Honduras Travel

COPAN RUINAS, Honduras

Men in jeans and straw hats walked along the highway that snaked through the mountains from San Pedro Sula to Copan Ruinas; fruit stands and shantytowns speckled the route.

A small landslide caused by some heavy rains made part of our drive difficult, but my local guide, Eli, told me this was nothing – there had been times when he was unable to bring tourists to Copan because labor strikes blockaded this road.

In my mid-20s, this was my first solo trip. And to a country where I didn’t speak the language, no less.

I was armed with a sense of adventure, a quest to learn a little about Central America and a notebook filled with key phrases a friend had taught me (I memorized the phrase “I am a vegetarian.”)

I stayed in this quaint town near the Guatemala border for two nights. The major tourist draw is the nearby ancient Mayan ruins. My base here was the Hotel Marina Copan, located by the town’s central plaza. From here (or just about anywhere in the small town of Copan Ruinas), the ruins are just a few minutes’ drive or short walk away.

At the ruins, I was surprised when the ancient city seemed smaller than it appeared on the map. Hard to believe this city once housed 20,000.

After climbing to the top of one temple, Eli saw a hole in the ground, and with a long piece of grass we enticed a tarantula into a game of tug of war until several of its furry legs were out in the open. When its large, hairy abdomen quickly moved toward my hand, I instinctively jumped back. But it was cool to see the spider nonetheless.

From the temple top we had a good view of the ruins, which included numerous statues and intricately carved art pieces uncommon to other Mayan cities – Copanians were considered the most artistically advanced of the Mayan world. A highlight here is the largest hieroglyphic stairway in the Mayan world, which dates to the year 749.

Besides the view above ground, touists also can access several archaeological tunnels around and under the ruins.

Though it would have been easy to stay here all day, my stomach was growling. Back on the unnamed streets of Copan Ruinas, my guide and I took a relaxing siesta, starting with hibiscus tea and traditional Honduran food (beans and rice with small, thick corn tortillas, avocados and salsa) at local eatery El Meson del Caminante. After lunch, I wandered along the cobblestone streets of Copan Ruinas, which I had to share with numerous toylike taxis – they have only one wheel in the front, and it was fun to see them barrel down the uneven streets packed with so many people it looked like they would topple over.

In this town, I was surrounded by locals and Guatemalan tourists; I even ate dinner (and attempted, somewhat successfully, some very basic conversation) with a few Guatemalan men when the only open spot at a restaurant was at their outdoor table.

Next morning at the airport – where there was no ID required and the schedule was “whenever” – I caught the hour flight (with a stop in between) to Roatan, one of the Bay Islands off the Caribbean coast of Honduras, an area that draws divers from around the world.

On Roatan, I headed to Anthony’s Key Resort, a spot well-known to divers and snorkelers.

Talk about a change of pace and culture. The Bay Islands, though Honduran, are culturally more Caribbean, and most of the people I met at Anthony’s were Americans – the wealthy kind. I actually felt a little out of place, but that was remedied over drinks and conversation with some of the other resort guests – even rich divers can be friendly.

The resort offers dive and snorkeling excursions daily (you also can shore dive). Be aware the resort does not have much of a beach. The main attractions are underwater – even close to shore the brightly colored coral and schools of fish are highly visible.

For those who prefer their sightseeing above ground, there is an optional canopy tour, which I also checked out.

With a harness strapped on and a camera around my neck, I jumped up to be clamped onto the zip line and literally zipped through the rain forest. From above, I saw an iguana in a tree, and a small monkey came right up to me on one of the zip line platforms.

Surprisingly, the guides didn’t point out flora and fauna; for them it was more about getting the group from one platform to the next.

Another day, I set out to explore on foot, wandering across the road from Anthony’s to the Carambola Botanical Garden. The circular paths of the garden have dozens of well-labeled indigenous plants, but the real fun was hiking up a trail to the top of Carambola Mountain (parts are steep and hiking boots are recommended), where the view is spectacular. If you walk quietly and carefully when you hear rustling in the trees, you just might spot some monkeys on the way up. I saw them along with lizards (which dart around the path with every step you take) and mosquitoes (which bite regardless of how much insect repellent you use).

After the hike, I needed a rest. Luckily, on the deck of my Anthony’s cabana, right above the water, I was able to curl up on the hammock with some Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Now if only I could read the original work in Spanish.

If you go:

Staying there: Rates at Hotel Marina Copan (www.hotelmarinacopan.com) are from $75 per night.

Seven-night packages at Anthony’s Key Resort include meals, airport transfers, snorkeling/diving and other resort activities. Snorkeling packages are $675-$975; diving packages $675-$1,075, depending on season. All prices are per person, based on double occupancy. (www.anthonyskey.com)