This video is about ten minutes long and gets a little jumpy when the cameraman gets into the action.

Story and photographs by John Lamkin
Article first appeared in Examiner

One place that I think should be on everyone’s bucket list is the amazing old Maya city of Copán. This is the best and most complete of the restored ancient Maya cities I’ve seen—and I’ve seen quite a few.

The next attraction on this list is the beautiful Spanish colonial, cobbled-street town of Copán—right next door to the archaeological site. This is a beautiful, clean and safe-to-walk-at-night town.

And, the best place to stay in Copán is Hotel Marina Copán. This excellent fifty-room hotel was the first hotel in the town and now the best. It is right near the main Plaza and less then a mile from the ruins. The architecture is Spanish colonial, with high, beamed ceilings and red tile floors and walkways. The bed frames and wardrobes are made of stunning tropical hardwood. Local artwork adorns the walls and plants abound. Room service may be had from early morning until late, when the restaurant closes and, if you are driving, the hotel has private secure parking.

The hotel has a complete gift shop near the lobby, but, for one, I find shopping with the vendors on the street more enjoyable. The hotel does have a basic gym and sauna and massages are available on request. The WiFi connection is reasonably fast.

The food in the two-story restaurant is enjoyable and inexpensive. Try the Honduran comida tipica—the local dishes of the country. The bilingual wait staff are friendly and helpful, always with a smile—which is typical to the country. The breakfast buffet is a gastronomical treat, with an egg/omelet chef to custom design that part of your meal.

The local Welchez family owns the hotel and it is managed by the two brothers. The family also has a coffee plantation to which they provide tours. The Welchez Coffee is widely distributed and available to purchase online. Their tour company, MC Tours, also provides tours to other local attractions. MC Tours has been in business since 1991 serving Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize, and is the only mainland Honduras tour company with a full operation in Roatan Island. The Macaw Mountain Bird Park & Nature Reserve is a must see, with rescued birds—macaws, parrots, hawks, toucans and more. They also have a small coffee farm on site. The coffee is sold only in their gift shop. The coffee grown there, as with the Welchez’ is a full-bodied blend—delicious.

I came here on a luxury tour with Maya Temple Tours from San Pedro Sula, the capital. Maya Temple Tours has great service and will customize a personal tour if you like. I was on assignment to do a Honduras luxury real estate article, so that was the focus of my personal tour. I would do it again in a New York, that is, Maya second.

RESOURCES

Hotel Marina Copán

MC Tours

Maya Temple Tours

Taca Airlines flies out of several US hubs

Macaw Mountain Bird Park & Nature Reserve

Cafe Welchez

Copan Coffee Tours

Luxury Latin America

Gardens from room balcony

Gardens from room balcony

Bathroom detail

Bathroom detail

Detail Breakfast Buffet

Detail Breakfast Buffet

Copan ruins

Copan ruins

Hotel Copan Marina

Hotel Copan Marina

Breakfast

Breakfast

More coffee?

More coffee?

Omelet chef

Omelet chef

Susy and Friends

Susy and Friends

Copan Stela

Copan Stela

Copan Marina hallway detail

Copan Marina hallway detail

Front desk

Front desk

Garden detail

Garden detail

Courtyard detail

Courtyard detail

Bedroom detail

Bedroom detail

Copan street vendors

Copan street vendors

Swimming pool

Swimming pool

Jaguar & Venado

Jaguar & Venado

John Lamkin is an award-winning Journalist and Photographer based in Taos, New Mexico and in Mexico. He writes and photographs about travel, food, wine, luxury, budget, gear, tech. and more. He serves as Global Membership Chair of both the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association and the New York Travel Writers Society. He travels the world in search of something new in culture, cuisine and drink.

His website: http://TravelWritingAndPhotography.com

Social Media:
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Facebook(business),
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NEAT™ Glass – photo © John Lamkin

A NEAT™ way to drink beverages

story and photos by © John Lamkin

The NEAT™ Glass (NEAT stands for Naturally Engineered Aroma Technology) is really a neat piece of engineering! The idea of this shapely, blown crystal drinking instrument is to enable one to bypass the ‘ethanol‘ smell (at least with whiskey) and direct the pure smell, and therefor the taste, of the beverage to the nose.

I tested the NEAT™ glass by cracking open the bottle of Sauza tequila I had been saving for a rainy day. I filled the glass about half full of the liquid–no chugalugging here. And voilà, now, instead of the nostalgic smell of a Tijuana bar, I’m in the Baja desert–standing in the middle of a field of agave. Well, anyway, I can smell and taste the subtleties of the tequila. I can’t wait to try it with my favorite mezcal. My honey wanted to commandeer it for a vase–NO WAY! 

Now I want to get a set of NEAT™ glasses for enjoying beverages with my drinking buddies good friends.

