san pedro sula to copan to antigua

tug and i arrived in san pedro de sula and headed into town in the sweltering heat!  we found a hotel and organised ourselves before wandering the streets for a bit.  we stumbled on a parade for the day of the bible which was occurring despite the rain :)  we relaxed and acclimatised after our long flight. 

on sunday we took a bus to copan which has mayan ruins within a kilometer of the city.  copan is a small town near the guatemalan border and it's a really nice place to be.  we visited the ruins on monday and went back on tuesday to check out the museum.  the ruins date as far back as 672AD and were quiet and beautiful to wander through.  they were also very different from machu picchu as the mayans carved wonderful shapes and signs in the rock. it's amazing that some of the detail is still preserved!  the museum was well worth the price as they have placed some of the more delicate pieces which can't handle the tropical rain in sheltered areas. 

we then detoured slightly from the original plan and somehow ended up in antigua which is just west of guatemala city.  it took us the whole day to get from copan to antigua with all of the buses and border crossing but it was worth it!  antigua is an old colonial city surrounded by three volcanoes.  it has a great deal of character.  today we climbed volcano pacaya which is an active volcano that last erupted in august 2000.  the climb wasn't too bad until we go near the top and then it was more or less straight up!  we climbed around 900 vertical meters today.  the views from the top were nice however i was disappointed again as i didn't get to see any lava! 

we're heading to lago atitlan tomorrow to relax for a bit and then i'm heading back to honduras and back to our scheduled itinerary.  tug's not sure if he'll do the same or not. 

hugs,

sarah

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back from roatan

tug & i went to roatan instead of utila after we had a chat with an english guy who worked on roatan.  he convinced us it was worth the couple of extra dollars a day when compared to utila so we changed plans :)  the ferry ride was rough as a storm was brewing just as we were due to leave - i'm certain a few people were queasy on the 2 hour ride!  we arrived to a barrage of taxi drivers who were keen to take us to west end but we found a bus and saved ourselves a few cents each :) 

we were going to stay at sammy's lodge, a bit out of town but fairly cheap in comparison according to lonely planet but we decided not to as the shower didn't have running water and was being used as a storage closet, the toilet had no running water and there was no sink AND the beds were horribly uncomfortable!  all this luxury was $12.50 CDN.  we decided to shift after the first night & happily, we found a place in town, with a shared bathroom, centrally located for $15 USD :)  it also had a shared kitchen so we could cook as we're both a little sick of eggs & beans! 

we checked into the new hotel and went out in search of a kayak rental place.  we came back to get changed and discovered that someone had broken in (we'd left a window open).  it was a bit unnerving to have someone riffle through our things but nothing was taken - he was looking for money or drugs, according to the locals.  supposed, he's broken into a number of homes on the island but the cops aren't arresting him for some reason.  after the incident, we made sure to lock the shutters when we were out. 

we went kayaking around the reef, checked out the beautiful beaches and relaxed.  we then registered for a PADI course so we can become certified openwater divers :)  i have been feeling a bit congested and ill be we figured we could complete the dry (and on land) parts first and then we'd get into the ocean when i'd gotten better. 

i completed all of the activities and confined water tests in about 3m but there was no way i could go down to 12m or 18m with the congestion - the pressure at even 3m would give me a headache.  i was so snotty; it was embarrassing!  we hung around roatan longer than planned, hoping it would clear but it didn't so i had to forfeit the course :( 

i'm back on the mainland and still feel congested - hopefully it passes soon!

hugs,

me