Back to Guatemala

Summing it up, we left Utila with most (or all) of our credit cards not working, a limited amount of cash and a gloomy mood after the sequence of misfortunes. Part of me wanted to just get out of Honduras, but the stop in Copan was actually pretty nice.

Not exactly a deluxe bus

Copan Ruinas is a smallish town next to the border between Honduras and Guatemala. The main attraction is the complex of Mayan ruins, that host some of the best preserved Mayan sculptures and wall carving. Apart from that it is a pleasant town with pretty streets and a relaxed life style. We immediately decided to follow the local use and spent the afternoon swinging in the hotel's hammocks and enjoying the fresh evening breeze from the surrounding mountains. After the stress and heat of Utila, life felt good again.

Hammocks!

Unforgivably enough, we decided not to visit the famous ruins. We had enough local money to survive a few days but not enough to splurge on entrance fees. We could have tried our cards at a local ATM, but in the end we thought it better to wait until Guatemala, where we would actually need the extra cash. Instead of visiting the ruins we spent our time walking around, eating delicious food and hanging out in the hammocks. We needed quiet and relax.

Lazy afternoon in Copan

Need a ride?

From Copan we crossed the border and moved to Antigua Guatemala, a beautiful colonial town and former capital of Guatemala. On the way the minivan drove through Ciudad de Guatemala, the current capital. We're glad that we decided to skip it and not even spend one night there. Antigua instead is very pretty but extremely touristy. The upside is that everything is relatively clean, safe and well organised (the difference with the rest of the country is noticeable), but on the other hand everything is more expensive and it's hard to find decent food, at least within our budget.

In spite of all the tourists around, Antigua is really pretty, especially thanks to the sight of the volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. The best views are from the Cerrito de la Cruz, a short hike out of town. It used to be rather dangerous to walk there by yourself, with many cases of robbery, rape and even a murder. Thanks to reinforced police control it is now a relatively safe area. We really enjoyed exploring the streets and monuments of the city, and in the end we even managed to find some edible food. Furthermore a visit to an ATM proved that one of K's cards is still working. Habemus cash!

Volcano Agua with a cloudy 'sombrero'

Colourful streets

Yummy breakfast

View from the cerrito

Classic view of Santa Catalina's arch

One day in Antigua was more than enough for us. The next stop will be San Pedro La Laguna, on the shore of lake Atitlán.