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The ruins were an easy walk away from where we were staying. Saul (pronounced Say-oo-l) met us in Copan and immediately began regaling us with stories about his life. The ruins were amazing, covering a large area with step pyramids, carvings and stone columns over the entire site. This site was never intended for tourists and was originally just an archeological dig to discover how far back the site had been occupied, they have found temples inside the new temples! Apparently every 52 years the entire site was rebuilt, mostly on top of the previous one- so much work for the lowers class people.
One of the open areas is thought to be a water reservoir that filled up during the wet and was gradually released during the dry. Saul said that one of the pyramids represented a volcano and the other a mountain and there were aquatic animal carvings all around this plaza.
We wandered over the site and the day grew quite hot taking many photos because there were so many wondrous things. Saul said that human sacrifice was not common like what was presumed, although towards the end of the civilisation there is evidence of it. he also told us that when the first excavation of the site was done in the 1950's things were just cleared away to uncover the main structures without any logging of location etc, so now they have no idea where the many pieces of sculptures around the site were originally located. He also suggested we google Copan ruins because there is a uTube video done by National Geographic about the site.
We hurriedly returned to the town to change money over into the local currency of Limparas because a border town is the only place you can do this if it isn't done right at the border. I will learn for next time! Not to worry, the same money changers were there as on the border and the transaction was carried out efficiently.
The afternoon was the coffee tour of Finca Santa Isobel (Santa Isobel Farm). Our young guide was a fund of information, taking us right through the process from planting the seedlings to roasting the beans. We were treated to a tractor ride and short walk over the plantation, discovering that the higher the altitude the better the quality of coffee because the beens take longer to mature thus allowing the sweetness of the fruit to influence the richness of the bean. Coffee trees are kept small as the workers here handpick everything, they employ about 300 extra people during the pick. He went to great pains to explain all the sustainable and eco friendly things they were doing on their farm. Coffee trees need shade and the permanent shade trees on this farm are Eucalyptus!
Early dinner was included and a small but delicious Tamale was served. I thought that this was the main, but no, we then had a lovely meal with 3 different meats; chicken, beef and pork cooked in a typical way, accompanied by the ever present maize tortillas, followed by dessert and coffee.
We then were taken through the drying and roasting process. It was a great tour, but sadly I didn't buy any coffee because my bag is already over the weight limit for the flight back from Roatan Island.
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Bruce Puts Wimbledon to shame
Bruce All hand carved
Bruce that's an awful lot of artisan craftsmen - a mind blowing number of man hours
Bruce You should be used to suspension bridges by now LOL
Bruce Now that's a tree house