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.

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.

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)

Pupusas

It took me awhile to discover the mercado and the amazing pupusas you can find there. I'd walked through it once the first day I'd arrived and hadn't been all that impressed. It was small, with some fruit/veggie stands taking up the majority of the ground floor. There are tables in the middle of the ground floor where people sit and eat the food prepared from small restaurants within the market. The upper floor is mostly clothing, shoes and other gear.

I didn't actually eat in the market until the second week I was in Copan. I'd gotten up early and knew breakfast at my house wouldn't be ready for at least another hour, so I decided to head into town to see what was open. Nothing was open, unfortunately, until 7 am, except the market. Starving, I decided to give it a shot and was stunned at the awesome food that appeared on the table shortly after I ordered it. I'd ordered pupusas this time and as you can see they brought out pupusas, salsa, sea salt and the typical vinegared veggies. Not only was the food delicious, it was also beautiful! The cabbage next to the pupusa looks as if it has radish in it as well, making it a beautiful color. The price for this place was less than $1 by the way and I liked my pupusa here much more than the highly recommended (by MOON) Comedor Mary and various other places around town where I also sampled pupusas.

If you aren't familiar with them, pupusas are from El Salvador, and are a thick tortilla filled with various items. In Copan I tried pupusas with beans, cheese, chicken, chicharron, and other items I don't know the words for in English.

**The first photo is from the market. The second photo is from a small restaurant near Ixbalanque Language School.

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.