Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - Thursday, October 23
Crews of S/V Pearl S. Buck, S/V Tisha Baby, S/V Viva, M/V Sueños Dulce and S/V Jupiter’s Smile (nine people) planned a trip to the village of Copán Ruinas beginning at 0730 on Tuesday. We were picked up at our dock by the launch from Catamaran Marina with Bryan & Dorothy, Pat & Susan and Bob already aboard. Richard & Pam and Barb & I joined them and we were dropped off at Bruno’s where six of them had breakfast. At 0830 we were aboard the Litegua bus for the “direct route” to Florida, on the Honduras/Guatemala border. Since the bus was not full we stopped for every person who had a hand up along the way. We also stopped in every town to pick up and let off passengers. We arrived at the border at right around 3 pm. This bus ride cost each person 70 Q. each ($9.59). In the bus there is the driver and his assistant. The assistant collects money and handles baggage. On this particular bus the assistant was very eager to help us with the van into Copán Ruinas. He would get us all aboard a van for 400Q. He seemed too eager. A Guatemalan fellow, going our way, said wait and grab a ride in Honduras, it would be cheaper.
The border crossing entailed three transactions. Checking out of Guatemala ($3), Checking into Honduras ($10) and getting a van to take us to the town of Copán Ruinas ($3) We arrived in the central square where taxis and tuktuks were waiting to give us a ride, direct us to “the best hotel”, “the cheapest hotel”, “and their cousins hotel.” We had learned that being overheard while we discussed a destination would get us a “guide” instantly and the guide would get a percentage of an inflated price for bringing in the customers. I had mentioned that my brother Larry had stayed at two unsatisfactory hotels before finding Posado Macanudo about two-and-a-half blocks north from the central square and that’s where I was headed. Which way is north? It was overcast so I couldn’t find the sun and the landmarks were unfamiliar. So I asked “¿donde es el norte?” and the fellow pointed. To confirm, I walked a little way and asked another person and tried to orient Dorothy’s map. It didn’t feel right. I asked a gringo-looking fellow (he was Australian.) to orient the map for me and sure enough, we had been headed south. He pointed out the bank on the map and the cathedral.
I turned around and Richard & Pam, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I walked straight to the Posado Macanudo where the five rooms were $20 per night for two people. Our room was clean and airy, had a double bed and a twin bed, a hot water shower, cable TV and heat/air conditioning. At two other hotels, Pat & Susan got a room for $60 and Bob got a single for $15. That pretty much covers the cheap to moderate range of lodging. The exchange rate is about 19 Limpira (L.) to one dollar and that is about the cost of a beer which was next on the list. We met for happy hour at
Pub Xibalba at the Camino Maya Hotel, where Pat & Susan were staying. The English bartender was entertaining and she arranged an English-speaking guide to take us around the ruins the next morning. She also gave a recommendation to eat at her aunt’s place, Twisted Tanya’s. Entrés were over $20 there, so we went elsewhere. We ended up at a place that had pretty good food (I had a burrito, rice, vegetables and a beer) and it was cheap (160 L.≈ $8.40). I don’t recall the name of the place, but it was just south from the SW corner (I’m sure!) of the central square.
The next morning, after a big breakfast at Pub Xibalba, we met Mike for our tour. He is a native Honduran, but had lived in LA for eight years. He spoke English with no accent, but said he had a little accent speaking Spanish. The ruins are in a park with an admission price of $15. A tour of the tunnels added $15 and admission to The Museum of Maya Sculpture added another $7. We agreed to pay Mike $40 for the group tour for the morning ($5/person with tip.) This was $42 well spent.
Here is Mike, teaching and guiding us. On the right, is a tunnel entrance.
The Maya had religious leaders as heads of state and recorded the history of each ruler’s reign on stelae, large, monolithic stones with the stylized likeness of the ruler carved into them.
The written language is a combination of characters and symbols made up of glyphs, that are also carved into the stelae. Their calendar was very accurate, so once the glyphs were decoded we can know about the events of this pre-Columbian culture, to the day, by “reading” the stelae!
Later, around 700 AD, the style of historical record keeping went more horizontal as the glyphs were carved into “benches” and then, by the artisans of one of the last and longest rulers, into the steps of the largest temple. The steps featured seated symbolic likenesses of six rulers of Copán. Five are present. The sixth should be in the open spot on the staircase, but it is at Harvard where a replica is being constructed. It should be finished, maybe mañana?
The glyphs on the riser of each step record the events and the location of the ruler’s likeness on the staircase reflects the relative duration of his reign.
