Honduras
Departamento de Copán

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    • Day 162

      On the road again

      October 15, 2015 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      After a welcome break from moving around lots over the last couple of weeks, it was time to get back on the road. We got the 6:30am Viana bus (365L, 3 hrs) to San Pedro Sula. We were given the first class fluffy blankets and I slept the whole way. We put Hannah in a taxi to the airport and waved a sad farewell :(

      Then we got the 10:20am Hedman Alas bus (395L, 3 hrs) to Copan near the border of Guatemala. This is supposed to be the best bus company in Honduras but it was freezing with no blankets, the tv broke and the snack was a pitifully small bag of crisps. Viana was much better, but they don't go to Copan unfortunately. The bus man took a shine to Anna and kept hovering creepily each time he came by.

      On arrival in Copan we were squeezed into a tuktuk for 20L each with another lady and all our bags for the short ride to Hostel Marjenny ($30). We had a brief rest whilst we waited for the rain to stop, Anna had a coffee, and then we went for a wander around Copan. Copan is a pretty, little town with big, coloured cobblestone roads. Surprisingly we didn't see many other tourists but this seems to be the general rule for most of our travels.

      We went back to the room and read for a while before going to British Colonial House for dinner (391L). I had Thai red tofu curry which was delicious and had tons of much needed veggies after the last few nights of stodge. Anna had peanut noodles, which seemed to be lacking any peanuts! When she was about half-way through the mayonnaise noodles, the owner came out with a dish of peanut butter and said he'd just tasted the sauce and realised it was lacking something! It still didn't taste that great once Anna mixed in the PB. He apologised again when we left and said his head chef was in Roatan training new staff.

      We went back to the room and had cold showers (not much fun when the ambient temperature is low - I wore my jumper to dinner). Then we were plunged into darkness when the power cut out about 9pm - presumably for the whole town. Wifi was out as well so after reading a bit by torch light I went to sleep and had a lovely 10 hours sleep. It was raining really heavily every time I woke up.
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    • Day 383

      Ruinas de Copán

      April 7, 2021 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      Otro de los increíbles sitios arqueológicos que visitamos en este viaje y el más importante de toda Honduras. Aquí, además de pirámides, palacios, plazas y juegos de pelota clásicos de ciudades mayas, hemos visto las estelas más meticulosamente talladas y las escrituras más complejas; de hecho se dice que la gran escalinata que se encuentra en el centro es el texto glífico maya más largo conocido hasta hoy.Read more

    • Day 163

      Copan ruins

      October 16, 2015 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      The breakfast was fried plantain and baleadas which were too big to finish. We tried the two ATMs in town but both were Visa-only so we couldn't get any money out. Luckily we have some dollars left.

      We walked the 1km to the main Copan ruins and were able to pay the $15 entry fee by credit card. On entering the complex, we were deafened by the squawks of scarlet macaws, the national bird of Honduras - there were loads of red, blue and yellow coloured birds in the trees above us. Sadly we'd only bought Anna's phone so couldn't get a decent photo. We also saw a ‘guinea pig on stilts’, first named during our trip to Mexico a few years ago.

      We wandered around the ruins for about 3 hours. They aren't as impressive as Chichen Itza but they do have the advantage that you are allowed to climb on them. They date back to the Mayan period when rulers were called things like 18 Rabbit and Moon Jaguar. Some of the ruins, such as the big stairway, are covered by a huge tarp to protect it from weathering. Apart from a school group which we kept our distance from, there were only a handful of tourists around. The majority of the time we seemed to have the place to ourselves giving the place a lovely, tranquil feel. It was a drizzly day and we had our ponchos and umbrellas out for most of it. Neither of us had thought to put on bug spray and we both got thoroughly munched :( We saw some tiny toads and a squirrel plus some bright yellow birds - maybe Quetzals?

      When we thought we had seen everything we headed back to the entrance and headed down a side road looking for guinea pigs on stilts. A lady told us to follow her and led us to an info display and a whole load of more ruins! The place could really do with some signposts and maps!!

