Copán Ruinas to Antigua: The day that felt like three

The bus to Antigua from Copán Ruinas didn’t leave until 2pm, so we had the morning to explore more of Copán. We ate our leftover pizza for breakfast and headed up to Macaw Mountain via mototaxi. Macaw Mountain is a nature reserve and bird park about 10 minutes away from the center of Copán. We really enjoyed the hour we spent there and definitely felt like it was worth the 10 US dollar per person entry fee. It was quiet and beautiful and the birds were really amazing.

We loved these toucans at Macaw Mountain.

There were so many beautiful birds there!

Walking through Macaw Mountain

When we arrived back to the center of Copán, we went to the indoor market which sits right off of the square. It is a very cramped space with vendors selling an array of items. There are many tiny stalls with windows that line the perimeter of the market, and each space is a different food vendor. It smelled really great in there, but it was extremely overwhelming because it was crowded and loud. We really wanted to try some pupusas, which we’d heard were awesome, so we braved the intimating food stalls and were rewarded with some very delicious chicken and cheese pupusas. A must eat again food.

The Hedman Alas bus was about a half hour late (maybe slightly more) leaving Copán. We weren’t able to get first class seats this time as they were sold out. Our seats were in the back row, and the bus was full, so we were really lucky that there were even seats for us since we’d waited until the day before to buy the tickets via email. If we were doing it again, we would have gone to the station and purchased the tickets in person. It would be easier to buy them that way. We knew Copán Ruinas was close to the border, so we were not surprised when the bus pulled over after only about 15 minutes of driving, but we didn’t at all know how the customs/border process was supposed to work. We were told to get off of the bus, and we watched everyone else leave all of their belongings, which seemed a little scary to do, but we just took our wallets and passports like everyone else and followed the crowd. We stood in a long line and noticed that the building said Honduras Immigration so we knew that there was a checking-out process for Honduras before entering Guatemala. Some people had forms to fill out, but we didn’t and didn’t know if we were supposed to either. Luckily we were in line with a couple from Canada and the same Australian couple we’d met a few days earlier, and we were all in the same confused boat. 

The line moved quickly. There was no charge to leave Honduras, so it was pretty much just a quick stamp at the window. As we walked out of the building, we realized the bus was gone, and we didn’t see any of the other people from the bus (with the exception of the other two couples we were talking to who were still behind us). Finally we saw the bus driver on his cell phone, and he waved us to keep walking. We walked a few minutes and then realized that the bus was now parked outside of Guatemalan customs. We knew the bus wouldn’t have left us, but there is something comforting about being able to see the vehicle that contains all of your stuff. We walked across the border and then stood at the end of that line for Guatemalan customs. The cost to enter Guatemala is around 3 US dollars (I think), which can be paid in US Dollars or Guatemalan Quetzal. The exchange rate is about 8 Quetzals to 1 US Dollar.

The amazing view from the bus ride through Guatemala

It was a five hour drive from the customs stop to Guatemala City…maybe slightly less, but it felt like 10. We were in the back row, and the roads were terrible (much worse than in Honduras). We were very ready to get off the bus in Guatemala City to change buses and stretch our legs for a few minutes. We realized quickly that the “smaller bus” connecting to Antigua was actually a minivan. They loaded everyone’s bags on a luggage rack on the top of the van. It was a very tight fit (9 passengers in a 10 passenger van), but luckily it was a short ride on a well-paved road. We arrived in Antigua around 9-930pm.