The various temples around the park all have had tunnels bored into them by archaeologists beginning in the late 1800’s and they are carefully excavated.
These tunnels have revealed that there are usually temples buried, with some reverence, under the temple that had been erected by the next ruler, making each succeeding temple higher and higher. We saw some sides and corners of the buried "Rosalida" temple depicted here, underground, thanks to these “recent” hundred-year-old tunnels. 
We walked and talked on the “Ball Court” where rival teams had bumped an eight pound rubber ball with their torsos (no hands, arms, legs or feet) up onto the sloped stone ramp/wall to hit one of the three goal statues. In some versions of the game, the ball was to go into a hole in the goal not much larger than the ball itself.
It is rumored that the team that won lived.
As we were leaving Mike at the park gate he asked about hiring a van to return directly to Rio Dulce instead of using the shuttle and bus. He called his friend, Tito and with nine passengers with luggage in his fifteen-passenger van he would drive us for $28 per person. Would he drive us after we visited Macaw Mountain, about noon the next day, so we wouldn’t need to stay a third night in the hotel? Yes he would. ($20 + dinner saved!) Would he drive us to Macaw Mountain tomorrow morning and stow our luggage safely until we were finished at Macaw Mountain? Yes he would. We had a deal!
After Mike departed, we stopped in The Museum of Mayan Sculpture and saw a life-sized representation of the buried "Rosalida" temple, parts of which we had seen underground in the tunnels. Several of the original stelae are on display and protected here from the elements, while their replicas are at their original site. We walked back to the central square in town. I noticed that there was a compass rose in the pavement at the center of the central square. It would have been helpful had I noticed this upon our arrival.
Just west of the central square we visited The Copán Museum ($3) and saw artifacts like tools, surgical instruments made of obsidian and learned more about the rituals, customs, science and art associated with the Maya culture.
Here are some URL addresses where one may learn more about the Maya.
http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/Copan/text.html
http://www.maya-archaeology.org/museums/copan/copan.html
http://www.honduras.net/copan/index.html
http://www.mayadiscovery.com/
Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I found lunch at The Call of the Wild Restaurant where the food was okay at an okay price and in okay abundance. It was across from the ViaVia hotel.
After lunch Dorothy wanted to walk, Barb wanted to nap, Bryan wanted to find Bob and schmooze at a bar. I had my choice and decided to walk with Dorothy since she was returning to the ruins. I wanted to get some photos from some angles that I was unable to take advantage of with the guided tour.
The park was virtually deserted and we timed our walk so that we would exit the gate close to closing time, 5pm. This is an awe inspiring site.
We earned our happy hour that day and after finding Barb,
Pam and Richard at our hotel we met up with Bob, who had elected not to visit the museums, but had headed to a bar instead at Momo's Churesqueria. Bryan was at Pat & Susan’s hotel bar, so Bob went over to bring them to us. The food prices were a little high at the restaurant so after a beer or so we headed out and found Picame. An English woman also ran this small café too! The food was good, healthy, plentiful and cheap.
Pam & Richard, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I came back there for breakfast as well and were well fortified for the day ahead. We went to Pat & Susan’s hotel, the pick up point for Tito. We were early and since Macaw Mountain (it is a bird sanctuary for large tropical birds, by the way.) was only 2.5 km away, mostly uphill, I asked the group if anyone wanted to walk. Bob said he didn’t, but that he would load our gear into Tito’s van for us so we wouldn’t need to carry it. Pat & Susan, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I set out on foot. We were passed about three quarters of the way to the sanctuary by Tito’s van and joined Bob, Richard & Pam minutes later.
The guided tour costs $10 per person and takes almost two hours. The birds are magnificent! They are donated to Macaw Mountain for a variety of reasons. Some are found injured. Some were pets whose owners cannot or don’t want to care for them any longer. Some have outlived their owners. If they are stressed, they are sheltered from the public until they become accustomed to their new home or recover from their ailments. This can take a year! Diana, a friend in Nana Juana Marina had given up Indy and Mitzi years ago to Macaw Mountain. Mitzi is a star performer. Indy is not doing as well, for the moment and she is not in public view. The photos tell part of the story. Much of the rest is found at:
http://www.macawmountain.com/index.htm
Mitzi is the Blue and Yellow Macaw on Bryan's left hand.
Dorothy has a parrot on her right shoulder and a Jaybird on her left.
Here are two unrelated, but friendly Toucans.
This blossom is on very exotic plant. The multi-cupped structure is about 20 cm in diameter, 30 cm in height on a 60 cm stalk found in a cluster of about six of these structures. Maybe Dr. Christina can tell me what it is called?