      On our return to the main entrance we noticed a couple of the macaws were on the feeding troughs (they run a breeding program). We tiptoed over in the hope we might get a closer photo. They didn't seem to mind us getting right up to them as they munched happily on their fruit - until Anna took her hood down for a selfie and they took flight. A few of them did fly-bys right over our heads which was pretty awesome.

      We left the park and looked for a few trails that were on the big map. A lady told us they were muddy and said we could see some other ruins as part of our ticket. We walked a further mile away from town (along the yellow brick road) and came to Las Sepulchras. We walked through the woods and came across some more ruins - smaller, residential areas for the commoners. We were the only ones there, until 3 machete-laden men joined the path behind us! Luckily they were just finishing work and not trying to rob us. One of the sites near the entrance was being excavated and we couldn't go in. A man came and told us very proudly he was in the National Geographic for the 5 year project.

      We walked back, exhausted from a day's wandering. We had some nachos in the hostel bar and then washed off all the mud in the shower which was hot today :)

      After a rest, and once the rain had died down, we went on one of Anna's quests to find a bar...after 10 minutes of searching we found it - one door up from our hostel! Sol De Copan is a German microbrewery so Anna was in heaven. We seemed to have found the local gringo hangout as a huge group of Americans was there plus some other tourists. We didn't fancy the German stodgy-sounding food and so shared some baleadas and great chips. I beat the drunkard at chess 3 times and then we headed back.

      Some Hondurans had arrived for the weekend and were playing music really loudly, jumping in the pool and generally making a huge racket. Thankfully by midnight they had quietened down mostly so Anna didn't have to go stomping out and shout at them.
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    • Day 8

      Mieses Karma ? Verflucht ?

      January 20, 2017 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      Weiter geht's von Guatemala nach Honduras,so weit so gut..Kim wurde schon auf der Fahrt krank (Magen,Kopf,alles). Einmal übergeben am nächsten Tag hat geholfen. Aber dann ging's erst richtig los, mit komischen Ereignissen bei uns beiden.
      - irgendwas spitzes hat sich beim Transport durch Regenhülle, Rucksack selbst und meine Jeans, bis in die Schuhsohle gebohrt - da kommt Freude auf ➡ Wer läuft dann wohl die nächsten 3 Monate mit Loch in der Jeans rum 🙋

      Kurz danach ins Bad gegangenen, ich schwöre,ich bin unschuldig...Hatte nur eine Hand aufm Waschbeckenrand liegen,auf einmal buuuummm. Das war's wohl mit unserm Waschbecken. Erstaunlicherweise selber nichts davon abbekommen, trotzdem erst mal fast geweint,aber vor lachen !
      Unser Tourguide daraufhin mit den Leuten vom Hotel gequatscht, ist schon das 2.Mal in dem Zimmer passiert,also kein Ärger und nix bezahlen.

      - 2 Std später, auf der Seite des Piercings plötzlich super dicke Lippe. Blöd dass ich so gar nicht auf Botox stehe..
      - was zum kühlen geholt, wieder zurück zeigt mir Kim einen fetten rot-weißen Stich unterm Auge

      Nächsten Morgen um 4.40 Wecker geklingelt, vor der Abfahrt aber noch mal komische Sachen passiert:
      - Kim mit Nasenbluten aufgewacht
      - Meine Lippe auch immer noch super dick...
      - aufm Weg zum Bus gemerkt,dass mein Ring fehlt - kleiner Sprint am Morgen, vertreibt Kummer und Sorgen .. Ring gefunden, endlich raus aus diesem komischen Ort !!

      Von allen 375 Tagen, die ich schon unterwegs bin, waren das definitiv die merkwürdigsten 24Std !!

