27th February
We crossed the Honduran border at some tiny place not very far from Copan. We changed our Quetzals for Lempira, paid our exit tax - or was it entrance tax? and proceeded to the village of Copan Ruinas.
This village grows on you. At first sight it is a dusty, rural, slum, but when you look more closely it improves. The hotel we stayed in was a gem. It felt very personal with nice rooms and a verandha with hammocks. If only the showers were better! It was impossible to get hot water out of them. We had a group meal that evening where we sampled the local speciality - fondue - either bean or sausage - served with tacos. Rather nice . Also the place we went to had a happy hour which was rather good.
HERE are some photos of the hotel.
28th February
The next day - Tuesday was a rather busy one. In the morning we went round the Copan ruins with a very knowledgeable guide who told us rather a lot about the Maya -lots of fascinating stuff. There were some very nice macaws about the ruins.
You need a guide for the ruins. Without one they become just a series of piles of old rocks. Interesting but they don't tell you anything. With our guide you found out a lot about Mayan civilisation and how the ruins, stelae and carvings could tell you all about them. And it is a fascinating story.
You can see photographs taken round the ruins, including the macaws, HERE.
After a lunch with some rather odd pesto, I went, with a portion of the group, to do some canyoning.
We had to drive up a very steep track to an isolated village. Here we picked up an armed guard and walked to the river. We left our stuff with the guard and set off up the river. I took my camera in the Aquapac bag and a couple of other people put their cameras in the bag too. It worked well - it had too! The first place was a small waterfall and rapids in a very narrow canyon. Then we moved downstream to the big waterfall which looked pretty good from above. We went down the banks so we could approach it from below. I wasn't going to take my camera as protecting it had proved difficult - you need both hands when canyoning! but the guide said I should, so I did - glad I did too. The guide took a group photo just below the waterfall. Then, leaving the camera behind, we swam into the pool below the waterfall - an awesome place with very fast currents. I had some difficulties swimming out as my boots meant I could get no kick with my feet so George and John, who were in sandals, had to give me a push. Then back out, group photos and walk back to the village on the main road and home.
Some of my canyoning photos can be seen HERE.
Meanwhile Chris went to the local bird park and got herself some bird photographs.
Chris and I ate alone at last nights cafe and had a very good meal. The others were not so lucky. As we needed the rest and last night had been quite noisy, we took sleeping pills to give us a good nights sleep - they succeeded.
1st March
Another day, another driver. We set off on our way to Roatan. I can't remember much about the journey. We went through pleasant countryside to San Pedro du Sulo where we caught a Fairchild F27 (probably a Focker F27) to Ceiba where we eventually got a Jetstream to Coxen Hole on Roatan - a 15 minute flight. There a couple of minibuses - one for the luggage and one for us took us to the Pura Vida hotel. We arrived about 5 and were given rather nice nice room with lots of storage space. So we took the opportunity to unpack completely and sort out the laundry. Previous to this we had walked along the shore and swam in Half Moon Bay - lovely.
Our route from Copan to Roatan
We had a group meal in the hotel - the servings were vast and the food pretty good. A walk along the road and so to bed.
2nd March
In the morning we arranged a snorkel trip in the afternoon then went to Half Moon Bay for a morning on the beach. It was pretty good but it was cess pit emptying day so sometimes a little stinky. Lunch (pizza) at the hotel then off in a fast boat to West Bay where the scuba divers went off and we did our thing. The fish on the coral reef were amazing, their colour changing with the light. Chris thought that some of the coral was dead or dying but some looked quite healthy. But we started to feel quite chilled after 45 minutes and were glad to stop.
Photos taken on Roatan are HERE.
In the evening we went to a swish restaurant built over the water. It was a lovely situation but it was spoiled by the dreadful slowness of the service. It took an age for them to take our order and even longer for them to get it to the table.
Charley achieved his ambition of having a trip on a submarine. It took him down 1000 feet and cost him $500 but he seemed very happy with the deal. And he got a certificate!
3rd March
Our last full day on the Bay Islands started with us walking to West Bay. We croossed some meta-sediments on the way. These probably explain the height of the island. When we got to West Bay - it took us almost an hour as Chris was photographing lots of flowers and colourful cottages on the way - we found that 3 or 4 dolphins had come close inshore and were being pursued by swimmers and canoeists. They stayed about for quite a while.
After a rest we set off by collectivo (mini-bus which charges) to Antony's Cay at Sandy Bay to see a promised dolphin show. But we were told that it was the mating season and there would be no show. So back to West End - again by collectivo.
That evening the group were having a group meal in the restaurant we had slumbered in the evening before so we decided to eat on our own. After some difficulty we ate at the Tre Fratelli. There seems to be a lot of Italian influence on the Bay Islands. Our hotel was Italian owned.
4th March
Leaving the Bay Islands meant we had to get up very early. Breakfast was at 5 and our flight at 7. We had a 23 lempira exit tax to leave the island. It was the F27 to Ceiba, walk along to to the Jetstream and off to Tegucicalpa. It was a short flight through clouds but over mountainous country.
The Nicaraguan border was chaotic. Lots of lorries trying to cross in both directions, money changers, forms to be filled in - all the usual chaos. We met our Nicaraguan guide, Walter. Eventually, after George's finest efforts we set off for Leon.