HONDURAS – COPAN RUINAS

January 3 – 9, 2024

I had been to Copan Ruinas 10 years ago. I remembered it as a lovely little town with steep streets paved with large stones and non-existent sidewalks. I was happy that it was exactly the same.

Our quaint little studio AirBnb (Berakah) was nestled against a forested area. We had our own private balcony. It was a large single room with a kitchen at one end and bathroom at the other. The bed was in the middle. It was quiet and cozy.

We went to Copan de Sol for a beer and dinner of German sausage and potato salad with mustard and pickles on the side. It was just as delicious as I remembered from 10 years ago.

The next morning Carlos from Finca el Cisne came to pick us up at 8:00 am. I had been to his farm 10 years ago and was excited to go back. Carlos is an eco-farmer. He gives tours of his farm as a revenue source and to educate people to his unique farming methods. His friend, Jackie, joined us. She is studying for her master’s degree in anthropology and archeology. Smart girl!

We immediately saddled up and took off on horseback to tour his large farm.

We covered lots of ground, fording creeks and traversing through forests. One bit of forest has never been touched in the 140 years that his family has owned the property. The temperature dropped about 10 degrees in that part of the forest. Interesting. He pointed out the areas where he was growing plantain, experimenting with corn, beans and agave. I asked if he planned on making his own tequila. He said, not yet, but he wants to. We went to a high hill where he had various fruit trees planted. He wanted to build a meditation area on the top of the hill, and explained that he wanted the fruits and flowering plants to add to the beauty and tranquility of the spot.

He pointed out a lone tree and explained that it was a tree used to make rope. It was not native to this area, but had been there since his grandfather bought the farm. They had no idea how old the tree was, but was certain it was planted by some previous owner or possibly an indigenous person before the land was “owned” by anyone.

He also pointed out his “living fence”. Just like Canada, they dig a hole land plop in a post. However, these posts start to sprout. Before long, as the tree grew it encapsulated the wire.

We went through his coffee plantation. He explained that coffee plants need to be nurtured in order to produce high quality beans. Coffee plants like shade, so he planted more plantain because it grows quickly (from root to production is 15-18 months) and shades the coffee plants. But he also planted trees to be harvested for wood in the same area. As the trees grow they will create a more permanent shade. Coffee bushes live about 20 years. When the coffee bushes die, the trees will remain to be harvested years later. Forward thinking for future generations.

We rode to his plant nursery – an outdoor greenhouse. He had loroco – a pungent flower with a unique taste,

chipilin – a leafy plant that tastes like green beans, chayote – a green vegetable that is a member of the squash family but does not taste like it,

pineapples,

small agave, and baby fruit trees.

The nursery was beside some corrals that housed a donkey and some mules. The male donkey was complaining loudly about something, or maybe just happy to see his master. Carlos’ men had brought some bulls in from the pasture. Carlos asked if we minded waiting a few minutes while they weighed the bulls. He would have liked them to be 800 pounds before selling, but the grazing was getting depleted from lack of rain, and he felt he would have to sell them earlier in order to preserve the pasture. Pierre found the whole process fascinating. It certainly brought back memories of my days on the farm. We then had to help herd the bulls to an nearby pasture. We were real cowboys, if only for a few minutes!

There was a wild grapefruit tree in one pasture. Carlos asked if I liked grapefruit. I admitted that I did not. He said, “Well, you’ve never tried this one.” He proceeded to climb the tree and shake a branch. Two ripe grapefruits fell to the ground. He pulled out his knife and sliced one open for me. OMG! It was the first and only time in my life that I can honestly say I loved grapefruit. He said he had 3 such trees on his property, all started by someone spitting out seeds. That is how fertile the soil is.

Our horseback tour was over and we headed back to the house. The horses knew they were going home and broke into a trot then a gallop. It had been years since I was on a horse and the galloping brought back wonderful memories of going for the cows to be milked.

In his yard he had different types of cocoa trees. Two were the typical tree that most cocoa farms grow. The pods grow quickly, and turn pods into profits as economically as possible. The other tree he had was an older, wild cocoa tree that the Mayan used to harvest cocoa. The pods were smaller and lumpier than the other tree.