      Zimmer #27 im Brisas de Copan ➡ NIE WIEDER 😆
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    • Day 36

      Copan Ruinas

      February 1, 2017 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      According to Lonely Planet Honduras is still known as the "Bad Boy" in the Central American hood. A lot of travelers skip it completely but I at least wanted to catch a glimpse of it.
      I was meeting a friend from Germany here who should join me for the next two weeks to travel El Salvador.
      I arrived in Copan on Tuesday and knew I was staying here for 4 nights as Sebastian would not arrive before Thursday and we wanted to visit the ruins together on Friday before heading to El Salvador on Saturday.
      I was really hoping Copan and the hostel I was staying would be nice. Otherwise it would have been a long stay there. But luckily I did like it a lot.
      I actually felt even more safe here than in Antigua walking the streets by night.
      People were really friendly and lots of the guys hanging around the Parque Central were wearing Cowboy Hats with Jeans and a proper Shirt - it made them look pretty dressed up to protect the city.
      I did go on a horseback ride around the area. It was really nice and as it was just me and my guide I could decide where to go and how fast - he even gave me his horse because it was faster :)
      We went to a small indigenous village and some smaller ruins. I the end we went to a fancy hotel which had amazing views over the area.
      I spend the rest of my days here exploring the little town and hanging out with some nice people from the hostel. There were a few nice places like "The tea and chocolate place" which sold homemade chocolates and other stuff. The hot chocolate was amazing!
      Thursday Sebastian showed up and Friday afternoon Sandy (who I had met before in San Ignacio, Belize and Livingston, Guatemala) joined us to travel to El Salvador together.
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    • Day 38

      Copan Archaeological Site

      February 3, 2017 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      The ruins of Copan were probably not as big and impressive as Tikal or some of the ruins in Mexico but what was really nice was that there were not that many people around. You could just walk to the ruins from town with 10 minutes and then it was a nice stroll through trees filled with macaws.
      Also the ruins had a lot more sculptures and hieroglyphic carvings. Unfortunately a lot was reconstructed and the originals are in the museum at the visitor center (which we skipped).

      There were some more ruins of residential buildings a bit further down the road. On my map it looked like you could take the "nature trail" to get there. So we took this trail till we ended at a wired fence. But as it should be the right way we just found a hole in the fence and kept on walking. We followed a path along the river through high grass. Probably not the best idea in a country with a reputation like Honduras but the map still showed we were on the right way. We climbed through two more fences and crossed some fields till we finally made it to the final fence protecting the ruins. But this ruins were part of our ticket and as we had made it that far we decided not to look for a proper entrance but just slide under another fence to get inside. The ruins were nice but the bigger adventure was really probably how we got there. We never figured out if the was a proper way connecting the two sites and on the way back we sticked to the road instead of trying again.
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    • Day 339

      V. CA Honduras/W1, 2d: Copán

      August 3, 2017 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      Do, 03.08. Santa Ana, SV-Grenzübergang-Copàn Ruinas, HN
      Da ich Donnerstags in Santa Ana noch die Ruta de las Flores machte und der Shuttle ohnehin erst spätnachmittags ging, entschloss ich spontan nach gewöhnlicher Preiskalkulation einen Shuttle nach Copán zu nehmen (nach dem einen landschaftlich tollen in Costa Rica mein erst zweiter). Der Preis erschien mir mit $25 zwar erst hoch, aber mit den 5 Chickenbussen wäre ich insgesamt auch bei $15 gewesen plus hätte eine weitere Nacht in Santa Ana gebraucht, weil ich frühmorgens gestartet wäre - kurzum geldmäßig also nichts gespart, allerdings war der Bus natürlich viel bequemer und mit knapp 5h auch wesentlich schneller bei insgesamt 2 Grenzüberquerungen (die Route ging durch Guatemala). Via Metapan ging es über die Grenze Anguiatu/La Ermita nach zunächst Guatemala (es gab für El Salvador wieder keinen Stempel) und dann El Florido nach Honduras. El Salvador und Guatemala waren beide gebührenfrei, Honduras wollte wieder $3.

