Copan Ruinas!

Finally!  We made it to Copan!  Welcome to Honduras' loveliest mountain city: such a gem!  It was worth the 28 hour journey and we enjoyed a very nice 4 days in my favorite city we've visited on our journey so far.  If we come back to Honduras, I would definitely pay Copan Ruinas another visit.  I would also learn from our past experiences and travel the 360 kilometers in less than 28 hours.  Ok, that can't be right.  Well, first off all, it's a lie and it's not right at all.  I googled kilometers from La Ceiba to Copan Ruinas and the answer was 360 kilometers.  The first lie is that it doesn't account for the distance by ferry from Utila to La Ceiba, but that's only 1 hour and I can easily tack that on.  Secondly though, 360k is probably the distance as the crow flies, not the road distance traveled by the combination of taxis, colectivos, and public "luxury" buses.  Anyhow, we have learned lessons and next time we can get there more quickly!  However, not all is lost.  Just time.  And actually we have plenty of time.  In fact it's what we have more of than anything else at this point, so it wasn't really wasted after all.  In the end, a bad day always makes for a good blog.  Silver linings are all around, you just have to find them!

Anyhow, we arrived in Copan and as I mentioned and it was wonderful.  A beautiful hilly compact city (reminded us of home) nestled between the mountains and along a river.  You can even see the mountains of Guatemala.  Not in the way that Sarah Palin can see Russia though.  In the way that actually, you open your eyes and look over thataway, and those mountains are in Guatemala.  The people were lovely - very friendly and all the men are cowboys.  Also, the temperature was just right - warm days, cool nights. Made me miss my blue jeans!

After settling into our hostel, Iguana Azul, we rested up and took a nice walk around town which you can see much of in just a couple hours.  We stumbled upon a corner shop, Casa de Todo.  With a name like that it might offer everything, but really, how good can any of it be?  This place featured a bakery, souvenir shop, restaurant, internet, laundry service, and tourist information.  Surprisingly, this place was amazing!    We went for dinner and had what Brandt described as the best meal he has ever had.  Maybe the altitude was getting to him.  It was delicious though and we shared a meal of Honduran cuisine - pupusas, enchiladas, and tamales fresh from the kitchen!

The next day we decided to do something I hadn't done since I was at a 10 year-old's birthday party (I was 10 too you pervs): go horseback riding!  I'm not sure why I haven't' gone in 20 years.  Granted my last experience was somewhat traumatizing as I saw the terrifying anatomy of a male horse in it's most prominent state, but time heals all and I have since made a full recovery.  To be honest, we set a low bar of expectation (perhaps we should all do this more often) and were happily surprised in the end.  A guide took the pair of us on a 2.5 hour ride over the river and through the woods (actually more like THROUGH the river, and into the mountains) and told us stories along the way.  It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

On Tuesday we took the morning to visit the Mayan ruins in Copan - probably the biggest draw for tourists to visit the city.  I had never visited these ruins before and we very much enjoyed our time.  We decided to forgo the $25 USD to spring for a guide and had a nice time speculating on our own what Mayan life may have been like.  

That afternoon we visited the Tea and Chocolate Place.  A lovely spot to visit, a daily "open house" from 4-6pm offers the chance for people to come and enjoy a variety of teas and snacks, learn about sustainable and organic farming techniques in the area and the families involved, and watch the sunset from the veranda.  Well worth a 30 minute walk into a less central but charming part of town. 

We planned to spend our last day going to the nearby aguas termales and enjoying a relaxing afternoon in the town plaza.  Instead, we spent our morning at the aguas termales and then the afternoon hungry, thirsty, sad, and waiting.  Learn more about this adventure in an upcoming post highlighting all the lessons we already knew, but wanted to learn the hard way.  

After a long last day in Copan I yearned for one more, but I suppose that is the best way to leave a place - hoping you could stay just a bit longer. 

It feels great to start traveling!  It seemed that more happened to us in 5 days than in the previous 5 weeks and this sort of life will hopefully make for interesting blogging material.  My Spanish language is terrible, but somehow it seems to be mildly better than a week ago.  Hopefully this is a sign that after weeks and months of hearing the language and trying to fumble my way through it, some improvement will come.  Also, I've decided learning popular Latin pop songs.  Spotify "Darte un Beso" by Prince Royce.  It is catchy.  You will like it.  

Please ignore any typos and misspellings as I am experimenting with the semi-colon (something I surely used more appropriately in my high school literature class), listening to Price Royce on repeat, and trying to sing along all while I type.  Makes it all the more complicated to get it right…