Today we had a long, 5 1/2 hour, drive to the border with Honduras and then a further hour drive to the ruins of Copán which meant an early 5am start. But first let me tell you about the Immigration Saga.
Along with our final holiday details from VJV came instructions that all passengers entering or exiting Honduras must complete
the online immigration pre‐clearance form which would then generate a confirmation email that needed to be printed out and carried with us, but that Emilio would assist us with the process whilst we were in Antigua. So all I did was go as far as setting up accounts for us both (with simple passwords that wouldn't be forgotten) and check just before we left England that we could still access the accounts. Oh how I wish the other 9 had done half as much!
Emilio asked the group to meet him in reception at 1500 yesterday which fortunately he then brought forward to 1330. It transpired that the whole procedure was new since Covid and Emilio didn't know what he was doing either (slight criticism of him here as I feel he should have done a dummy run beforehand). Anyway Ian and I turned up armed with ipads and iphones and easily logged in to the accounts I'd created and once Emilio gave us a few pertinent details, like name of border post etc we were away and quickly done. Ian, I must say was brilliant, he often gets a little flustered with IT but he just sat quietly next to me, copying each step I did. Emails duly received which we then forwarded to the hotel reception who kindly printed them off for us. Most of the others either didn't have suitable devices or were unable to log in and the odd one or two who could log in seemed unable to retain the information Emilio had given so there was an awful lot of shouting "what do I put here" going on. I was the only one who had taken pen and paper with me and so had written the info down and could pass the paper around (again Emilio should have prepared something in advance). The system would only allow 1 account per email address so the couple whose passwords wouldn't work were completely stuffed as was Scottish John who didn't have a device which could receive emails. As I have two extra email addresses which automatically forward to my usual email, I volunteered to create new accounts for 1 of the couple and John and then help them complete the forms. The whole process for 11 people took just over 2 hours - glad we started early!
Anyway we were up and suitcases outside the room well before the appointed time and grateful for the breakfast box the hotel had prepared. I did take a few snapshots through the bus windows but there's not much of interest or quality to show.
First loo stop of the day, our bus on the right - we do seem to stop an awful lot!
A few vehicles
And some scenery which was beautiful although it doesn't look much here.
These migrants are walking, who knows for how long or where to. I think I mentioned when we were in Mexico that some walk the whole length of Central America in their quest to reach the promised land (USA) and it’s highly likely they're carrying everything they own!
Crossing the border was quite a lengthy process, first we had to stand in line (luckily the foreigners queue was fairly short) to exit Guatemala and then join another queue to enter Honduras where we may or may not be asked to pay a fee US$3 or Q30. We did have to pay but the teller didn't appear to carry change so we had to mix and match and pay for one another and sort it out later. Never mind it wasn't a fortune and luckily there was no problem for Sue who hadn't been able to do the online form.
Copán was one of the most important Maya cities during the Classic Period (c. 250–900 AD), and at its peak early in the 9th century may have been home to as many as 20,000 people. A dynasty of at least 16 kings* ruled Copán from about 426 to 822 by which latter date the city had entered a serious decline and the Maya had completely abandoned the site by about 1200. The site comprises 250 acres including residential areas, with the central district covering 54 acres and consisting of stone temples, two large pyramids, several stairways and plazas, and a court for playing the ball game tlachtli (Mayan: pok-ta-pok). Most of these structures centre on a raised platform (now called the Acropolis) that was apparently the architectural centre of the ancient city. Copán is particularly noted for the friezes on some of its other buildings and the portrait sculptures on its many stelae. The Hieroglyphic Stairway, which leads to one of the temples, is beautifully carved with some 1,260 hieroglyphic symbols on the risers of its 63 remaining steps. There is evidence that astronomers in Copán calculated the most accurate solar calendar produced by the Maya up to that time. The first Europeans to discover the site’s ruins were Spanish explorers in the late 16th century. The American travellers Stephens and Catherwood rediscovered them in 1839, and in the 1930s/40s the ruins were restored by a group jointly sponsored by the Carnegie Institution and the government of Honduras. Another major investigation that began in 1975 revealed much of Copán’s political and dynastic history through the decipherment of hieroglyphic inscriptions on its monuments.
* including Eighteen Rabbit (Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kʼawiil) probably one
of the most famous and certainly the easiest to remember ruled here 695-738 AD.
Unfortunately, as knowledgeable, interesting and enthusiastic as Emilio and the local guide we picked up were, I don't seem to have retained much information at all so here are some pictures of piles of old stones. Not surprisingly over the years restoration techniques have has vastly improved and some of the earlier work is now seen almost as vandalism (such a claim that can only be made with the benefit of hindsight). Many of the sites throughout Mesoamerica are still being explored and the current method is to leave some areas completely untouched, some exposed and then some restored.
These areas are more or less untouched.
Gathered together for rebuilding as it would seem most are not found in their complete state as I'd naively imagined.
This was our first visit to a Maya ruin with Emilio and he certainly impressed us with his knowledge and passion for the subject.
Obviously my main point of focus was the stela.
But with a quick change of camera I think I just about got away with it - what a superb moustache!
A couple of close ups to show the amazing detail.
Monkeys, I presume.
And now for something slightly more interesting, at least to me; flora and fauna. This sign at the entrance had me practically drooling at the prospect of seeing some beautiful birds, but unfortunately being still early afternoon there wasn't a great deal about.
Apart from a few Scarlet Macaws which are encouraged to stay around the grounds by regular feeding.
Given that this is a World Heritage site, I'm assuming no macaws were injured in the process of making these masks.
And this Common Black Hawk which was way up in the sky.
Costus speciosus (I think)
Growing high up in the trees were many of these bromeliads Tillandsia fasciculata (giant or cardinal airplant)
I really don't know if this is an epiphyte, parasite, bromeliad or what although I'm guessing the former, so I can't even begin to look it up for identification - but it was amazing!
Back at the main entrance there was a small exhibition which Emilio wanted us to see but I was hot and tired so opted to stay outside in the hope of getting a decent macaw shot - this was my best effort.
By the time we got to our hotel Marina Copán, and very nice it was too, it was about 1600 and we were starving. One of the oddest things about this holiday has been the meal times, which have been all over the place. I never mind whether I eat or not but I'm surprised just how unfussed the group as a whole have been about eating, especially a few of the men who seem to snack constantly - aaahhh! maybe I've just answered my own question.
Anyway, having dumped our cases we went to the pool side restaurant and had delicious club sandwiches and chips, except the menu didn't say chips were included so we ordered extra. We were joined by one of the single men, a lovely guy who is extremely well travelled but neither of us can work out how he's managed to survive this trip let alone his many others; he doesn't own a smart phone, carry any local currency or seem to be aware of what's happening next.
After lunch we had a quick dip in the beautiful but quite chilly pool and then after changing had a walk around town before it got too dark.
Although Emilio said Honduras as a whole was not a particularly safe country, we found Copán to be rather lovely and we didn't feel remotely threatened wandering around.
"Glad you could make it. I bought a spare Stetson with me if you need to borrow one?"
Once again Emilio had offered to take us out for a meal as a group* and so most of us met up again in the bar around 1900 where the hotel offered us all a complimentary drink - rude not too. The restaurant was more a café, which suited me and Ian having only lunched a few hours ago, and the meal was perfectly adequate. We enjoyed a pleasant couple of hours with our fellow travellers.
* this is Emilio's down time and he chose to spend it trying to enhance our holiday experience, which is very good of him.