      Willkommen in Honduras! :)
      Als eines der interessantesten, inspirierendsten und unberührtesten Länder Zentralamerikas gehört dieses Land leider zu den gefährlichsten mit der höchsten Kriminalitätsrate - nach Nicaragua ist es das zweitärmste Land, mehr als die Hälfte der Bevölkerung lebt unter der Armutsgrenze und San Pedro de Sula im Nordwesten wurde erst 2015 zum dritten Mal infolge als gewalttätigste Stadt der Welt klassifiziert - von der Polizei kann man leider auch nicht viel Hilfe erwarten. Sowohl Einheimische als auch Reiseführer warnen vor den Bussen, die gerade in und um San Pedro Sula und der Hauptstadt regelmäßig und bewaffnet überfallen werden, dass viele Busse Soldaten an Board haben - man soll immer Taxis von und zu den Terminals nehmen und nicht nach Dunkelheit fahren - ein rießen Problem, da man als Rucksackreisende auf Busse angewiesen ist. Die politische und wirtschaftliche Lage ist instabil und das Land wird durch konstante Gewalt der Drogengangs ("maras") heimgesucht. Hauptstadt ist Tegucigalpa, Währung Honduras Lempira.
      Da ich nicht am Tauchen interessiert bin (die karibischen Bay Islands mit Utila und Roatán sind dafür super geeignet und noch dazu echt günstig) und auch bereits in knapp 4 Wochen sprichwörtlich auf einer Hochzeit tanzen muss ;), entschied ich mich daher, lediglich die berühmten Ruinen von Copán zu besuchen und mich 2-3 Tage lang durch Honduras Spezialitäten zu futtern :P
      Am besten startet man den Tag mit "Licuado", einer Art Obstsmoothie mit oft Bananen und Cornflakes und damit sehr füllend. Ähnlich zu allen anderen Ländern ist das Mittagessen wieder die bessere und günstigere Option, v.a. in den comedores mit Reis, Bohnen, Tortilla und Fleisch. Der wohl bekannteste Straßensnack (und von mir aufgrund der Ähnlichkeit zu Pupusas sehr geliebt) ist "Baleada" - mit Bohnen, Käse und Sahne (oder allen anderen denkenswerten Formen) gefüllte weißmehlige Tortillas, die beste Variante ist allerdings mit Avocado. Daneben gibt es noch viele weitere reislose Spezialitäten wie "Anafre" (Fondue aus Käse, Bohnen oder Fleisch bzw allem zusammen), "Tapado" (Gemüseeintopf oft mit Fleisch oder Fisch), "Guisado" (scharfer Hühnereintopf), "Sopa de caracol" (Schneckeneintopf mit Kokosnussmilch, Gewürzen, Kartoffeln und Gemüse).
      Auch hier ist die Bevölkerung wieder stark katholisch und konservativ, die Kinder bleiben idR in der Nähe der Eltern; wobei heutzutage auch viele in die USA gehen und dann Geld heimschicken. Hondurianer sind super freundlich und generell glücklich, wenn Leute ihr Land besuchen wollen und erzählen auch gerne, wo sie herkommen. 85-90% sind Ladino, eine Mischung aus Spanisch und Indigo mit dem Rest indischen Minderheiten wie z.B. den Maya Chorti in Copán.

      Copán Ruinas selbst ist ein charmantes Städtchen mit Kopfsteinpflaster, roten Dächern umgeben von grünen Hügeln und ist natürlich v.a. durch die Nähe zu den berühmten Ruinen von Copán bekannt. Trotz allem ist es nach wie vor eher unberührt, ruhig entspannend und hat neben dem Hauptplatz mit Kirche und archäologischem Museum gerade in der Umgebung viele interessante Wanderungen sowie einen Vogelpark zu bieten.
      Trotz Shuttle kamen wir erst super spät gegen 18:00 Uhr an und meine erste Frage über typisches Essen führte mich gleich in ein lokales Restaurant "Buenas Baleadas", wo ich das wohl bekannteste Essen hatte: Baleada sencilla - Weißmehltortilla gefüllt mit Bohnen, Käse und Sahne; lecker, aber schwer verdaulich und ich bevorzuge definitiv die Mais-Pupusas :) Dabei hatte ich auch gleich wieder eine lokale Erfahrung mit einem älteren Hondurianer, der mich an seinem typischen Essen mit Tortillas, Reis, Bohnen, Käse und fritierten Kochbananen teilhaben ließ sowie mir jede Menge über Land und Leute erzählte ;)