I had emailed the hotel the day before asking if we needed to take a cab or if we would be able to walk with our rolling suitcases to the hotel. They responded that we could walk pretty easily (a 10 minute walk) or we could take a cab. We had the address and name of the hotel and the email from the hotel implied that this would be enough information to find it. We asked the van driver if he knew the direction of Hotel Casa Cristina, and instead of saying he didn’t know, he pointed south so we started walking south about two blocks towards the square then turned around and asked a restaurant hostess who pointed us north. We walked north and found the Don Rodrigo hotel (which is where our hotel told us we could get a cab) and asked again. We continued on his directions: one block north and two blocks west where we asked again. We were then told to go the opposite direction but decided to continue on the original course. We were very sore, very tired and very lost. Some people were getting out of a taxi, so we asked the driver and he pointed us in a new wrong direction. We were going to just head the direction he suggested thinking he probably knew what he was talking about. We decided, instead, that I would stand with the bags and Andy would run up and see if the hotel was where the cab driver said it was. It wasn’t. When Andy got back to me with the news that we were no closer to finding the hotel than when we got out of the van, we started to get pretty overwhelmed. Normally we try to play it cool when we’re confused/ lost while traveling and the pretend confidence translates into finding our way in the end, but looking as lost and frustrated as we did definitely worked to our advantage this time. At that exact moment, two ladies speaking English offered to help us. They walked us right to our hotel, which was only about three blocks from where we were standing. They were very nice, and we were so grateful for them! I feel like it might have taken us a year to find it on our own. In the future, we will get very specific walking directions from the hotel prior to arrival in Antigua (or any city, really). Since cab drivers, store clerks and other hotel staff didn’t know where to send us, even after seeing a street address, relying on asking for directions is not a recommended tactic.

This great hotel was worth the stressful, late-night search

The night guy at the hotel checked us in and showed us to our room. He was an unintentionally funny guy but very kind and helpful. The room was small but clean and nice. The overall ambiance at the hotel was welcoming, which was appreciated after the long day we’d had. We quickly headed back out after dropping off our bags as we had not eaten a meal in over 10 hours. We found a small Italian restaurant. We’ll never know how good the pasta actually was there. We enjoyed our pastas and beers like we’d never eaten before, and then we headed immediately back to the hotel to sleep off what had been a very long and kind of great day.

Copán

There was some confusion with the cab driver that we arranged through our hotel in West End to pick us up at 6:15 am (in time for the 7 am ferry departure). It all worked out fine, though, and we made it to the ferry in plenty of time. The ferry from Roatan to La Ceiba took about an hour and a half. After a somewhat hectic process of claiming our checked bags, we took a cab from the ferry terminal to the Hedman Alas bus station in La Ceiba. We had asked around the island and did some internet research about the best bus company to use to travel across Honduras. Hedman Alas was recommended every time. They were safe and professional. It was about a six hour ride from La Ceiba to Copán Ruinas, but the bus left a little late and there was a layover in San Pedro Sula. We arrived in Copán Ruinas around 6:30pm after a 12 hour travel day. Honduras is breathtakingly beautiful which actually made the long day pretty enjoyable. It was great to see some of the country even if it was out of a bus window.

The hostel/hotel where we stayed was clean but very noisy. Our room was pretty much in the lobby and right below a deck near the shared rooms. So the earplugs we used were no match for the late-night partying happening above us. We were then awakened at 6am to loud, live music on the street. At first I thought that we must have slept late to be waking up to street music, but no, it was 6am. We later learned there was a grocery store opening across the street. We also enjoyed a huge fireworks show as part of the same celebration later that night. It was a festive way to start our day in Copán.

We had a great breakfast here the first morning in Copán.

Walking toward town square before heading out to the ruins

The town square in Copán was a great place to spend some time relaxing.

 The Mayan Ruins of Copán are a 10 minute walk from the center of town. We have never been to any Mayan ruins, so the whole experience was really wonderful. The backdrop to these ruins is the gorgeous countryside of the Copán Valley. Although we have no other ruins to compare them to, we found the afternoon fascinating. We wandered around for about two hours before heading back to town. We also enjoyed watching the Scarlet Macaws fly around the entrance to the ruins, which are also used as a release aviary.

Copán ruins: Hieroglyphic Stairway

Copán ruins

Copán ruins

The beautiful Scarlet Macaws

Copán ruins

We had some really great food from the street carts near the town square. Copán is a great town, and it’s easy to enjoy a couple of laid back days here. We wandered around a lot and spent a fair amount of time hanging out in the town square. Before dinner, after our first full day, we walked up to a museum that sits on a hill overlooking the town. We didn’t go inside the museum, but we did watch the sunset over the valley from its steps. It was a perfect day.