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For Maya-philes the world over, Copan has always held a special place among the classic Maya sites of Mesoamerica. Copan is one of the most intensively studied of all sites and years of research that continues today by some of the finest Maya scholars in the business have yielded a treasure trove of data regarding a myriad of aspects related to the Classic period Maya.

Just last week a major international conference on the Maya was held in Copan Ruinas, attracting an overflow/sellout crowd of both scholars, archaeologists and wannabe archaeologists for three days of seminars, site visits and cultural activities. Pretty much everybody who is anybody with an interest in the Maya attended the International Congress of Copan, Science, Art and Religion in The Mundo Maya from July 12-14 in Copan Ruinas.

The Conference, sponsored by The Institute of Tourism, the Copan Association, Mundo Maya and Archeology Magazine, was masterfully executed in all its details. Some 400 plus participants from as far away as the United States came to hear some of the most renowned Maya scholars present papers on various aspects of the Maya and Copan in particular.

As this conference was the first of its kind to be held in Copan Ruinas, the pressure was on to bring off a world class event. The Honduran Institute of Tourism, under the direction of Minister Ana Abarca, took the lead by hiring the best conference organizer in the business, Ricardo Martinez. Ricardo and his staff truly went all out for this event and their attention to detail clearly showed that this event was more than just another international conference -- it was truly a labor of love.

One of the biggest initial hurdles to overcome was the lack of a place to hold the event, as Copan Ruinas is a small, rural village without a major conference center. The Institute of Tourism quickly stepped up to the plate and funded the construction of what turned out to be a fantastic conference center, complete with all the bells and whistles.

Additionally, the entire tourism sector of Copan jumped on board, with hotels scrambling to block off sufficient rooms for participants and restaurants organizing food service. Transportation was provided by a fleet of modern a/c buses, there was printed information galore, and a web site was launched so that anyone who wanted to follow the conference could do so from the comfort of their home.

There were a myriad of cultural events, including the super excellent final night, open air concert in Copan's new Central Park featuring Honduran troubadour Guillermo Anderson and the Lanigui Mua Garífuna Dance Troupe. Word has it that the party continued till the wee hours of the morning at hotspot Tunkul.

Copan Ruinas has now placed itself on the map in terms of not only being a major site for tourists and researchers, but now with this first conference Copan has launched itself as a center of Maya studies, a place where scholars from a myriad of disciplines, amateur and professional archaeologists, and anyone interested in the Maya can get together in a fun, informative and stimulating environment.

For information on the conference and future archaeology conferences in Copan, contact: The Copan Maya Foundation, http://www.copanmayafoundation.org and Far Horizons Archeological and Cultural Trips, http://www.farhorizon.com
Howard Rosenzweig, a U.S. expatriate living in the village of Copan Ruinas, is the owner of the Casa de Cafe Bed and Breakfast. He can be contacted at e-mail <casadecafe@mayanet.hn>.

Talgua caves reopen to the public 

President Flores tours the restored Talgua Caves.

By BLANCA MORENO

CATACAMAS, Olancho -- The mysterious Talgua caves are officially reopen to the public following the official inauguration of the Talgua Archaeological Park by President Carlos Flores.

One of the nation's most important cultural sites, the caves have been subject to a lengthy restoration process after being damaged by Hurricane Mitch in October 1998.

"This anthropological and natural heritage site suffered the wrath of the hurricane of the century, and it was necessary to make costly repairs in order to offer national and foreign visitors the opportunity to see it again," said Flores.

He added that a visit to the caves is a "marvelous adventure through time and space, [a place] of legend and mystery that awaits in Talgua to reveal ancient secrets."

Residents hope the repairs to the caves and their promotion will boast tourism and increase interest in the archaeology of this sparsely populated part of the country.

According to tradition, the chiefs of Pech and Tawahka tribes are buried in the area, as well as the ancestors of some of Olancho's oldest families.

