Tela, North Coast, Honduras

I traveled to Tela the weekend before I came back to the United States. I wanted to go somewhere 'beachy' and Roatan was out of the question because of expense and limited time, so I decided on Tela.

The best parts of Tela seem to be found outside of the town itself. You can go on boat tours to Punta Sal, lagoons, Punta Isopo, or Garífuna villages (and more that I'm not going to list). The beaches are much nicer when you get outside of Tela. A woman I met at my hotel spent the day at the Jardín Botánico Lancetilla and loved it. Apparently you can sample fruit from the many tropical trees.

I went on a boat ride to Punta Sal and enjoyed it, we had a guided hike through a tropical forest where we saw lots of monster sized poisonous spiders and monkeys.Lunch was excellent! It was the first time I'd eaten a whole fish plucked fresh from the sea! You could also buy a coconut for $1 and drink the coconut water. Afterward they would chop the coconut in half so we could eat the meat on the inside. The downside? The return boat ride was rough and long. Water sprayed us constantly and it was very bumpy. If you are prone to seasickness, it would not be fun.

I wished I could have stayed longer to visit the botanic garden and more of the national parks.

Enchanted Wings Butterfly House

The Enchanted Wings Butterfly House (EWBH) is just outside Copan Ruinas on the road to El Florido. The hours can vary--you have to check the sign. I think they are generally open from 8-4 and the entrance fee is 100 lempiras (about $5). First, the guide will show you the various caterpillars and cocoons in cages where they are waiting to hatch. Then, they'll turn you loose into a screened in garden area with a laminated butterfly identification card. It was a pleasant experience, and since the garden is not very big, I sat on the steps and just watched the butterflies flitting around. Once I got bored of that I followed the wooden pathways outside the garden which led up the hill. On the top of the hill are a bunch of wood cabins that the owner is renting out.

I liked Macaw Mountain much better than EWBH but it made for a relaxing experience. More than anything I was impressed by the owner who is building the cabins himself with only two other Honduran workers. Generally I assume wealthier Americans come down to places like Honduras so they can hire workers to do the work they don't want to do themselves. Not this guy.

The cabins are called La Chorcha Lodge (http://www.lachorchalodge.com/lodge.html) and are lovely. They would be a great alternative to staying in Copan Ruinas, especially for those who want to be surrounded by nature. The prices are reasonable and you have unlimited access to the butterfly park. There are also packages available that include visits to touristy places such as the Ruins and a nature reserve. Transportation is available from San Pedro Sula.

Aguas termales (hot springs)

Each week my language school in Copan took an excursion, and in my second week we went to the hot springs. I have to say I was a little skeptical about going. Sometimes some tourist destinations are overrated and I figured the hot springs would be one of them. I've been to some amazing hot springs in Guatemala and I didn't figure these would be anywhere nearly as good.

The springs are located about one hour's drive from Copan on a windy, rough dirt road. There is a public pool (really just a small pool with greenish looking water) on one side which costs $3 though none of us could figure out why anyone would drive all that way to go to those. To get to the 'private' hot springs it costs $10 and you need to cross the river on a wooden suspension type bridge. Despite reading in the MOON guidebook that the private springs had received mixed reviews, everyone I talked to raved about the hot springs and said you MUST cross the bridge to get to the good stuff.

I happen to agree with those who raved about the hot springs. In fact, I wish we'd had more time to spend there. You first cross the bridge with a guide who shows your the various areas you can spend your time. There's a natural 'sauna' area, a spiritual area, a footbath, a small waterfall serving as a shower and neck and shoulder massager, and one area where you slather mud all over your body like at a fancy spa only for free. There's a stone path that takes you to the different areas and apparently you can also schedule massages as there's a massage room directly over the river. The springs are differently temperatures, all pleasant, but there are some areas that are off limits because the water is scaldingly hot. I could see if you had kids you might be concerned about them ignoring the warnings or falling in. In fact, I did hear a story about a Honduran guy who brought two American girls out to the springs at night and fell into the part with the scalding water.

The facilities were lovely and you can tell they are working to improve/add on because there were workers nearby while we were there. It was the raining season, so we could hear thunder while we soaked but because we were so deep in the rain forest, even though it did rain a bit not a drop touched us. Because the hot springs are clearly intended to appeal to tourists, I do wish there'd been some sort of restaurant or cafe on the grounds like the one I'd visited outside of Xela, Guatemala. If that'd been the case, it'd been tough to leave.

If the hot springs seems appealing to you, and you want to extend your trip, the folks who gave the hot springs rave reviews actually visited the hot springs from horseback while staying at Finca El Cisne . More than one person described their stay at Finca El Cisne as the best part of their time in Honduras. Finca El Cisne is a coffee where you will tour around on horseback guided by the the owner's son (I think that's who he is). The meals are supposed to be awesome. A highly recommended experience. I didn't get to do it but I wish I had...

One more thing--on the way back to Copan we encountered a large truck whose wheel had sunk into wet, muddy road stopping traffic from both directions. We ended up walking the rest of the way. No one was hurt, but I guess this is the hazards of the rainy season, I guess.

The Mayan Ruins of Copan

The most popular tourist attraction in Copan are the ruins, a major Mayan archaeological site (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), which are located just east of the town on the road to San Pedro Sula. It is any easy walk from town--after you cross the bridge just follow the stone path until it ends and it will take you right there. Otherwise, just take a mototaxi.

I went to the ruins early in the morning--they open at 8 and I was there right away. It gets busy by late morning and it was great to walk around before it got hot and before the crowds. I didn't get a guide because I was by myself and was trying not to spend money, but I would say a guide would be worth it to gain a better understanding of the history. An entrance ticket is $15 and if you want to enter the archaeological tunnels it's an additional $15. The Museo de Escultura Maya costs $7 to enter. I didn't go to this either--by the time I'd spent a few hours walking the grounds I was tired and starving and ready to heat back into town. There is a gift shop and cafeteria located near the entrance to the ruins.

Copan apparently had a population of 24,000 at its height. Much smaller than Tikal but it was considered the principal Mayan cultural center at the height of it's development. You are allowed to climb some of the structures and there is also a nature path, though not very clearly marked once you're on it, it's nice to get into the jungle/rain forest and listen to the almost mystical sounds of strange birds as you go. Beware of armies of ants with a ferocious bite. When you enter the gates to the actual ruins, you'll be greeted by groups of Macaws that were once living in Macaw Mountain but have now been released. They do set out food for the birds so apparently they like to stick around. Also near the macaws, I saw a family of Aguti snuffling around.

**The only picture I'm going to explain is the bottom one--this is the stone path you follow til its end from town.

A typical Honduran breakfast

I love breakfast and so I was disappointed in Honduras when my host family kept serving me what I considered an American-type breakfast (corn flakes, oatmeal or pancakes) rather than what is considered to be the 'typical' Honduran breakfast. The typical Honduras breakfast is a hearty affair and generally consists of eggs, refried beans, bits of a salty, feta like cheese, fried plantains, tortillas, accompanied with a cup of coffee. My host family actually served this meal every night for dinner, so maybe it's just a matter of personal preference. Either way, it's a good meal.