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.

Baleadas-A Honduran favorite

Baleadas, a tortilla folded in half and filled with beans, eggs, crumbly cheese, and crema, are probably the most popular food item in Honduras. The family I was staying with first served them for dinner a few nights into my stay. Most restaurants also serve them, although they tend to be quite a bit more expensive than those you will get in the market (50 cents!/baleada!).

My personal opinion is that food tends to get a bit blander and less complex as you travel south from Mexico in Central America. However, in every country I find dishes that I love. Baleadas are simple, cheap and delicious.

The pictures:
**The monster sized baleada I got in a restaurant across the street from Jim's pizza. I actually wasn't that impressed with the baleada itself--I was the only person in the restaurant, it took forever to come, and when it did come it was only lukewarm. In addition, as far as baleadas are concerned, it was ridiculously expensive. I do like the picture though.

**The plate with three baleadas was made by the mother of my host-family.

**The picture with the medium sized baleada is one I got at the market for about 50 cents.

Iguana Azul hostel

This hostel, the Iguana Azul, http://www.iguanaazulcopan.com/ was right around the corner from where I was staying and I loved the outside of the building. A friend of mine who was passing through Copan into Guatemala stayed there two nights so I also got to see the inside. For $6 a night, this is about as good as it gets. Very clean, tile floors, garden area out back, nicely decorated and clean, easy walk into town.

Or, if you are not a budget traveler, you could stay at the Bed and Breakfast Casa de Cafe http://www.casadecafecopan.com/ which is owned by the same owners as the Blue Iguana and is located next door. The owners must live across the street because sometimes I saw them carrying food over for the guests. I think they might prepare the meals at their house and then walk them next door to serve guests. The Casa de Cafe has a beautiful garden area, and in fact, whenever I walked by I wished I was staying there.

Hacienda San Lucas

Hacienda San Lucas (http://haciendasanlucas.com)is a fancy-pants hotel (by this I mean expensive and nice. It's look, as you can tell from the pictures is elegantly rustic) located in the mountains around Copan. For around $120 you can spend the night (breakfast included). If you're more budget conscious like me but would still like to spend some time on the grounds, you can come up for the day and eat lunch or dinner there.

Hacienda San Lucas is owned by a Honduran woman, Flavia, who speaks wonderful English. She has an office in town right near supermercado Victoria. Her staff drive out every day around 2, so we got a ride with them. The grounds are lovely and I've heard there are hiking trails and that horseback riding or massages can be arranged. There is also an outdoor yoga studio though I'm not sure if there are actual yoga classes or if you just use the yoga area on your own.

Unfortunately, it was raining the afternoon we spent the day, so we mostly lounged around the yoga room (pictured above) and porch area drinking jamaica tea until it was time for dinner.

Dinner is a 5 course meal for $35 (drinks not included) and although it was pricey compared to other restaurants, my friend and I felt it was worth it. While you make a reservation, you don't really order, they just bring you out the courses. I did see someone who received fish though, so perhaps they have a separate menu for non-red meat eaters and vegetarians. The food was excellent and it was kind of fun not knowing what food would show up for the next course. How often is food a surprise? We liked it because it forced us to try food we never would have ordered because we wouldn't have known what it was, and we loved it!

The other people eating that night with us were all hotel guests but the restaurant is open to anyone although they do suggest reservations. If you aren't a fan of taking a mototaxi home at night, you might want to go for breakfast or lunch. When we went back by mototaxi it was not only dark but also raining. Quite the adventure but not for everyone. Otherwise, just stay the night!

Licuados-my favorite drink in Honduras!

I don't know if licuados (smoothies) are as popular in other parts of central America as they are in Honduras, but while I was there I had one almost every day. Just about every restaurant has a licuados on the menu. You can also get a fastfood licuado from 'Superjugo' which is just off the square in Copan. The most common licuado flavors are pineapple, mango, papaya and strawberry, but I've seen them in lots of other flavors as well such as peanut, melon, vanilla and banana.

I prefer licuados made with milk, although a watermelon made with water would be good too. You can also get them with yogurt or juice at some places. Nothing better than a fruity licuado on a hot day in copan.

My favorite places for smoothies are the following:

Cafe Welches (http://www.cafehonduras.com/ just north of the square, and also has good desserts and coffee). I think you can take a tour at their farms outside Copan.

Casa de Todo (http://www.casadetodo.com/ smoothie is pictured above) which is down the hill east of the square kind near the school Guacamaya. They are a little expensive but their smoothies are good! They also have a nice garden setting, internet and gift shop.

Superjugo (good for a takeaway licuado)

Jim's Pizza

Don't get me wrong, I love me a pupusa or baleada, but sometimes you get the craving for good ol' American (or Italian, I guess) food.

Jim's Pizza (http://www.copanruinas.com/pizzajim.htm) is a block south of Parque Central and is directly across from another pizza restaurant. The MOON guidebook didn't exactly sing the praises of Jim's-- serves up 'acceptable pizzas' so I wasn't really expecting much when I went there the first time. They are a little bit pricey, (about 10/pizza although you can get cheaper than that) but Jim's pizzas are FANTASTIC! I'm a pizza person and am always trying new pizza places in Portland but so far I haven't found 'my' style of pizza in Portland. Jim's is better than anything I've had here. You can get tons of ingredients, but my favorite was with ham, mozzarella and blue cheese. Excellent sauce and crust, too! I went back a second time and ordered a whole pizza for myself and managed to eat about 3/4 of the pizza!

Jim is a Texan and if the restaurant is open, Jim is there. He's got various TV's showing sporting events, so if you want to catch a game and want great pizza, go to Jim's.

Cafe San Rafael

Copan has plenty of great cafes to where you can spend the afternoon studying, reading, or relaxing. Cafe San Rafael was my favorite. The cafe opens into a beautiful garden. The floors are tile and the tables a dark wood and you can sit with your food and drink and gaze out at the mountains or watch the hummingbirds flitting back and forth between the flowers. Because I ate lunch at home, I typically only got a coffee or licuado (a small latte costs only $1.50). They serve various sandwiches, licuados, frappucino-like drinks, desserts and a cheese platter.

The coffee they serve at the cafe is from their coffee farm nearby. You can also buy bags of coffee, green coffee beans (only 2.50/bag!), jalapeño sauce, and mango or strawberry preserves, all of which come from their farm.

Getting around Copan-the mototaxi

Copan is a very small town so really you can walk just about anywhere, including the parque de aves if you don't mind a hike. However, if you're not up for a walk or are lugging backpacks around you can take one of these. Rumor has it that they came from Thailand and now are the only form of taxi used in Copan. They are cheap, $1 for pretty much anywhere around town, although if you are by yourself $25 lempiras (or about $1.25) seems to be the going rate for a destination on the outskirts of town. They seem quite safe and in fact, a friend and I took one down the mountain from Hacienda San Lucas in the dark and while it was raining. Although we were terrified, we made it just fine.

Spanish Schools, Copan Ruinas

Here are some photos of Ixbalanque Spanish school in Copan Ruinas, Honduras where I attended Spanish classes for four hours per day and classes were one on one. I was there for two weeks and had the same teacher, Maldia, for both weeks, although some of the students changed teachers occasionally. There was a large group of high school students attending classes in the afternoons and I had my classes in the mornings. There were generally 4-6 other students attending classes with me. Usually, the teachers spent the first half of the morning conversing with us and the second half on grammar. The garden court yard at the school is beautiful and it is only a short walk into town.

There is another Spanish school in town, Guacamaya, which got excellent reviews.