Copan Ruinas – Macaws and Mayan Ruins
Copan Ruinas – Macaws and Mayan Ruins
After a week in the tourist-soaked Bay Islands, we were ready at sunrise that February morning to board the ferry for mainland Honduras. The trail fully blazed now by Lonely Planet guides and writers, we knew the trip to Copan Ruinas – a UNESCO-enshrined Mayan site in the Honduran Highlands – would be well within our soft-adventure limitations.
Bus Travel in Honduras
Prepared for developing world conditions and attendant problems in Honduras, we were 
pleasantly surprised at how well the traveller was taken care of. Six security checks, two photos and a watchful video-surveillance camera later, we were in a fully air-conditioned bus, reclining in plush seats, watching George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon in ‘Senor Ocean’ on the bus monitors and munching on on-board refreshments. While somewhat disconcerting to be stopped mid-journey by the National Policia and searched by 18-year-old members all bearing nasty-looking weaponry, one had to remember the alternative; anarchy, or at the very least being held up by drug-runner, bandido sorts that had recently been deported from the U.S.
Copan Ruinas: Tuk-tuks and Guatamalan Wares
Copan proved to be wildly appealing to both my partner and I. Reminiscent of Cuzco, Peru, tbe narrow dusty cobblestone streets and sturdy stone buildings belied a feast of colour in gardens and homes that lay beyond the iron-barred windows, gates and doors. By day tranquil and
understated, by dusk the streets bustled and burst with energy, much of it supplied by Guatamalan merchants, their country a mere ten kilometres away. And ubiquitous were the tuk-tuks, the small motorized kabuki-like cabs that buzzed about the town, brimming with the zest of their teenage drivers and the never-ending supply of tourists.
Pension Comfort in Copan
In addition to the well-preserved ruins and tastefully displayed sculptures in its dazzling, sky-lit archeological museum, we fell in love with our habiticiones in Copan. Situated so its patio looked over the westernmost part of the Valle de Copan, our B&B was a classic Spanish structure. Warm terracotta coloured walls, high wood-beamed rooms, tiled floors and ascetic wooden furnishings. Expecting monks, the clientele was largely back-packing Canadians and Europeans; a biologist from Yellowknife, two divers from Vancouver, a couple from Toronto and effervescent
French/Italian Nathalie, who, given her solo travelling through Guatamala, was happy to be befriended by an avuncular Canadian and his partner.
After vetting Copan for its liveability – the friendliness of the people, the healthy mixture of gringos and Central Americans, the profusion of quality cafes and restaurants, the easy access to rest of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatamala and a highly-recommended language school – we were confident that we had found our own special San Miguel Allende.
Macaw Mountain Bird Park and Nature Reserve
Certainly adding to the charm of Copan was its unique Bird Sanctuary. Have you ever seen a green-winged macaw up close? How about four macaws together perched on your arm? Home to 130 birds, rescued from
either incompetent owners or uninhabitable habitats, the birds luxuriate in cages the size of a house, are fed three times a day and are routinely freed to get ‘up-close-and personal’ with the many tourists that visit. What a thrill, and how monochromatic our forests and wildlife seem after an hour immersed in the high-definition technicolour and cacophony of a Central American nature preserve!
