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.

Maya--a sad tale

I have three dogs at home in Portland, so it was difficult for me to see all the dogs on the street in Copan. The majority of dogs seemed relatively healthy, if flea-covered and filthy, but overall seemed to be doing okay. A few of the dogs I encountered, though, seemed to be clinging to life by a thread--skin and bones, very little fur, sometimes with sores. I couldn't stand seeing these dogs in such a condition, so I started buying dog food at the supermarkets and in the mornings and evenings I would wander around town feeding the dogs.

One extra pathetic looking dog (who I'd named Maya) who could barely walk it was so skinny tugged at the strings at my heart and I sort of 'adopted' her while I was there. I was so worried about Maya's welfare that I emailed an American woman, Pilar Thorn, who runs a dog shelter in Teguciculpa (who I found after doing a google search and reading this article: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Scoop/Animal-advocate) sending the picture of the dog above and asked if she knew of anyone in Copan who might be able to help this miserable dog. Pilar sent my email on to Lloyd, the owner of Macaw Mountain, and I met with Lloyd to tell him about the plight of the dog and he promised that he'd keep feeding her after I left and try to get her some treatment.

For a few days I was so happy, feeling as if I'd really rescued this poor animal, hoping Lloyd or Pilar could send me pictures of her recovery process. Then, on my last morning in Copan I was worried because Maya didn't show up at parque central as she'd started doing as I started feeding her on a regular basis. Then, as I was walking to the bus station, I noticed two otherwise healthy dogs dead in the ditch. I'd heard that the tourism ministry of Copan sometimes poisoned the street dogs and I was afraid that's what had happened to the dogs in the ditch and was the reason Maya had not come to parque central. There was little I could do though since I was living Copan for good that day.

A week or so later I got an email from Pilar saying that Lloyd hadn't wanted to tell me but he'd inquired in one of the government offices in Copan after not seeing Maya for a few days and they confirmed that the ministry of tourism had poisoned about 70 street dogs the Thursday evening I'd left. I started crying as I read that email and it was hard for me to stop for quite awhile. When the tears stopped my sorrow turned to angry and later that day I got an email from Karen Menczer, who started Animal-Kind International (http://www.animal-kind.org/) an organization that supports animal welfare in developing countries. She'd heard about the story and wanted to help do something about it. We haven't made any plans so far, but I hope that someday countries like Honduras might find alternatives to their current treatment of animals.

Macaw Mountain Bird Park-Parque de aves

Macaw Mountain (http://www.macawmountain.com/) was probably my favorite place in Copan and I visited it three times during the two weeks I was there. Located outside of town on the road to the hotsprings, you can take a mototaxi (20-25 lempira) or walk (although it's quite a long walk). You can get a discount if you are at a language school and then the ticket is $6 ($10 regular price). Your ticket is good for 3 days, however, the owner, Lloyd, told me that language school students are welcome to come back as often as they'd like.

The first time I went I got a tour from a teenage boy who normally goes to school in Victoria, BC. He walked me from cage to cage (and by cage I mean something the size of an apartment) explaining where the birds (macaws, toucans, owls and various types of parrots) came from or how they got there. Many of the birds are reintroduced into the wild (you can see some of Lloyd's birds at the ruins in Copan) but a have Macaw Mountain as their home. There is an 'interaction area' where the birds are out of cages and sitting in a courtyard of a sort on large branches/tree limbs in the center of the courtyard. The guide brought a couple over as I posed for pictures with parrots on my arms and shoulders. Another cage free area is designated for 'depressed birds' where birds who are feeling depressed hang out together on tree branches eat nuts and tropical fruit until their feathers and behavior return to normal.

Macaw Mountain is huge and after you get done with the tour there is plenty more to do. The trail that takes you around the park also passes along a river. There's plenty of interesting floral and fauna as you go. The temperature is normally quite a bit cooler than the town of Copan so it's a great place to go in the afternoon to escape the heat. There are also dirt hiking trails that weave amongst the coffee trees and take you to a lookout point over the river. There is a restaurant run by the same woman who owns the popular restaurant, Twisted Tanya's, in Copan and a cafe where you can get various coffee drinks or purchase the coffee roasted onsite, Cafe Miramundo. Just beyond the restaurant and near the depressed birds is an area where you can relax in a hammock or wade into the river.

The owner, Lloyd, originally from Tennessee, really loves birds and clearly has a good heart. He has a dog that he took from the streets of Copan (one of the many dogs in bad shape) who now accompanies Lloyd everywhere.

I highly recommend Macaw Mountain as a city escape.

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!