      Fr, 04.08. Ruinas de Copán
      Am nächsten Morgen ging es direkt zu den sehr beliebten, aber etwas abgelegenen Copas-Ruinen, die zum Weltkulturerbe zählen und nach den Bay Islands der zweithäufigst besuchte Ort in Honduras sind. Sie liegen umgeben von schönen, grünen Hügeln und dschungeligem Gebirge 20 Min fußläufig außerhalb Copán-Stadt und entstanden zwischen 250 und 900 n. Chr., der Blütezeit der Maya mit der höchsten städtischen Dichte. Es ist eine der interessantesten Mayastätten - nicht aufgrund der Größe (Tikal in Guatemala und Chichén Itzá in Mexiko sind wesentlich größer und beeindruckender), sondern vielmehr aufgrund der unglaublichen künstlerischen Handwerke, die über Jahrhunderte überlebt haben. Es war einst der wichtigste Stadtstaat der südlichen Mayawelt und auch wesentlich größer und beeindruckender als von mir erwartet.
      Um die ganzen Menschenströme, Schulklassen und Hitze zu vermeiden startete ich wieder recht früh und war typisch deutsch pünktlich zur Eröffnung um 8:00 Uhr die erste Besucherin - dafür wurde ich mit kühlem Wetter, Schatten und insbesondere menschenleeren Ruinen belohnt :) Ich nahm mir super viel Zeit und sah in knapp 5h Plaza Central & Gran Plaza, El Juego de Pelota, La Escalinata Jeroglífica, Temple 11, Acrópolis, Popol-Na sowie East & West Court. Am besten gefiel mir La Escalinata Jeroglífica, die längsten mit Schriftzeichen bestückten Treppenstufen nicht nur der Maya-, sondern der ganzen Welt und der Grund, warum die Stätte ins Weltkulturerbe aufgenommen wurde. Nur die ersten 15 Stufen sind original, der Rest (ich zählte 45 mehr) wurde mit Steinen nachgebildet. Aufgrund der schwierigen Sprache bestehend aus 2 Dialekten und 800-1000 Schriftzeichen wurden auch nur die ersten 15 Stufen übersetzt. Es wird stark geschützt, seit den 70ern ist es nicht mehr erlaubt darauf zu laufen und ein großes Segel dient zum Schutz vor Wetter, Regen und Sonne - diese ganzen Infos gab es übrigens ganz umsonst durch meine Spanischkenntnisse und den Lehrern der dutzenden Schulklassen :P
      Die beste Überraschung gab es aber mit den vielen roten und super lauten Papageien, dem Nationalvogel Honduras und zusammen mit dem Quetzal super wichtig in der Mayakultur. Sie sind in sämtlichen Bildern, Statuen und Zeichen der Mayas vorhanden, die Federn des heiligen Vogels schmückten das Haar der Adeligen, wurden als Währung gehandelt und präsentierten mit ihren vielen Farben den Sonnengott zwischen Himmel und Erde. Papageien sind Partner für das restliche Leben und kommen v.a. in den tropischen Wäldern vom Süden Mexikos bis zum Amazonas in Südamerika vor.
      Danach entdeckte ich noch einen Naturweg - ein willkommener 30Min Spaziergang auf den Spuren der Mayas, super schön ruhig durch Wald mit jeder Menge Schmetterlinge und Vögel. Kakao war für die Mayas das Getränk der Götter und wurde als Tauschmittel für Jade, Muscheln sowie Quetzalfedern verwendet. Der berühmte Ceiba-Baum ist ein Symbol für den Baum des Lebens - die Wurzeln reichen bis tief in die Unterwelt, der Stamm existiert in der jetzigen Welt und die Äste erstrecken sich bis zum Himmel.
      Danach sah ich mir noch die ganzen Infos und Handwerkskünste an und gönnte mir dann super gutes typisches Essen umgeben von Einheimischen an den Straßenständen. Es gab u.a. Baleada mit Avocado für nur L15 (55€ct) sowie Enchiladas, getoastete Maistortillas mit Huhn, Salat und Käse für nur L10 (36€ct) - super lecker und von den einheimischen Jungs gezeigt, wie man das richtig ist ;)
      Anschließend ging es gut gestärkt gegen 13:30 Uhr weiter zu den Las Selpturas, über 100 Gebäude und 250 Gräber inkl Priester Shaman weitere 1,5km östlich der Ausgrabungsstätte Copán gelegen und mit weiterem Natur- sowie Flussweg entlang des Río Copán auch schön schattig.
      Zurück in der Stadt besuchte ich noch den Markt, schlenderte durch die Kopfsteinpflaster und tollen Straßen und entspannte dann nur noch in den Hängematten nach einem super anstrengendem, vielen Stufen behafteten aber sehr interessantem und tollen Tag :)

