Sail Ariel: Copan - Part 5

Copan Ruinas is a very small town. It is typical of towns in Central America, with a central square. Copan Ruinas is very hilly but since the town is so small the hills do not become onerous. The narrow streets are cobblestone but quite dusty. There are several hotels in all price ranges and plenty of good places to eat. Our hotel was on the inexpensive (cheap) end of the scale and we will not mention the name nor recommend it. The rooms were clean which was our main selection criteria. None of the staff spoke any English so it was very difficult to communicate. Luckily Terry can speak Spanish very well so as long as we had Terry around we could get by. We had to change rooms because the hot water in our shower did not work. Our biggest complaint was the noise. The floors are tile and very typically the windows open into the central hallway so late night guest returning could be very annoying.

We had a couple experiences with total power outages in the town. We are accustomed to power outages in Rio Dulce so it was not a total surprise. One evening we were returning from dinner and suddenly the town went dark. Walking on the sidewalks and the cobblestone streets is a challenge when lighted, but downright treacherous in total darkness. Sandy had a small flashlight so we were able to proceed to our hotel. The power was restored soon after we arrived back to our rooms. One morning we awoke to another power outage which lasted much longer, but were able to find a restaurant with a generator so it really didn't inconvenience us.

We felt very comfortable in town. One evening was especially festive. Two of the Honduran soccer teams were playing. All day long we saw flags and banners and other signs of support for the teams. They set up a movie screen in the square and televised the game to a sizable crowd, and of course every television in town was tuned to the game. Everyone was in great spirits and with each score the entire town would erupt with cheer.

Scenes from our time in Copan Ruinas