In August Dan and I and others traveled inland, away from the Rio Dulce where we are waiting out the hurricane season. Our first August trip was to Honduras to the Mayan ruins in Copan. One major reason for our choice was to reset the clock on our Immigration for Guatemala. When entering Guatemala by boat, the first stop is to see the authorities in Livingston. There for about $300 US, the boat is allowed into the country for 90 days and the crew people are allowed 60 days by immigration. As I mentioned, Sea Star crew needed to reset our immigration 60 day allowance. The process was simple and inexpensive at the El Flordio border. We walked through the Guatemala border check and were stamped out of that country in our passports,(rather than to accept the one day Copan pass) then we walked a little further to the Honduras border crossing, filled out one simple sheet, were stamped in our passports simply by telling the guards that Copan was not going to be our only stop in Honduras. When we returned to the border to leave Honduras, they stamped us out and Guatemala allowed us in, resetting our immigration now for 90 days.
Our little group used Litegua autobus non stop from Rio Dulce to El Florido border. We walked across the two borders as explained above and in Honduras we were offered a collectivo bus into Copan Ruines, the city where the ruins of Copan are located.
This is a shot from the rooftop patio at our chosen hotel, Gradidas Maya- about $30 US for a small, air-conditioned room with private bath.
Our friends, Suzi and John organized the trip
Dinner the first night, typico food, at El Bosque
In the morning we ate breakfast burritos at Picame', John's favorite little breakfast place-friendly, clean efficient.
We walked 2 km and entered the city of Copan. It flourished during 500 -900 AD
Still working on the beautiful stairway of the Temple of Hieroglyphics
Area for nobility to live- peasants were way to the west of here and had no temples
This is a different type of carving along with a hieroglyph history on the steps.
Our guide told us this is a depiction of 13 Rabbit. He, a ruler of Copan was kidnapped and brought to the city of Quirigua and sacrificed
Shows the entrance to the tunnels below the latest built temples. Underneath archaeologists saw how temples were built on the top of others.
Cabesa of the Old Man, one Pawahatuun
Strangely, we ran into this movie set and actors who were preparing to re-enact a Mayan ball game. That means some of these young men would be sacrificed after the game, depending on the outcome at the time of the Mayan rule in Copan!
Practicing with props
This stella shows original red coloring prepared from insects
The three bars mean 20 each and the dots on the side before are 3 in the Mayan number system
People appreciate the ruins and Mayan culture in their own ways. Here are people meditating
Here a man just enjoys the shade of a Ceiba Tree
A really large Ceiba tree. If I were standing at the trunk I would be only as tall as the top of the rock
The Mayans at Copan and present day vendors in the town sell chocolate made from the cacao plants
Cheryl coming out of the tunnel where Rosalila, the red building can be viewed
Inside the new museum
Here we are visiting the museum with the replica of the sacred building Rosalila- front
Back with comb detail and painted sculpture
Strange- maybe original Bat Man?
Carved hawk head
A scribe, an important member of society
Bench or bed from one of the nobles' homes.
Just something to think about in the jungle when it's dark?
Copan is a site of great interest. When our guide talked, he described events in Mayan history and life-style which, if true, show that quite a bit of new knowledge has been added since we last visited the site in 1998.
Tired and hot, we took a tuc-tuc (a little open bus) back to town and convened on the roof again after a nap. Our second restaurant was simply the best ever- not cheap but the shishkabobs of beef, chicken shrimp vegetables and a tiny piece of sweet corn, made by a tiny 4 ft. Mayan granny made our day.
Next day we hired an all day taxi and went to an aviary and hot springs, high up on a mountain.
Hate to see birds caged, but the others were ok with it.
These toucans were quite noisy.
The Emerald Toucanet was a friend of the handler. Could you be friends with that bill?
A Mottled owl
Green Macaws from Honduras
We all were adorned by the fabulous birds
The Scarlet Macaw ate the button off Dan's hat.
The blue macaw left four holes in my shirt
Suzi lost a whole earring
John's hat was flipped off
Makayla lost a bit of hair
White capped Parrots
Err..look at your feet John
The Copan Rio through the reserve
New place- at the hot springs, Agua Calientes. Our guide warned us what pools would actually be too hot to endure.
Yup! You see them rubbing mud on themselves.Mud is supposed to be a cure for wrinkles and great for your skin. It was sticky like clay and I'm faking it.
One more overnight and a collectivo bus with one major delay on the way. A teachers' strike made us get out of one small bus, walk through the strikers and get in another bus at the opposite side before we could continue on all the way back to the Rio. Seven hours of uncomfortable entertainment. Dan had half of a young man on his lap and half on Dan's seatmate's lap for a good hour and a half when the conductor boy insisted they squeeze the guy in. By the time we arrived back, paperwork completed, starving and needing a "rest break" real badly we all were relieved to have made it back. Copan is an interesting trip and fun to go with friends.
NEXT: It's still August and Tikal, Yaxha trip to Flores, Guatemala
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