In conjunction with national authorities and community leaders, further excavations of the caves and surrounding area are being planned to learn more about the ancient culture that inhabited eastern Honduras thousands of years ago.

Bank robbery doesn't pay in Islands; Temptation Island fever hits

Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve great place to celebrate wedding anniversary 

By PAMELA CONLEY

(Second in a series) 

Known as the fabled Mosquitia, the very name brings to memory the 1986 movie with Harrison Ford portraying a mad man who brings his family to this isolated, mosquito-infested place with all the dangers of poisonous snakes, hellish heat, and fear of getting lost.

Otherwise known as the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, it is the largest protected area in Central America and was established as a World Heritage Site in 1980.  It includes prime examples of lowland tropical rain forest, coastal lagoons, undisturbed beaches, mangroves, and patches of pine savanna.

It is also the most uninhabited area in Central America but continues to be home to the Miskito and Pech Indians, and the Garifuna -- the Black Caribs.

Not many visitors have found their way to this harsh world with the exception of cowboys, loggers, hunters, squatters, and suspicious entrepreneurs who continue to scar this so-called protected area.  The Reserve continues to exist mainly because of its size and isolation.  The Biosphere is a vast wilderness that has only recently begun to be investigated.

Little did we know that in the six days visiting there, we would record 20 new bird species for the Biosphere, bringing the total list up to 355.

As we boarded our small plane to fly from La Ceiba to Palacios to begin a week-long adventure into this rugged land, I thought I must be out of my mind for planning this trip during my husband, Dennis, and my 20th wedding anniversary.  The flight was 50 minutes long and the runway was just short of a large river where we crossed and came to a bumpy touchdown and hard landing.

We loaded all our gear in the front of a long dugout canoe.  Today was to be the short day crossing the Laguna de Ibans, entering the Rio Platano River where we would be stopping for the night at Raista.

We entered a narrow swampy area where the pilot slowed so we could see spotted sandpipers, jacana, and little blue herons.  Huge red and greenish-yellow grasshoppers in large concentrations mated near the muddy water's edge.

At last we entered the lagoon and felt invigorated by the high speed and loud thumping of the boat on water.  The boat slowed to a stop and turned to the front of a small hut on stilts.

Our boatman began to yell in a rich, bubbly Indian dialect.  A man strolled out of the hut and there was much conversation before we backed up and left.  It turned out that our pilot was also the Pizza Hut delivery man and the person who ordered the pizza wasn't there.  The pizza had been carried from La Ceiba on the airplane.

Five minutes later down the river, we turned again in front of several houses where a small boy waded out and I handed him the pizza, a much appreciated delicacy in these parts, I'm sure.

We passed long dugout canoes with families and children.  One canoe was so overloaded with bananas and family, that the father flagged us to slow us down as he was bailing fast.

Children stood several hundred feet out in the shallow river swimming and playing games, always waving.  Women continued the endless job of laundering near the shore.  It was easy to see that the river is their extension to everything; transportation, communication, bathing, and freedom.

Raista had changed Robert said. It had changed so much that we missed the place because it had a new pier.  It also has airplane service about to begin, and more people.  Raista was where Robert Gallardo, our leader, had stayed while in the Peace Corps and where he built Honduras' first Butterfly Farm that is still bringing money today to the family he stayed with.

His second Moskitia family, Eddy and Elma Bodden, warmly welcomed us.  But to us, it was a poor village with small huts.  We had a lunch of spaghetti, rice, and coleslaw with orange Tang for drinks while chickens walked around us under the table.

We were surprised to find a group of Europeans there.  As it was Easter week, more people were traveling down the river, and more family was coming to visit for the holiday.  There was a mix-up about our arrival day, and the accommodations were full.

But for the love of Robert from his efforts in the Peace Corps days, they opened up a cement block house on the beach and brought new mattresses and beds for us.  The house, we were told, was owned by a U.S. doctor and his Honduran wife, who seldom come anymore because when they come on vacation, villagers show up at their door with all ailments and broken bones, expecting to be healed.