      Ich dachte bisher, ich würde wieder etwas rushen aber es gibt immer härtere Fälle :P
      So traf ich im Shuttle 3 Norweger, die in 4 Wochen 8 Länder (!!!) von Kolumbien bis nach Mexiko bereisen; eine Amerikanerin, die von Copán nach Antigua und von dort (ohne das tolle Antigua zu genießen oder iwas dort zu machen) gleich weiter nach Flores ganz im Norden des Landes super weit reiste; die absolute Härte waren aber ein Holländer und ein Brite, die fast 10h mit den Chickenbussen von Santa Ana nach Copán gereist sind, dort gegen 17:00 Uhr ankamen und am nächsten Morgen um 07:00 Uhr gleich wieder 10h weiter an die Karibikküste fuhren - ohne die Stadt und unglaublicherweise auch ohne die Hauptattraktion der Ruinen überhaupt gesehen zu haben, total verrückt :P

      Honduras war für mich aufgrund Zeitmangels und Sicherheitslage nur ein sehr kurzer Stopp - die Landschaften waren toll, die Ruinen beeindruckend, die Menschen nett hilfsbereit und ich bevorzuge Pupusas statt Baleadas :) Finanziell bin ich mit 19,33€/T wieder unter meinem Budget von max. 33€/T geblieben.
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    • Day 340

      V. CA Honduras/W1, 2d: Copán EN

      August 4, 2017 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      Th, 03.08. Santa Ana, SV-Border Crossing- Copán Ruinas, HN
      As I was still doing the Ruta de las Flores in Santa Ana on Thursday and the shuttle only left late in the afternoon I spontaneously decided after a usual price calculation to take a shuttle to Copán (after the scenic one in Costa Rica my only second one). $25 first seemed to be quite a lot but the chicken buses would also already have cost me $15 plus I would have needed another night in Santa Ana as I would have had to start early in the morning - so moneywise it was about the same but the bus was for sure more comfortable and with roughly 5h also a lot quicker with 2 border crossings in total (the route was via Guatemala). Via Metapan we went to the border Anguiatu/La Ermita to Guatemala (there was again no stamp for El Salvador) and then to the border post of El Florido to Honduras. El Salvador and Guatemala were both without fees, Honduras charged again a $3 entrance fee.

