We left the Omega Lodge outside La Ceiba and caught the bus to Copán Ruinas - the town outside the famous Mayan ruins of Copán. As it took us most of the day to get there we didn't do much else apart from find somewhere for dinner where we met a Spanish guy called Raul, who had been travelling solo for 6 months and had been all over the world including Ethiopia.

The next day we got up early to explore Copán. We were surprised that we and Raul were the only 'tourists' there but a couple of hundred school kids arrived to make up the numbers. The ruins were not as large as those at Tikal but the details and the carvings were amazing. The Hieroglyphic stairway was the single most impressive structure - it was amazing it had survived at all after being buried for over 1,000 years. We left the ruins after a good 3 hours as the day warmed up. In the afternoon Katy booked some Spanish lessons for the next two days (I planned to listen to my Spanish CDs as I thought this would be more beneficial) and we hid from the sun in an internet cafe.

The next day we had another early start but this time for horse riding. I'm not much of a fan but Katy is so I suffered on the bumpy ride going up and down the hills on a horse I couldn't control while Katy attempted to chat to our very friendly guide in Spanish. We visited a small, and very poor looking, village up in the hills and were shown some Mayan statues in a nearby clearing before returning to town. For lunch we went to a recommended cafe/deli where Katy enjoyed some quality cheese for the first time in Central America. That afternoon Katy took her Spanish classes while I lay in a hammock and listened to my Spanish.

On our final day in Copán Katy started her Spanish lesson at 8am but I couldn't listen to my Spanish as my iPhone had crashed (and it stayed like that for a couple of days until the batteries went flat.) So I did the only thing that I could and watched Brazil play Chile in the World Cup in a bar with a cold lemonade. That afternoon we visited a nearby bird/parrot sanctuary. We got to hold the big Macaws but my favourite was the colourful Toucan.

Copán town was a beautiful little place with cobbled streets and a relaxed feel. It showed little sign of change from a traditional town despite being next to a world famous site. We stayed in a fantastic hostel called Iguana Azul (Blue Iguana) and got a free upgrade on our third night to the next door B&B, as the hostel was booked up, where we enjoyed our first truly comfortable bed.

Simon