December 31, 2006, 6:17 pm, Copan, Honduras
Spent the first part of the trip on Utila which is one of the Bay Islands along the Mezoamerican Barrier Reef. We accessed great snorkeling right from the beach for a mere ten bucks! Dan wasn't as impressed with Utila as he was with the island in Belize, I think because the streets were sand covered whereas Utila's streets were more traditional and filled with motor bikes. Dan also said that he missed his Central American travel partner, Karen. Oh yah, and he didn't appreciate that our hotel didn't have a TV (heh, heh), but that just meant more time in the hammock reading! Still, he made great friends with the local cat (Salva) and dog (Noodles). He also loved the 5 mile boat ride to a remote island over exceptionally choppy (and fun) waters. The food on the island was tasty and cheap. Lots of snapper, lobster, and chicken.
The day we left Utila for the mainland was interesting. You can see the airport in the first picture, it consisted of a wooden platform. No phone, no services, nothing... The picture looks dark because it WAS dark! The taxi driver dropped us off at the "airport" at 5:40 am. I said, where is the plane? He said, oh the plane had a problem last night so it stayed on the other side to be fixed and it will fly in soon. Then he got in his cab and started driving off...it was dark and there was nothing but a wooden platform to wait for the plane...and the mosquitos were active. I said, you mean you're going to leave us here in the dark with no plane and no one else? And he replied, yes, because I go pick up more passengers. Hum. 45 minutes later and he returned and the little plane flew in.
Once back at the airport in San Pedro Sula, we picked up our rental car and headed off on a 3 hr trip (180 km) to Copan and the Mayan ruins. We couldn't get over how dramatic and beautiful the mountains were. You can see the picture of the highway - a rather deserted 2 lane road. Deforestation continues to be a problem in Honduras. The ruins were fun to explore. We also visited a bird park, although my Spanish isn't so hot anymore after 23 years, and the Spanish words for bird and plane are similar. No wonder people looked at me funny when I asked for directions to the "Plane" park.
Dan and Tom loved the bird park...Dan because of the birds, Tom because the park was located inside a coffee plantation. Our hotel, Marina Copan, was wonderful...pool, excellent restaurant, beautiful hotel property full, and, the clincher for Dan, Cable TV. We taught Dan to play Euchre (Midwestern card game) on this trip. It came in handy because restaurant service is painfully slow.
We are now getting ready to bring in the new year here in Copan, Honduras. Tom is ready to relocate and start growing coffee beans. I can't remember such dramatic scenery in Central America, this place is beautiful. But it's a wild place. Dan doesn't think there are any laws here, or if there are, no one follows them.