      Welcome to Honduras! :)
      As one of the most interesting, inspiring and untouched countries in Central America this country unfortunately also counts amongst the most dangerous ones with the highest crime rate - it is the second poorest country after Nicaragua, with more than half of the population living below the poverty line and San Pedro de Sula in the North-West has only been classified as the most violent city in the world for the 3rd time in a row in 2015 - unfortunately you can't expect a lot of help from the police either. Both locals as well as guide books warn of taking buses which are frequently attacked especially in and around San Pedro Sula and the capital so that there are also soldiers in many buses - they advise to always take taxis to and from the terminals and not to use buses after dark - a big problem as you rely on them as a backpacker. The political and economical situation is unstable and the country faces constant violence of the drug gangs ('maras'). The capital is Tegucigalpa, currency Hondurian Lempira.
      As I am not interesting in diving (the Caribbean Bay Islands with Utila and Roatán are super for that and also really cheap) and also have to literally dance on a wedding in around 4 weeks' time ;) I thus decided to only visit the famous ruins of Copán and to eat myself 2-3 days through Honduras' specialities :P
      The day is best started with 'Licuado', a type of fruit smoothie often served with bananas and cereals and thus quite filling. Similar to all other countries lunch is again the better and cheaper option, especially in the comedores with rice, beans, tortilla and meat. The most popular street snacks (and due to its similarity to Pupusas quite nice) are 'Baleadas' - white-flour tortillas filled with beans, cheese and cream (or any other type you can possibly think of) but the best version is with avocado. Apart from that there are more rice-free specialities such as 'anafre' (cheese, beans or meat or everything together fondue), 'tapado' (vegetable stew often served with meat or fish), 'guisado' (spicy chicken stew), 'sopa de caracol' (slug stew with coconut milk, spices, potatoes and vegetables).
      The population is again quite Catholic and conservative, children usually stay close to their parents; though many of them move to the USA and send money back home nowadays. Hondurians are super friendly and in general quite happy about people willing to visit their country and enjoy telling where they are from. 80-90% are Ladino, a mixture of Spanish and Indigo with the rest being Indian minorities such as Maya Chorti in Copán.

      Copán Ruinas itself is a cute town with cobblestone streets, red-tiled roofs surrounded by green hills and is of course especially known for its proximity to the famous Copán Ruins. Despite all it is still untouched, quiet relaxing and apart from the main square with its church and archaelogical museum also offers many interesting hikes and a bird park in its surroundings.
      In spite of the shuttle we only arrived super late around 6:30pm and my first question about typical food immediately brought me to a local restaurant 'Buenas Baleadas' where I enjoyed the most typical dish here: Baleada sencilla - white-flour Tortilla filled with beans, cheese and cream; delicious but heavy and I definitively prefer the corn pupusas ;) I also had again a local experience with an elder Hondurian offering me parts of his typical food of tortillas, rice, beans, cheese and fried plaintains as well as telling me a lot about the country and its people ;)

