I had already seen quite a lot of old ancient ruins in Mexico like Teotihuacan, Palenque, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Monte Alban, or Tikal in Guatemala.
Well I just couldn't get enough of these ruins and also visited the Copan ruins in Honduras. It was another excellent place in Honduras. Copan was the capital city of capital city the Maya from the 5th to 9th centuries AD. Located in the extreme southeast of the Mesoamerican cultural region, it was almost surrounded by non-Maya peoples.
To get to Copan, I first had to go to San Pedro Sula, which for many years held the inglorious title of the " murder capital " of the world. It is the second largest city in Honduras, an industrial city without any major sights. Criminal returnees exiled from the USA find a perfect breeding ground for further criminal offences in this city marked by drug smuggling and lack of prospects. At Tripadvisor the most popular sight is the "Coca-Cola sign". A city, therefore, that I can confidently skip. I only changed the bus here.
A better version of the Guatemalan Antigua
I was enchanted by the small town of Copan at the first sight. With its colorful houses and cobblestone streets it met exactly the expectations I had of the Guatemalan Antigua. Although Antigua has the perhaps more beautiful background scenery with the volcano in the background. Nevertheless, the Honduran Copan is much less crowded by tourists and "gringos" than the Guatemalan city.
After a short walk through the old town I relaxed in one of the many hammocks of my hostel with a small beer.
Old ruins and colorful birds
The next morning I visited the nearby Mayan ruins together with a British couple, an American and an Israeli. There the Honduran military patrolled in search of drug smugglers for whom this Guatemalan-Honduran border region is known.
The ruins are in a very good condition and archaeologists especially appreciate the excellently preserved sculptures. The Macaws also seem to be "archaeologically interested" - at least many of these colorful birds fly over the historical site and you can simply pose for a photo with them.
In the afternoon I walked to Macaw Mountain, a sanctuary for native birds. For little money you can get colorful parrots, toucans, kingfishers and orioles. The highlight of my tour through this bird sanctuary was my photo with all the different parrots on my arms and head.
Bus rides with moulded seats and bloody horror movies
After 2 nights in Copan I finally returned to Tegucigalpa. I went with the bus company "Gasola Express". It was certainly not a luxury trip. From the outside the bus made a passable impression. At least all windows were still complete and the bodywork was only in a few places a little dented and worn. But in the interior, the spoiled western tourist was astonished about the half mouldy and dirty seats, where the upholstery already peeps out of the seat lining.
Later I had to change the bus in San Pedro Sula. But also this bus was very special. They showed bloody horror movies at full volume on the monitor in the front of the bus all the time. As if the high murder rates in this country were not enough. After all there were small children on board as well. The Hondurans seem to see and feel violence everywhere.
Summary of my trip in Honduras
After 3 weeks Honduras left quite an impression on me and I consider it the most beautiful country in Central America. You find beautiful beaches in Roatan, a cool diving atmosphere in Utila, all the biodiversity you can imagine at Lake Yojoa or a beautiful old town with ancient ruins in Copan. The high crime rate in the country makes a trip to this country even more adventurous and in the bigger cities you should careful watch every step. Nothing ever happened to me though.
The Honduran people are also amongst the most friendly people I came across in this world. Also I miss baleadas an the mostly sunny and tropical weather.
Even nowadays I still wear my shirt "I'd rather be in Honduras". Oh yes that's true!
