Copan Ruins

This morning I enjoyed a tasty Honduran breakfast at a local restaurant and then took a rickshaw half a mile out of town to the Copan Ruins. The Copan Ruins aren't nearly as massive as the ones at Tikal, but there are hundreds of intricate Mayan carvings that draw all the visitors. As I entered the site the jungle opened up to reveal a massive grass-covered plaza, at least the size of a football field. Covering the plaza were several “stellas”, Mayan carvings depicting animals, ancient hieroglyphics which told complete stories, and depictions of the rulers of Copan. Many of the carvings were of a ruler named “King 18 Rabbit”. It was easy to spend over an hour just in that first plaza snapping pictures of the Mayan artwork. It really is pretty amazing how much of it there is and how well preserved it all is. Ancient artwork is always an interesting insight into lost civilizations, and the artwork at Copan is no exception.

After an hour or so in that first plaza I wandered past the “ball court” which, according to an English speaking tour guide that I overheard, was used in ancient times for athletic competition.The ball court was a strip of grass running down the middle of two stone ruins that were slightly inclined on each side. Carvings of macaw heads line the sides of the ball court. It was fun to imagine what kind of games the Mayans might have played in such a structure.

I wandered further through the ruins past the “hieroglyphic staircase”, sixty-three steps, each of which is inscribed with Mayan hieroglyphics. I followed a path through the trees and up a hill leading to the top of the largest pyramid at Copan. The pyramids at that end of the complex were impressive, but my favorite part over there was the amazing views. While climbing up the hill I looked to my left through dark sillouettes of trees and vines and saw the ball court and other ruins gleaming in the sun below me. I snapped a few pictures of the view, but nothing is quite as impressive as seeing and wandering through it in real life.

I had a quick lunch at Glifo's and then it was time for another journey by bus, this time to La Ceiba, Honduras, a gateway city to the country's famous Bay Islands. The novelty of traveling by bus through Central America has worn off a bit, but the time still passes quickly, especially when I meet a few interesting people along the way. On the way to La Ceiba I talked for a while with an Alaskan guy who lived for two years in Nicaragua and comes back down to Central America often to travel and to visit friends he made while he was down here. Everyone I've talked to who has really spent time in Nicaragua says that it is a less developed country, but it's an incredible place to visit and every bit as safe as the rest of Central America.

I really wish I could visit Nicaragua now, but it might be too much of a stretch with the limited time that I have left. I'm flying to Costa Rica on Thursday and could easily catch a bus up to Nicaragua, but I'm not sure that I want to burn that much time heading all the way up there and all the way back down again. In retrospect I should have booked my flight to Managua, Nicaragua instead of to Costa Rica, then I could fly in and work my way down. In hindsight, though, everything is twenty-twenty. There was no way I could have known when I booked my flight that I would have wanted to do that. Costa Rica should still be a lot of fun though. I think I'll visit the Monteverde rain forest, scuba dive at Playas del Coco, and maybe take surfing lessons at Playa del Tamarindo, another beach further down the Pacific coast.

After arriving in La Ceiba I arranged to split the cost of a room with a German guy named Thomas, who I met on the bus. After dumping off our stuff at the hotel we met up with an Irish couple named the Kennedys (ironically enough the guy's first name is John) and we all headed off to a local restaurant for dinner.

You know a place is good when everybody else there is local. The place we ate at tonight was that kind of place, it was awesome. I ordered one of the cheaper meals and was expecting something pretty meager. When my plate came though it seriously was massive. My five dollars bought me steak, chicken, and chorizo, accompanied by beans, onions, some kind of awesome Honduran cheese, and a stack of warm tortillas. It was fun to have dinner and chat with such a diverse group of people. The Kennedys traveled through Southeast Asia a few years ago so it was a lot of fun to talk with them and compare our experiences.

Tomorrow I'll head to Roatan, one of the Bay Islands, for more scuba diving and relaxation. It'll feel good to chill out for a bit before moving on and cruising through Costa Rica.