      Fr, 04.08. Ruinas de Copán
      I directly went to the very popular but a bit remote Copán Ruins the next morning which are a World Heritage Site and the 2nd most visited destination in Honduras after the Bay Islands. They are surrounded by nice green hills and jungle mountains a 20min walk outside from Copán Town and were built between 250-900 AD, the Mayas main time with the highest urban density. It is one of the most interesting Maya sites - not in terms of size (Tikal in Guatemala and Chichén Itzá in Mexico are a lot bigger and more impressive) but rather due to its incredible artscraft having survived several centuries. It was once the most important city state of the Southern Maya world and also a lot bigger and more impressive than expected.
      To avoid the crowds, school classes and heat I started again quite early and was typical German with being at 8am as the first visitor in front of the gate - but thus was rewarded with cooler weather, shade and above all ruins without people :) I took my time and needed around 5h to see Plaza Central & Gran Plaza, El Juego de Pelota, La Escalinata Jeroglífica, Temple 11, Acrópolis, Popol-Na as well as East & West Court. I liked La Escalinata Jeroglífica the most, it is the longest inscripted staircase not only in the Mayan but in the whole world and the reason for the site having been added to the World Heritage. Only the first 15 steps are original, the rest (I counted 45 more) are stone repiclas. Based on the difficult language with 2 dialects and 800-1000 characters only the first 15 stairs have been translated. They are heavily protected, since the 70s the public is not allowed to walk on them anymore and a big canvas is used to protect it against weather such as sun and rain - btw, I got all this info for free by using my Spanish skills listening to all the teachers of the many school classes :P
      However, the best surprise were the many red and super noisy scarlet macaws, Honduras' national bird and together with the Quetzal very important in the Maya culture. They can be found in many Mayan pictures, stones and signs, the feathers of this sacred bird orned the hair of the wealthy people, were used as currency and represented with its many colours the God of the Sky between heaven and earth. Macaws stick to their partner for their whole life and can especially be found in the tropical forests from the South of Mexico until the Amazonas in South America.
      After that I still discovered a Nature Trail - a welcoming 30min hike following the Maya, super calm through forest with many butterflies and birds. Cacao represented the drink of the Gods in Mayan culture and was traded for jade, sea shells as well as Quetzal feathers. The famous Ceiba tree is a symbol for the tree of life - the roots go all the way to the underworld, the trunk represents the current world and the brenches stretch all the way to heaven.
      I then still read all the information and had a look at the handicrafts before enjoying super good delicious typical food amongst locals at some street stands. I had a Baleada with avocado for only L15 (55€ct) as well as Enchiladas, toasted corn tortillas with chicken, salad and cheese for only L10 (36€ct) - super yummy and I was taught by the locals how to properly eat them ;)
      Well filled up I then went to Las Selpturas around 1:30pm, over 100 buildings and 200 tombs incl priests and shaman 1.5km further East of Copán and with another nature or river trail along Río Copán also nice and shady.
      Back in town I went to the market, walked around the cobblestone streets and then only relaxed in the hammock after a super exhausting, a lot of stairs climbing but very interesting and nice day :)

      So far I thought I would rush a bit now but there are always worse cases :P
      On the shuttle I thus met 3 Norwegians visiting 8 countries in 4 weeks (!!!) from Colombia to Mexico; an American travelling from Copán to Antigua and from there immediately to Flores all the way up quite far in the north of the country (without visiting beautiful Antigua or doing sth there); but the absolute hit were a Dutch and British travelling around 10h with chicken buses from Santa Ana to Copán arriving around 5pm and already leaving around 7am the next morning to the Caribbean coast for another 10h - without even seeing the town and incredibly also skipping the main attraction of the ruins, totally crazy :P

      Due to a lack in time and security issues Honduras was only a quick stop for me - the landscapes were beautiful, the ruins impressive, the people nice helpful and I prefer Pupusas instead of Baleadas :) Financially I was with 19,33€/d able to stay below my daily budget of 33€/d.
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    • Day 95

      Going to Honduras

      September 19, 2017 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      We left early at 6:30am and there were no hot showers. We drove for a while before stopping for an omelette for breakfast. We crossed the border into Guatemala, then the boarder to Honduras. We arrived in Copan and headed straight to a coffee shop where there was finally a good coffee. For all the coffee that is produced here you'd expect some nice coffee, but it seems hard to find. I found a frozen chocolate coated banana again which made me very happy. We all then caught Tuk-Tuk's to a chocolate and tea shop where we had delicious hot chocolate with cacao nibs. They told us about their reforestation project using their native plants which have medicinal properties. We went out for happy hour drinks, dinner of beef fajitas and then onto the pub for some Karaoke.Read more

    • Day 96

      Copan Ruins and the hot springs

      September 20, 2017 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      I went for an early breakfast at the yummy coffee shop. We then went to the Copan Ruins. The Mayans lived there from 1,500 BC to 1,200AD, the end of their civilization. The golden time was 400-800 AD. The Mayans destroyed all the forests, so ended up with no food or water. Mayans had a culture of incest and polygamy. We saw a few cool trees including the saber tree or Tree of life which was the Avatar tree. Also saw the Maraca tree and Strangling fig tree. After looking around I had a yummy ice coffee and frozen banana with nuts. Most of us then traveled for an hour to the thermal springs. There were a range of hot pools with quite hot temperatures. One of them had a cave that was really hot to run into. We had dinner there before traveling back.Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Departamento de Copán, Departamento de Copan

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