Carlos picked a couple of pods from the newer trees and smashed them open. He invited us to suck on the beans. He explained that the slimy covering was like honey, and this is what gave the cocoa its sweet taste. The inside of the actual bean was purple. When the beans are dried, they turn black. The husk falls off and the dried remaining part has the consistency of a peanut. It definitely tastes like chocolate! Just add sugar!

He had a calabash tree in his yard that grows large round pods that the ancient Mayans used as bowls.

Lunch was served in an outdoor, but covered, eating area. It was tucked into the side of a hill and had stone walls holding the earth back. Everything on the table was grown on the farm. First, we quenched our thirst with lemonade. The appetizers were boiled cassava with grated radish marinated in lime and cilantro, corn tortillas, cheese, and watercress salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and avocado. The entree was chicken in cream with loroco, rice with chipilin, and chayote in cream. Dessert was squares of 70% chocolate, one was plain and the other was flavoured with cardamon. Usually, I like some milk and a tiny bit of sugar in my coffee. His home grown, processed and dried coffee was delicious black. Only the rice was not grown on the farm.

After lunch, we did a quick tour of the coffee processing plant. A machine was broken, so the entire production was shut down. He gave us the tour and explained things anyway. The coffee berries are poured through a crusher to break up the meat of the berry.

Then they soak in a huge cement vat for 36 hours, to further loosen the meat. 36 hours is the optimal time for soaking; any less creates an inferior coffee. Most places do not soak for the full term in order to increase production. Time is money, but not necessarily quality. The beans then get pushed through concrete channels, where the remaining meat comes off. Bad beans float and are scooped out. All of the pulp and bad beans are composted. The good beans are either sun dried on the cement platform, if the weather is good, or put into the fire heated drier until they have a moisture content of 14%. The air dried beans are sweeter. They are then sacked and sold. The current price for inferior beans is $0.50 per pound. The good beans sell for $2.00 per pound. This was the coffee he served us for lunch, that needed no milk or sugar.

All of the water is from a reservoir his grandfather built on top of the mountain. It runs the generator which the plant uses and also to wash the berries. The water is then returned to the stream where it is picked up, again, further down the hill, for his household use. I think the generator also provides electricity for his home. The family has a power plant on their property, which they did use for personal use and would sell the excess back into the grid. Their permit expired and the government has not renewed it. Carlos said it was complicated, to which I said “It’s government. Enough said.” He just nodded.

He had a small shed beside the coffee processing plant where he showed us the roasted cocoa beans that we tasted.

He also had macadamia nuts grown on his farm. It was a small Ziplock bag, but he was very proud of it.

Our amazing tour was over and he drove us back to town. I told him that I hoped it would not be 10 years before we saw each other again. We hugged and he agreed.

The next day we walked the 2 km to Macaw Mountain. It is a bird rehabilitation and breeding centre. We saw lots of beautiful and colourful birds in the numerous aviaries.

We saw the hatchery where the baby macaws are hatched and raised. After a few weeks they get a bit of outdoor time to get used to fresh air and the sounds of other birds. They then get moved to another aviary where they learn to fly. Wild birds land on the aviaries to visit and squawk with their cousins. There are feeding platforms with nuts and fruits for the macaws to eat and tourists to take pictures.

We had an ice cream at the cafe while enjoying the wild birds swoop overhead and perch in the nearby trees. Someone handed us a water pistol and said it was to shoot at the birds when they start to bother us. They never did land near us, but apparently it does become a problem. Remember, macaws are the size of a chicken, with big wings and tail feathers. It is a BIG bird.

What would a trip to Copan Ruinas be without going to the actual ruins. According to Google Maps it was a short 1.5 km walk. Off we went. We followed Maps and ended up on the wrong side of the river. We had walked for over an hour, one way, before we realized our mistake. No worries, it was a pleasant walk along a dirt road (No, the dirt road was not a clue! Most roads are dirt or rotten pavement), through the forest

and past a squash farm.

We were close to the Hacienda San Lucas, a fancy resort, so we decided it would be a good time to take a break and have a snack. Two fresh squeezed orange juice and two plates of cut watermelon cost us $15.