Well, Larry, do I appear to be relaxed?
Tito picked us up on time and the trip that took us seven hours to get to Copán took only four to return to Rio Dulce. Crossing the border cost nothing and where we stopped for some lunch, Valle Dorado, cost just over $4 each. We were delivered to our lobby at Nana Juana at 4:30ish and had time to unpack and unwind before dark.
This was a great trip! Great company, good accommodations, good food mostly, and great, memorable destinations. Thank you, brother Larry, for the spot on recommendations. A trip to Tikal will be our next adventure, so look for that next, if all goes according to plan. Until then, be well!
Crews of S/V Pearl S. Buck, S/V Tisha Baby, S/V Viva, M/V Sueños Dulce and S/V Jupiter’s Smile (nine people) planned a trip to the village of Copán Ruinas beginning at 0730 on Tuesday. We were picked up at our dock by the launch from Catamaran Marina with Bryan & Dorothy, Pat & Susan and Bob already aboard. Richard & Pam and Barb & I joined them and we were dropped off at Bruno’s where six of them had breakfast. At 0830 we were aboard the Litegua bus for the “direct route” to Florida, on the Honduras/Guatemala border. Since the bus was not full we stopped for every person who had a hand up along the way. We also stopped in every town to pick up and let off passengers. We arrived at the border at right around 3 pm. This bus ride cost each person 70 Q. each ($9.59). In the bus there is the driver and his assistant. The assistant collects money and handles baggage. On this particular bus the assistant was very eager to help us with the van into Copán Ruinas. He would get us all aboard a van for 400Q. He seemed too eager. A Guatemalan fellow, going our way, said wait and grab a ride in Honduras, it would be cheaper.
The border crossing entailed three transactions. Checking out of Guatemala ($3), Checking into Honduras ($10) and getting a van to take us to the town of Copán Ruinas ($3) We arrived in the central square where taxis and tuktuks were waiting to give us a ride, direct us to “the best hotel”, “the cheapest hotel”, “and their cousins hotel.” We had learned that being overheard while we discussed a destination would get us a “guide” instantly and the guide would get a percentage of an inflated price for bringing in the customers. I had mentioned that my brother Larry had stayed at two unsatisfactory hotels before finding Posado Macanudo about two-and-a-half blocks north from the central square and that’s where I was headed. Which way is north? It was overcast so I couldn’t find the sun and the landmarks were unfamiliar. So I asked “¿donde es el norte?” and the fellow pointed. To confirm, I walked a little way and asked another person and tried to orient Dorothy’s map. It didn’t feel right. I asked a gringo-looking fellow (he was Australian.) to orient the map for me and sure enough, we had been headed south. He pointed out the bank on the map and the cathedral.
I turned around and Richard & Pam, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I walked straight to the Posado Macanudo where the five rooms were $20 per night for two people. Our room was clean and airy, had a double bed and a twin bed, a hot water shower, cable TV and heat/air conditioning. At two other hotels, Pat & Susan got a room for $60 and Bob got a single for $15. That pretty much covers the cheap to moderate range of lodging. The exchange rate is about 19 Limpira (L.) to one dollar and that is about the cost of a beer which was next on the list. We met for happy hour at
Pub Xibalba at the Camino Maya Hotel, where Pat & Susan were staying. The English bartender was entertaining and she arranged an English-speaking guide to take us around the ruins the next morning. She also gave a recommendation to eat at her aunt’s place, Twisted Tanya’s. Entrés were over $20 there, so we went elsewhere. We ended up at a place that had pretty good food (I had a burrito, rice, vegetables and a beer) and it was cheap (160 L.≈ $8.40). I don’t recall the name of the place, but it was just south from the SW corner (I’m sure!) of the central square.The next morning, after a big breakfast at Pub Xibalba, we met Mike for our tour. He is a native Honduran, but had lived in LA for eight years. He spoke English with no accent, but said he had a little accent speaking Spanish. The ruins are in a park with an admission price of $15. A tour of the tunnels added $15 and admission to The Museum of Maya Sculpture added another $7. We agreed to pay Mike $40 for the group tour for the morning ($5/person with tip.) This was $42 well spent.
Here is Mike, teaching and guiding us. On the right, is a tunnel entrance.
The Maya had religious leaders as heads of state and recorded the history of each ruler’s reign on stelae, large, monolithic stones with the stylized likeness of the ruler carved into them.
