Honduras, Copan Ruins and Diving in Roatan, Bay Islands

Finally made it out of Guatemala.

Six Hours later, with a numb bum, i was in Honduras


First stop Copan Ruins. I have done my fair share of ruins so wasn´t overly enthusiastic about Copan but the book said that they were good so i decided to make the trip.

Known in ancient tims as "Xukpi."

Copan was the special place of the Mayan world where art and astronomy flourished. There were larger Mayan cities to the north, in present-day Mexico and Guatemala, and the structures at Copan are relatively modest compared to those at Tikal and Palenque and Chichen-Itza. But there are more carved monuments at Copan then elsewhere, and the intricate, swirling, decorative art surpasses not only that of other Mayan cities, but of any other civilization in the Western Hemisphere before the arrival of Europeans.

Copan might have been settled as early as 2000 B.C. The valley was fertile and well watered. Over time, harvests became more and more abundant, with the perfection of corn agriculture and of a calendar to guide planting. More organized societies developed in Copan and the neighboring areas among the people that are today called the Maya.

Copan developed in much the same way as other Mayan cities. Simple thatched houses on foundations evolved into temples on substantial masonry platforms. Ironwood, or chicozapote, substituted for less sturdy materials in lintels. Relatively soft volcanic rock was dressed using harder rock, and later incised with obsidian tools. Household implements were made of wood and clay; as techniques improved, pottery became more complex, and beautiful, and was used for ceremonial purposes. Newer, more complicated, more beautiful buildings were erected right on top of older ones.

The custom developed of memorializing rulers and royal families and recording history on buildings and monuments and in tombs. Great stones were rolled down from nearby mountains, carved with glyph figures representing names and numbers and events, and erected in the plazas as stelae.

There were lots and lots of beautiful birds around the site. The sounds gave the place a little bit of life.

Statue of King 18 Rabbit

The setting is differnt from some of the other ruins, it was very green and lush with lots of Junggle vines overgrowing the structures.

It rained for most of the day so it was a swift visit!

The Hieroglyphic Staircase work of King Smoke Imix

Me with the statue of King Smoke Shell

The altar shows a plumed serpant with a human head emerging from it´s jaws

New friends Lisa and Rich keeping out of the rain

THe ruins were in a pretty setting but they were not as impressive as some of the other ruins that i have been to. There wasn´t many carvings, more shells of buildings.

Copan was nice, cobbled street and very friendly people. The next day we were up unsociable early to make a long journey across Honduras to the Bay Island where i met up with Jo again.

ROATAN, Bay Islands

Diving, yippeeeeee.........

I am officically an addict. I was so happy to get back in the water. I chose Coconut Tree Divers, there were so many dive shops but they seemed to be very professional and they really were.

I had three specialty courses and decided to get a few more under my belt and get my Master Scuba Diver cert. I had such a good experience here that i will probably return sometime in the future to take the Technical Diver training. They had good equipment, were well organised and the instructors were some of the best that i have come across.

There were some really good dive sites with some cool wrecks-

An Anenome. I was quite please with this shot, there is a tiny cleaning shrimp on it.

Ahhh, a lovely turtle

El Aguila (The Eagle) is a 63m/210ft cargo boat that rests on a deep sand basin between two large coral outcroppings. The ship was intentionally scuttled in 1997 by Anthony's Key Resort to make for a new premier dive site. While originally settling intact and upright in 30m/100ft of water, the fury of Hurricane Mitch severed the ship in three in 1998.

I mapped the structure, drew the worst picture, and put Moray eels as a point of interest rather than a hazard! We were mapping for penetration points including hazards and points of interest. I had to run a line to map the route and then reel it up again. It was really exciting and the reason why i want to take the technical dive route.

Inside the Aguila. The line has to be tied of on secure structures, this is to ensure you get in and out safely.
The deep dive. For this we went down to 40 meters with a few objects to monitor the change at the various depths. Included in this list were 3 eggs. We cracked the eggs at 40 meters, they stay in tacked, and attracked lots of fish!

Mark, my instructor. He is an excellent diver and really inspired me but how can you take someone serously with a latex glove on their shoulder. We used this to view the change in pressure at 40 meters. On the way down the glove just waved at me and i must have laughed off half a tank.

Jonny, Rich, Sara, Lisa and Jo. Roatan was quite a social place, here we are at Sundowners.......

......great place to have a beer and watch some amazing sunsets.

We were ready to leave Roatan. There is one main street and you very quickly fit in with the locals. It is a dangerous place that you could very easily get stuck in. We had a lot of fun here but ready now to move South to Nicaragua and rest in the Corn Islands.

xx
Sara