that later…but you may want to consider including in you camera bag a small flashlight, such as a MagniLight. Also you might want to consider a rain hood for your camera and a poncho or light windbreaker jacket for yourself.

* Sun screen and bug repelant. Although I’ve not had any problems with bug bites, there are those are greatly bothered by the little beasts…use your own judgement.

* You may want to consider “Downy” Wrinkle Free. It’s great. Mist your clothing with it and shake it out…looks great! I’ve used this on mission trips where we’ve had to pack 10 days of clothing in a small carry-on case. You roll the clothes up very tightly…needless to say they look terrible when you take them out…but with this Wrinkle Free stuff…You’re lookin’ good!

These are some basic guidelines regarding clothing…Keep in mind that you will be allowed two bags to be checked and they cannot be over 50 pounds each. If they are over even ½ pound, you could, and probably will, be charged $100.00 per bag that is overweight.

CAMERA EQUIPMENT

* It is suggested that you have the following lenses, but not limited to: (If you’re using zoom lenses) you should have a short, wide angle zoom, such as a 17-35mm; a medium range up to 105mmm or 135mm; and a longer lens such as an 80-200 or 75-300. If you have other specialty lenses, such as, a macro or bellows lens, please feel free to bring it BUT REMEMBER- You’ll need to carry what you bring.

* An on-camera flash should be considered since we will be discussing the use of fill flash in portraiture.

* You may want to bring a reflector or some other type of light modifier but just know that we will have different modifiers for your use.

* FILTERS If you have any filters you want to work with, please feel free to bring them. We will have a set of close up filters, Nuetral Density and Split ND filters that you can share.

* Batteries can either be throw aways or rechargeable. You will not need any special converters for your battery chargers or your computers. If you’re taking rechargeables, consider keeping the number to 12 or less. Sometimes in foreign airports or immigration/customs, they get a little excited…go figure.

Taxes Fees, etc.

Although the price you paid for this trip includes your meals, hotel and transport fees to get us from airport to our various destinations. It does not include extra water in the field, which runs just under $1.00 per bottle…DO NOT DRINK THE WATER FROM THE FAUCETTES OR WATER FOUNTAINS…EVER. The cost also does not include snacks, fess to and from Guatemala ($3.00 per person) or the Exit Fee from Honduras…between $30.00-$35.00 per person. Souveniers are also on your own. We would encourage you to purchase from the locals…particularly those who are demonstrating pottery techniques, or those in the market place posing for us. Tipping…Keep in mind that their economy is poor…so to tip them as you would in the States would be out of the norm, financially, and could pose a threat to them if others knew that ha “A LOT OF MONEY”. We will advise you on that at the orientation.

We trust this will be of help to you, but if you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to call me at 919-471-6208 or 800-483-6208. As things change, we will revise this information.