The written language is a combination of characters and symbols made up of glyphs, that are also carved into the stelae. Their calendar was very accurate, so once the glyphs were decoded we can know about the events of this pre-Columbian culture, to the day, by “reading” the stelae!Later, around 700 AD, the style of historical record keeping went more horizontal as the glyphs were carved into “benches” and then, by the artisans of one of the last and longest rulers, into the steps of the largest temple. The steps featured seated symbolic likenesses of six rulers of Copán. Five are present. The sixth should be in the open spot on the staircase, but it is at Harvard where a replica is being constructed. It should be finished, maybe mañana?
The glyphs on the riser of each step record the events and the location of the ruler’s likeness on the staircase reflects the relative duration of his reign.The various temples around the park all have had tunnels bored into them by archaeologists beginning in the late 1800’s and they are carefully excavated.
These tunnels have revealed that there are usually temples buried, with some reverence, under the temple that had been erected by the next ruler, making each succeeding temple higher and higher. We saw some sides and corners of the buried "Rosalida" temple depicted here, underground, thanks to these “recent” hundred-year-old tunnels. We walked and talked on the “Ball Court” where rival teams had bumped an eight pound rubber ball with their torsos (no hands, arms, legs or feet) up onto the sloped stone ramp/wall to hit one of the three goal statues. In some versions of the game, the ball was to go into a hole in the goal not much larger than the ball itself.
It is rumored that the team that won lived.As we were leaving Mike at the park gate he asked about hiring a van to return directly to Rio Dulce instead of using the shuttle and bus. He called his friend, Tito and with nine passengers with luggage in his fifteen-passenger van he would drive us for $28 per person. Would he drive us after we visited Macaw Mountain, about noon the next day, so we wouldn’t need to stay a third night in the hotel? Yes he would. ($20 + dinner saved!) Would he drive us to Macaw Mountain tomorrow morning and stow our luggage safely until we were finished at Macaw Mountain? Yes he would. We had a deal!
After Mike departed, we stopped in The Museum of Mayan Sculpture and saw a life-sized representation of the buried "Rosalida" temple, parts of which we had seen underground in the tunnels. Several of the original stelae are on display and protected here from the elements, while their replicas are at their original site. We walked back to the central square in town. I noticed that there was a compass rose in the pavement at the center of the central square. It would have been helpful had I noticed this upon our arrival.
Just west of the central square we visited The Copán Museum ($3) and saw artifacts like tools, surgical instruments made of obsidian and learned more about the rituals, customs, science and art associated with the Maya culture.
Here are some URL addresses where one may learn more about the Maya.
http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/Copan/text.html
http://www.maya-archaeology.org/museums/copan/copan.html
http://www.honduras.net/copan/index.html
http://www.mayadiscovery.com/
Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I found lunch at The Call of the Wild Restaurant where the food was okay at an okay price and in okay abundance. It was across from the ViaVia hotel.
After lunch Dorothy wanted to walk, Barb wanted to nap, Bryan wanted to find Bob and schmooze at a bar. I had my choice and decided to walk with Dorothy since she was returning to the ruins. I wanted to get some photos from some angles that I was unable to take advantage of with the guided tour.
The park was virtually deserted and we timed our walk so that we would exit the gate close to closing time, 5pm. This is an awe inspiring site.We earned our happy hour that day and after finding Barb,
Pam and Richard at our hotel we met up with Bob, who had elected not to visit the museums, but had headed to a bar instead at Momo's Churesqueria. Bryan was at Pat & Susan’s hotel bar, so Bob went over to bring them to us. The food prices were a little high at the restaurant so after a beer or so we headed out and found Picame. An English woman also ran this small café too! The food was good, healthy, plentiful and cheap.Pam & Richard, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I came back there for breakfast as well and were well fortified for the day ahead. We went to Pat & Susan’s hotel, the pick up point for Tito. We were early and since Macaw Mountain (it is a bird sanctuary for large tropical birds, by the way.) was only 2.5 km away, mostly uphill, I asked the group if anyone wanted to walk. Bob said he didn’t, but that he would load our gear into Tito’s van for us so we wouldn’t need to carry it. Pat & Susan, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I set out on foot. We were passed about three quarters of the way to the sanctuary by Tito’s van and joined Bob, Richard & Pam minutes later.
The guided tour costs $10 per person and takes almost two hours. The birds are magnificent! They are donated to Macaw Mountain for a variety of reasons. Some are found injured. Some were pets whose owners cannot or don’t want to care for them any longer. Some have outlived their owners. If they are stressed, they are sheltered from the public until they become accustomed to their new home or recover from their ailments. This can take a year! Diana, a friend in Nana Juana Marina had given up Indy and Mitzi years ago to Macaw Mountain. Mitzi is a star performer. Indy is not doing as well, for the moment and she is not in public view. The photos tell part of the story. Much of the rest is found at:
http://www.macawmountain.com/index.htm
Mitzi is the Blue and Yellow Macaw on Bryan's left hand.
