Copan Capers
Trip Start
Feb 17, 2006
1
10
11
Trip End
Aug 2006
Copan Ruinas, Honduras
Monday, August 7, 2006
Similar in style to Antigua Guatemala and Xela, the old low houses are often around courtyards and painted rich colours and the streets are cobbled, tuktuks bouncing over them. Very touristy, every other building is a hotel or restaurant or souvenir shop. But friendly and relaxed. Lots of Central American tourists as it is a holiday in El Salvador.
Easy journey here from Finca Ixobel last Wednesday. Got charged an illegal fee at the border of 60 Lempiras, but this is common and the guide book advises you not to make a fuss, so kept quiet
01 Copan Macaws
. Is only about pounds 1.75 anyway. Settled into my dorm in La Manzana Verde {Green Apple} in the bunk bed appropriately named Betty. The list of house rules includes "Any food left in the fridge will grow legs after 3 days", "All travellers are theives - except you, so keep your bag in the locker" and "No sex in the dorms unless we can film it"...Hit the ruins the first day. Very beautiful site just 10 minute walk from the town centre. Not high and mighty to the eye like Tikal, this site is known for its intricate sculptures. Wanted a guide {and the book says you get swamped by them on arrival} but I was obviously there on a holiday or strike day or something because there were none in sight. But saved myself $20 by wandering round on my own. The Lonely Planet has a few pretty good pages on the site and the main items of note. Managed to spend about 4 hours there in all. They've found something like 3,500 buildings in total across a wide area, but only the main plaza is open to visitors at the main location.
A ball court is on a trail through the woods. A nice walk to get there. Saw a few birds, spiders and a large striped snake {it slithered off as soon as it heard me coming, but it suddenly seemed a good idea to carry a stick after that, just to knock cobwebs out of the way of course...}
02 Copan stela
.There are also a couple of tunnels you can go into for the somewhat hefty price of $12. Decided to treat myself. Not that much to see, a few carvings and empty burial chambers, but it was the most bizarre feeling to be in a totally silent place. No traffic, no voices, no birds, no cicadas. Literally just the blood in my ears. I don't remember the last time I was somewhere completely without a sound, slightly unnerving.
The on-site museum is excellent. Some of the stellae in the park are copies, very good ones, with the originals in the museum for protection.
Visited a couple of nature parks a short walk from the town: the Macaw Mountain Parque de Aves and the Enchanted Wings Butterfly House. The bird park was especially good. Large cages in a beautiful forest setting. All the birds are donated, either by owners who can no longer look after them or having been found injured, fallen out of nests etc. Most are parrots or toucans, but also some very cross looking little owls and a few other birds of prey. Again I missed the guide, but the information sheet was excellent. Got to handle some of the most tame birds. Well recommend it if you are ever in Honduras! The coffee cheese cake in the cafe was worth the visit alone.
Only did one organised tour, to a local village to be shown how to make pottery and tortillas. Don't seem to have a natural talent at either: my tortillas refusing to be round and my pot refusing not to be. There was much hilarity all round at my incompetence
03 Copan face
. Tortillas tasted the same though, nice with the powdered roasted pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top.Many of the people here around the border are quite light skinned and pale eyed. Saw one toddler in the village who was completely blond. Apparently there are more Spanish and Porgugese descendents and fewer Maya in this area.
Saturday was the village fete, stalls and stage laid out. Various music events including a super marching band of local teenagers who had the most energetic marching/dancing routine I've ever seen. The gloc players were always out of sync with each other but I could make out a Michael Jackson tune and La Bamba amongst the music set to sambe, reggaeton and punta style beats.
Weather has been good, hot with a few thunderstorms to break the humidity. Lots of mosquitos though, used a whole can of Off! to keep them at bay.
Evenings spent sampling the restaurants and Honduran beers, Imperial coming out as the favourite.
Back to Guatemala City today to say cheerio to friends there and hopefully get to El Salvador for my last weekend before hitting San Francisco!