There was no electricity, so bed-time was early and my dreams were filled with the next day's adventure to Las Marias, where civilization ends and the darkness begins.

Pamela Conley is a freelance travel writer published in over 25 magazines.  She writes a weekly nature/environmental column for a regional newspaper, "The Bodega Bay Navigator."

Continental establishes new route between Newark and SPS 

By SANDRA SAMPAYO 

Good news for anybody providing tourism services to Honduras is that Continental Airlines has launched an additional weekly flight from Newark to San Pedro Sula.

According to Rigoberto Alvarenga, the Honduras country manager for Continental Airlines, the flight departs Newark at 9 a.m. every Saturday and touches down in San Pedro Sula at 1:50 p.m.  Passengers traveling to Roatan can catch the Atlantic Airways connection at 5:15 p.m.

What this provides us with is a fantastic reason to market ourselves to the northern United States.   No more do visitors have to catch long and frustrating flights down to Houston, Miami or New Orleans to catch connections to Honduras; they can hop straight onto a direct flight headed to us from Newark (the flight does make one little stop in Guatemala, by the way).

One hotelier on Roatan, Marcel Hauser -- of the newly opened Roatan's Dive & Yacht Club -- believes that the new flight will do wonders to attract additional tourism from European countries.  "The best thing about European tourism is that visitors stay for two to three weeks at a time, which is really good for business.  The flight from Newark is fantastic because the convenience will make Roatan, and Honduras, a more attractive destination for them," says Hauser.

SPREAD THE WORD

So we all agree that the flight is wonderful news for local tourism.  But what are we going to do about this new opportunity, I wonder.  Are we going to shout from the rooftops or will we wait until potential visitors stumble across the news while searching for flights to our tourism rivals in other central American countries?  Is it up to Continental to promote this flight?  Of course it is, but it definitely would not hurt if we all worked together to get the word out.

Continental has given us a reason to direct a marketing and public relations campaign to target a new set of tourists, let's use it!  We have so much to offer tourists: stunning beaches and islands (which are great for both divers and non-divers); amazing fauna and flora and a rich history that sees millions flocking to Mexico every year!

According to Continental's Alvarenga, people who want to visit Honduras will come.  The challenge is in convincing them to want to visit.  I think that the only way to do this is by creating a unique identity for Honduras and marketing that to targeted markets.  As in any marketing campaign, the most effective way to convince a market to buy your product is to understand who they are (and where they are) and what they want.  Then you go out to convince them that your product is exactly what they've always been looking for.

Did you know that the department of tourism, through the office of statistics, receives regular statistical information on which countries are visiting Honduras the most, least, etc?   Do you know that this information is available to you, the hotel or resort owner, or the airline, or the tour operator, in fact, anybody working in the tourism industry.  All you have to do is call 222-2124 and ask for extension 720.  A lady by the name of Marta Flores will help you with all the information needed to make your marketing strategy that much more effective.

Wouldn't it be nice if we received these statistics via the mail or email once a month, like they do in other countries?  I'm working on it and will let you know what happens.

Continental's Alvarenga says that there has been a 6 percent increase in the number of people visiting Honduras this year, compared to last.  This is good news, but it needs to increase even more.

HIGH AIR FARES

When speaking about the barriers to entry, the first issue on everyone's mind is the cost of flights to Honduras.  Unless someone leans on whoever is responsible for the cost of fuel, landing and the astronomical taxes paid by the airlines, we're going to have to be pretty good at selling ourselves to international visitors.  They are going to have to want to visit so badly that they don't mind paying extra.

According to Alvarenga, 35 percent of the cost of a ticket to Honduras goes toward fuel.  That is a pretty big percentage, considering all the other expenses.  Apparently Tegus is the most expensive place to buy airplane fuel in the world, not something to be proud of.  San Pedro Sula comes a close second and Tokyo lags behind at third.  Our fuel costs exactly double that of Costa Rica, which means that their flights are cheaper and they instantly become a more desirable tourist destination.