Welcome to resort living. I asked about a room for the night and was told it was $140 USD per night. ($187 CDN) We are currently paying $57 CDN. But they get free breakfast. I can only hope it is a good breakfast for that price. Granted, it was nice and in a quiet location with a yoga gazebo.

We walked back to town and asked a local where the ruins were. He had no idea. I have mentioned this in my blogs before, I am amazed at how ignorant some locals are about their surroundings. A kid came by on a motorcycle and he gave us directions.

We finally got to the ruins. We were charged 1000 Lempiras, but the sign clearly said 100 Lempira. I questioned it and got some convoluted explanation about how it was $20 USD, which is equal to 1000 Lempira. Yes it is, but your signs says 100 L. I could almost excuse the 100 for 1000 by hitting the zero an extra time, but the 100 L was for one person, and with that logic the price should have been 2000 L. It was not worth the hassle over $20 each. We would have gladly paid the $27 each, but it was how they went about it that had us shake our heads. (I looked online later, it was $15 USD each)

We entered the park and took the path less travelled through the residential part of the ruins. The path was through the forest.

There were signs, in English, that explained the flora and fauna of the ancient Mayan world. There was a diorama of the site, as well.

The path looped around so that we came out overlooking the Grand Plaza. Unlike the rest of the site, the Plaza had no trees to obscure the small pyramid structure in the middle or the stelae and sculptures.

We really got the sense of how it may have looked a thousand years ago. We walked through the Mayan ball court

and up to the Hieroglyphic Stairway. It is the longest and most famous inscription in the Maya area. It records the history of Copan’s rulers.

From there the site was mostly overrun with huge ceiba trees. Their roots reminiscent of the Ta Prohm Temple in Cambodia, where they crawl over the structures like huge snakes. There was an Ear Pod Tree in the Grand Plaza that was HUGE. I looked like a bug next to it.

We walked over and around and up and down. We did not have a guide and the audio guide they offered was too old for our newer cell phones, so it would not work. We were, therefore, left to our own imaginations and wonder at how an ancient civilization could produce such magnificent structures and sculptures that have withstood the ravages of time and elements. Experts have deciphered their hieroglyphics, but considering only the good parts of history get recorded, we are still left with huge gaps between these royal temples and why they were abandoned.

I was lucky enough to spot a stick bug.

We took a walk down another trail through the forest, but the sun was beginning to set and the forest canopy made it quite dark, so we did not go far.

Back at the entrance to the park, the macaws were beginning to return for the night. We saw a flock of about 20 birds fly over us. What a beautiful contrast their red bodies made to the blue sky.

We did a walk-about town and came across a cemetery with nearly every grave adorned with candles, flowers and streamers. These people may be gone, but definitely not forgotten.

We visited the Tea & Chocolate shop. It is a lovely little get-away on the edge of a valley. The balcony has hammocks and benches to rest and enjoy the many flavours of tea and chocolate.

Returning to our guesthouse we came across and interesting looking building and decided to check it out. It was a museum. And it was free! It was not very big, but it was very informative and interactive. We learned how the Mayans made their calendar. We have seven days a week, they had thirteen. We have 12 months in a year, they had 19. Their system accounted for the 1/4 extra day (February 29). Also, the calendar repeated itself every several hundred years. That is why their calendar ended in 2012. It starts a new cycle.

We learned about their number system

and their gods.

Once all these hieroglyphics were figured out, archeologists were able to discern their history. They were very good at keeping records.

That evening was our last night in Copan Ruinas. We went to the Central Park and took some pictures of the Christmas lights. The park was bustling with families enjoying the cool evening. Children were running around playing. Vendors were selling ice cream. It was a magical evening.

Our guesthouse arranged for us to take a shuttle van directly to Santa Ana, El Salvador. It was pricey at $55 USD each, but it was door to door service between guesthouses and about 2 hours shorter. |The temperature was about 33 degrees Celsius, and the idea of a crowded and long chicken bus ride was not appealing.

Price of Petrol: 23.38 HNL / litre ($1.27 / litre)