Honduras

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We left Antigua on our second try this morning...at 4:00 am! the shuttle bus didn't come to the right address yesterday, so we stood out in the cold and dark for an hour and then got into a fight with the tour agency rep who accused us of lying (and not being up in time). After some table pounding and threats, the owner found a smaller lie that enabled him to save face, and we rebooked for the next morning.

We are now in the very charming small town of Copan Ruinas, just a kilometer from the famous Copan Mayan ruins. We arrived this morning and walked to ruins around 11:00..it was already very warm...and we are not used to the heat after being in cool Antigua for a month...

The ruins are on a much smaller in scale than Tikal, but the carvings are very intricate and elaborate.....becasue of their size and the detail available about the rulers' lives here, the visit felt like it was on a more human level than Tikal....unfortunately the museum is closed for repairs and houses much of the original artwork...we will return tomorrow and hire a guide to get a richer background..

This town is pretty and quite cosmopolitan for its size. There are many great restaurants here and quite a few are owned by Europeans. The people here are very friendly and helpful...and wired! In the park at night, men sit and talk as they have for years, but now a cell phone rings from time to time...! Internet is everywhere, too.

Thursday

We hired a great guide who was 17 when some of the excavation of the ruin was done, and he worked as part of the crew that cleaned up the stones and explored the surrounding countryside, finding evidence of other smaller communities of the peasant class. There was a feature in National Geographic on Copan, in the early 80s, and his friend was in one of the photos.

We will take a minibus tomorrow to Rio Dulce, stopping at the ruins of Quirigua on the way. The ruler of Qurigua who had the stellae, or pillars, built was also the one who captured and beheaded 18 Rabbit, the most important ruler of Copan!

PS. Walking back from dinner just now, we passed two horses, on their own in the street. As we watched, they started going through the trash can! Of course, I didn´t bring the camera with me tonight...

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Photos

The national bird of Honduras
The Scarlet Macaw here is now endangered..

Trying to leave Antigua
It is cold and dark in Antigua at 4:00am..especially when the van never shows...

At the border
Money changers..Bill gave a couple his money to share the wealth, and that amused them greatly!

At the border
Our mini bus....the border crossing is very easy....just took a few minutes and a few dollars.

The Copan Ruins
This is in the public plaza, where the lower classes were allowed to witness ceremonies.

The Copan Ruins
An example of the ornate relief carvings that Copan is famous for.

The Copan Ruins
A stellae with some of the original red paint visible

The Copan Ruins
This is a monument for the ruler 18 Rabbit. The bottom right glyph tells which ruler he was, the 13th, and the one above it says 18 Rabbit. Bars are fives and dots are 1. The figure is a rabbit, which you can see if you look closely.

Copan Ruinas
A side street in the village

Comments

[Haddy]

the ruins
HI Lynn The ruins that you took a picture of look really cool and I think they're totally awesome! Sophia and Simone are doing a project on Mayan ruins. I wonder what you're going to look like with your new hair color? good-bye! that's all for now! Haddy

[Anne]

Educational as always!
Hi Lynn, I've been enjoying your blog! I have also forwarded it to Becky P and Sharon - Ellen is in the Peace Core in Equador! Molly and her husband and baby are going to China next month. She's going to have a blog, too. I'm learning some geography from your travels - thanks for keeping me in the loop! Anne

[B3lisario]

You didn´t need to pay to leave Guatemala....but they know that tourist except spaniards and centroamericans almost always pay and always ask for money