Landing fees are also astronomical, as are the income taxes paid by airlines operating in Honduras.  In fact, our income taxes are the highest in Central America, and we could learn a lesson from Costa Rica and El Salvador, who incentivize foreign investment by not charging the airlines income tax.

We can't blame the airlines, because it is not their fault, but surely something can be done if everyone supports a campaign to push down these costs.

Sandra Sampayo runs a public relations and marketing company here in Honduras and can be reached by email: sandra@roatanyachtclub.com

Many surprises on birding tour in Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve

The Lodge at Pico Bonito sits at the base of the Pico Bonito National Park.
  The view of rich jungle rises at the base where water falls can be seen 
when the clouds give way to sunshine during the rainy season.

The new board of directors of the Copan Chamber of Commerce and Tourism was elected a few months back amidst high hopes from the Copan tourism sector. Here we are now a few months later, still waiting for signs of life from our board. There are a whole host of issues in Copan, too numerous to mention, that are waiting to be addressed. As a former member of the previous board of directors myself, I can attest first hand to the frustration felt at the inability of the private sector in Copan to take an interest in issues that affect all tourism-related businesses in Copan. It never fails to amaze me that in a town like Copan (which is Honduras' number one tourism destination) we lack a dynamic Chamber of Tourism where the private sector, along with municipal officials and government entities like the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History and the National Police, for example, can sit together, break bread and come up with practical solutions to problems that affect us all.  

* * *  

And while we're on the topic of trying to do something for the common good and community development, a local grass roots organization, Paramedics For Children, is hard at work providing a free paramedic and ambulance service here in Copan Ruinas and its surrounding communities. For the first time ever, Copan has a fleet of modern ambulances and trained paramedics. In fact, I would venture to guess that per capita, Copan Ruinas has more ambulances than any other city in the entire country. Founder, Rodger "The Paramedic" Harrison saw the need here in Copan for an ambulance service, hit the ground running and never looked back. Together with his faithful assistant Pam "The Paramedic" Cox they roam the backwoods mountain trails, providing basic medical assistance as well as school supplies to needy children. Their work here is truly a labor of love. For more info on Paramedics for Children, log onto <http://www.copanruinas.com>.  

* * *  

Coming soon to Copan Ruinas: The new Copan Conference Center is receiving its final touches. Housed in the municipal building courtyard, the enclosed conference center will have a capacity for 300 persons. The facility will make its grand debut in mid July when it will play host to some 300 participants at the Copan Archaeology Conference.  

* * *  

Future Copan Archeologist extraordinaire Allan Macca is currently busy at work in his Cambridge, Mass. apartment, putting the final touches on his thesis dissertation. All the staff of Copan Update; Chief Assistant Editor Angela, Assistant to the Assistant Editor Andre, and office helpers, Cindy, Karen and Xiomara, all wish him god speed and all the best of luck in these final long months of writing.  

* * *  

Copan Briefs: Little by little, the street corner across and adjacent to Hotel Camino Maya is being taken over, little by little, by local jewelry and statue sellers.

Samuelito of Yaragua Tours has opened a new souvenir shop. Bob "The Nature Guy" Gallardo of the Butterfly Farm is now leading early A.M. birding excursions into the surrounding mountains.

The Copan Tropical Bird Park will soon be a reality by years' end, as work has begun on the infrastructure.

Work continues on the new Copan Ruins-El Florido road. No word on when the project will be completed, but at the rate they're going I may be retired by that time.

Organic coffee is now available by the pound, in both whole bean or ground. The coffeeman to see is Rene Guerra, who lives across the street from Restaurante N'ia Lola.

Howard Rosenzweig, a U.S. expatriate living in the village of Copan Ruinas, is the owner of the Casa de Cafe Bed and Breakfast.  He can be contacted at e-mail <casadecafe@mayanet.hn>.