Honduran Hooky - Part 3, Arrival in Copan

We continued our drive towards Copan and actually passed some ruins on distant hilltops on our way. Carlos pointed them out. The stone stela were lighter colored than the lush green around them and were pretty easy to see. He knew all of their names. Closer in to Copan, we passed the entrance to the Mayan ruins we had come to see, but we would visit them later. For now, we would head straight to our hotel for check in and then on to dinner.

We arrived at the Hotel Marina Copan at around 4 pm. It was a stucco and red clay tile roofed Spanish colonial style building with a center courtyard in which there was a lovely swimming pool.

We checked in and decided to freshen up before we met for dinner. A service minded bell boy helped us with our luggage and showed us through the open hallway that looked out on the courtyard to our room. The courtyard was planted with tropical trees, shrubs and flowers and was really restful and alluring. The pool water was magnetic. I just wanted to dive right in. But, I was tired, and hungry. We tipped him generously and he offered to be our bellboy for the rest of our stay. We agreed and it was sort of depressing actually the lengths that people would go to for money here.

Sean and I got into our room and threw our luggage on the beds and collapsed. What a day so far. Up so early to catch our flights, the beggars at the airport, the traffic in San Pedro Sula, the armed searches at the little town, the children workers at the coffee finca, the long ride, and for me foregoing my nap. We were both just completely physically and emotionally exhausted. But, we had to clean up and get ready for dinner out with Carlos.

I went into the bathroom and ran a cool cloth over my face and neck. Sean took a shower. Carlos had assured us that the water in the hotel was fine to drink, but I hesitated when I brushed my teeth with it. We were concerned with getting Montezuma’s revenge. Carlos told us that he had never had a guest of his get sick while with him. We dressed for dinner and went back to the hotel lobby to meet with Woody and Katy. Carlos was there too and all of us set off for dinner.

It was a short walk down the hill to a small native restaurant with a thatch roof where Carlos took us to dinner. The waitress only spoke Spanish and handed us menus in Spanish. There were only native dishes as Carlos wanted us to try the native fare or plato típico. He helped us select foods that would be safe for us to eat and then helped us to order them. This meal usually includes a meat (beef or chicken), beans, fried plantains, rice, cheese, sour cream and corn tortillas. The men and Katy had beer with dinner and I had a soda. The most memorable thing about the dinner was that the waitress brought our dinners to the table on her head. That managed to have all of us crack a smile after our long day.

Tomorrow, we would see the Mayan ruins. Hopefully, all we needed was a good night's rest.