For more info, visit: http://theneatglass.com

Family shelling crabs Santa Cruz del Islote, Colombia, South America
© John Lamkin

Photos and story by John Lamkin

What is the most crowded island in the world? Some New Yorkers will say Manhattan. The Japanese thought they might have claim to it until they heard about Santa Cruz del Islote, an island located off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia. They went there, measured and counted, and determined that the island did indeed have claim to the title. To ‘save face’ they built a three story community building with hospital on the third floor for the islanders.

Santa Cruz del Islote is so small* that people have to walk through each other’s kitchen to get from one place to another. There is a small town square—about the size of a tennis court—next to the new hospital building. The people have to bury their dead in a cemetery on another island. To play football (soccer) the residents go to nearby Múcura Island. Fishing is the main industry, but many of the islanders work at Hotel Punta Faro on Múcura. Some of the people raise fish in small ponds to sell…
Read more at Examiner.

Hotel Las Hadas – Fairyland – Manzanillo, Colima MEXICO © John Lamkin

It was in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico and I was staying at a five-star hotel on the beach called Las Hadas (meaning the fairies). (“Bo Derek slept here” while filming 10.) I heard that in the morning there was a van leaving on a trip to the Magic Town (Pueblo Magico) of Comala, Colima so I signed up. In this case “magic” has nothing to do with Harry Potter, but is the designation Mexico has given several towns around the country that offer visitors a “magical” experience–by reason of their natural beauty, cultural riches or historical relevance.

The van left in the morning with me, an attractive actress from Hollywood, a PR woman from Miami and a reporter from Chicago. We toured the Manzanillo Bay, then headed out to the Magic Town. On the way we came to a small hill, la Loma de Fatima, where more “magic” had occurred. It seems that Volcan de Fuego (Fire Volcano), the active volcano that overlooks the town of Colima had once erupted, threatening to inundate the town and surrounds with lava. The people went to the top of this hill and prayed to Fatima. The lava miraculously stopped just short of the town, so the people erected a shrine to Fatima here. Read more at Global Writes.

Hotel Aviá93 Brownies Bogota, Colombia

Day’s End – Cartagena, Colombia ©John Lamkin

Woman from Village of Palenque – Cartagena, Colombia ©John Lamkin

On to  Múcura Island

“Boys, thumbs up-everything’s cool” Santa Cruz del Islote Island, Colombia-The worlds most densely populated island – 2 hours boat ride from Cartagena, 20 minutes from Múcura Island ©John Lamkin

Sunset – Punta Faro, Múcura Island, Colombia ©John Lamkin

“Family shelling crabs” Santa Cruz del Islote Island, Colombia-The worlds most densely populated island – 2 hours boat ride from Cartagena, 20 minutes from Múcura Island ©John Lamkin

Sunset dinner for two on the beach, Las Terrazas ©John Lamkin

A short boat ride from San Pedro, Ambergris Caye’s only town, Las Terrazas is a 37-room Caribbean getaway with townhouse-style accommodations, tropical landscaping, a 70 foot pool surrounded by comfy loungers and a long stretch of white sand beach. Lovers, adventurers and serious divers–the world’s second largest barrier reefs is a few minutes away—hang out with spa goers and occasional families. Read more at Luxury Latin America.

Sunset dinner for two on the beach, Las Terrazas ©John Lamkin

A short boat ride from San Pedro, Ambergris Caye’s only town, Las Terrazas is a 37-room Caribbean getaway with townhouse-style accommodations, tropical landscaping, a 70 foot pool surrounded by comfy loungers and a long stretch of white sand beach. Lovers, adventurers and serious divers–the world’s second largest barrier reefs is a few minutes away—hang out with spa goers and occasional families. Read more at Luxury Latin America.

Capt. Nigel – Boat ride to Las Terrazas © John Lamkin

The Belize island of Ambergris Caye (pronounced key) and the Northern Hemisphere’s largest barrier reef lie just off the tip of the southernmost part of Mexico.

I was in the south of the Mexican Caribbean—the state of Quintana Roo—in the small port city of Chetumal (the state’s capital). The more popular Cancun and the Riviera Maya are in the north of the state. Driving along the Bahia (bay) Drive, I spotted two small buildings near the municipal pier with colorful signs announcing “Chetumal to San Pedro (Ambergris) Water Taxi.” Somewhere I’d never been! Between the two I negotiated a good price and bought two tickets.

I went back to where I was staying on the stunning Laguna Bacalar, got on the Internet and made reservations for Las Terrazas Resort on Ambergris.

In a little more than an hour and a half after leaving Chetumal I arrived at the dock in San Pedro, a lively island town with people on the beach playing volleyball, venders selling handicrafts, music, dive shops and a row of small shops and restaurants. Read more at Examiner.

Austrian Pinzgauer high-mobility all-terrain military vehicle ©John Lamkin

“Mild to Wild Jeep Trail Tours – Animas Forks Ghost Town”