Home » Honduras » Planes, Boats, and Buses

With our feet buried in Honduran sand, Dad and I sighed with relief after a long 2-day journey across three countries by planes, boats, and buses. There is no travel more exciting than when the plans are spontaneous and very flexible. The following is a run down of the means by which we traveled, the bumps we ran into along the way, and finally the results of a successful mission.

Planes, Boats, and Buses

Jeremy Curl
2006-08-28 14:30:10

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(www.utiladivecenter.com); they're loads of fun. Oh yeah, I never got to see my Whale Shark. Oh well, I guess I'll have to come back another season.

While I was off in the ocean, Dad was on shore making friends with the locals. He visited the nearby iguana farm and sampled food and cigars across the island. At the end of our three day stay, Dad knew Utila better than most of the natives that were born and raised here; or so he thought. We both really enjoyed the island and plan on returning again someday. A lot of the residents here are travelers who liked the island so much they stayed. Others are here for a few months to get they're Master Diver cert. or just to enjoy the atmosphere. As for Dad and I, we could only squeeze in three days, even though we wished for more. Tomorrow we travel to Copan, which lies only 12km from the Guatemalan border. Here we will tour the ancient Mayan ruins of Copan and relax before returning to Antigua for the festival.

Travel to Copan was quick and painless. Dad has decided that it is worth spending a little extra money for comfort and shorter travel times. We flew to San Pedro Sula instead of spending 4 hours by boat and bus. We then paid a taxi driver $100 to drive us 3hrs to Copan to avoid the cramped, humid bus. The town of Copan Ruinas (or simply Copan) is a cozy little village with cobblestone streets, red-tile roof buildings, and a peaceful atmosphere. The Mayan ruins are less than a mile away and have made Copan a primary tourist attraction in Honduras.

The Copan archaeological site is not nearly as large and impressive as the ruins of Tikal, but it has differences that make it unique. Unlike Tikal, the structures all have intricate carvings (glyphs) all over them. Large stelae stand tall throughout the plaza. These stone structures have inscriptions and carvings portraying the former rulers of Copan. There are no monkeys like in Tikal (shucks!), but there are parrots and large macaw birds perched above. Unlike all the other tourists at the site who were bunched around park guides, Dad and I decided to tour solo again. We were able to disassemble the entire history of the Mayan civilization just by guessing. Our facts may have been totally off, but it sure was entertaining.

Well that about wraps up our time in Honduras, and wow what a week! To my fellow backpackers, I must recommend Utila over Roatan if you must decide on one. Also, if you are a diver, go to the Black Hills dive site in Utila if you get a chance. There are all sorts of amazing fish there because of the currents and the giant sea turtles make an appearance often to feed on the miniature jelly fish floating all around (don't worry they don't sting). Next, we spend Semana Santa in Antigua, which will make for quite the fiesta. If you'd like you can click on the map at the top to see our travel path for the week. I must say I feel like a lot of you are right here with me because of all the e-mails and comments. Thanks and I miss ya!
The staff at the Utila Airport was a little short-handed, so Dad volunteered to help out.We're Out!