Dorothy has a parrot on her right shoulder and a Jaybird on her left.
Here are two unrelated, but friendly Toucans.
This blossom is on very exotic plant. The multi-cupped structure is about 20 cm in diameter, 30 cm in height on a 60 cm stalk found in a cluster of about six of these structures. Maybe Dr. Christina can tell me what it is called?
Well, Larry, do I appear to be relaxed?
Tito picked us up on time and the trip that took us seven hours to get to Copán took only four to return to Rio Dulce. Crossing the border cost nothing and where we stopped for some lunch, Valle Dorado, cost just over $4 each. We were delivered to our lobby at Nana Juana at 4:30ish and had time to unpack and unwind before dark.
This was a great trip! Great company, good accommodations, good food mostly, and great, memorable destinations. Thank you, brother Larry, for the spot on recommendations. A trip to Tikal will be our next adventure, so look for that next, if all goes according to plan. Until then, be well!
Above and below is our room at the Posada Iguana (100 Q.) It was clean and comfortable and without electricity. We had an oil lamp and candles to use to light our way as we returned from dinner and for use inside the room. For the room, yummy hummus sandwiches and drinks for lunch, a communal dinner that was excellent and several drinks each we spent 300 Q. ($40) total. Unfortunately, in the morning, the electricity was not on so the shower (in a separate building a few feet from the room) would have been cold water. In this climate (cool) the shower was unnecessary. We were treated with the utmost respect since most of the international clientele were in their twenties. It was very entertaining to hear about the world from their perspectives. Several young people were working as volunteers in surrounding villages and seemed to be enjoying a good life. In that vein, I must mention visitors and volunteers Jake, Jimmy and Kelsey. They are volunteering in the country at a medical clinic and doing "good works" projects as well. Jake is an ER resident MD, Jimmy has one more year in med school and Kelsey is a law student. We enjoyed their company at dinner and hope they enjoyed their cruise on S/V Sirena. I am sure that our paths missed crossing again in Rio Dulce by only hours.
Below is the view from the porch outside the Jerry Garcia Suite next to our room.
This is still the same path. The lake temperature is about 72 degrees F and the air temperature is about the same so the only swimmers we saw were locals that were foraging for fresh water shellfish along the shore.
San Pedro was a much larger town and had a decidedly less comfortable feel, I thought. Barb didn't get that feeling, but I somehow felt that we were being sized up a possible prey. Luckily there were a lot more likely candidates among the visitors that day, so nothing bad happened.
The breakfast Ricardo had prepared for us was three large macadamia flour pancakes topped with macadamia nut butter, topped with their own blueberry marmelade and honey with fresh fruit 
The farm has donated thousands of these trees to native farmers in the hopes that they can realize a harvest in four to seven years that is relatively easily maintained and provides a nutritious food to add to the basic diet of beans, rice and coffee. He showed us the operation where the nuts are husked and sorted. The equipment they use is home built and pretty basic and it could be copied by the native growers as well so that they could begin processing the nuts too.
It was good to spend a day relaxing and people watching in the central square readying ourselves for our next trip... to Lago Atitlán. That will be our next installment. Until then, be well.
We arrived in Cobán at about 3 pm and walked to the City Center ...
From the grounds one gets a panoramic view of the city and a taste of the religious fervor the locals have. If you look closely at the cross in the photo below, you will see a lock of hair attached to it. Certain members of the congregation practice a mix of catholic and pagan rituals and it is very obvious here. Corn cobs and stalks are burned or left in niches and holes in walls and personal items are stuck to the walls of the niches and to the statuary with wax. Spirits are abundant here, no doubt .
Here below, from left to right; the caretaker, Larry (Lorenzo) and Emilia at the plantation. 
While waiting we made friends with a young woman from San Diego, CA who will be starting in a new position as a public health educator in Washington, DC. I gave her my brother Larry's address and hope that she will look up his phone number and make a contact. Bersabell Asaye is a very friendly person, fluent in Spanish and fun to be with. We enjoyed traveling with her for the rest of the day to Semuc Champey and back to Cobán.
Our three hotels where located on the left side of this street. This photo is atypical in that there is usually much, much more traffic. To the right is the central market and farther to the right is the bus station...all very handy but somewhat noisy.
