Destination Copan!!! Hey Spring Breakers, why not try something interesting, cultural, and educational for a change. Many Spring Breakers go and volunteer time or find an interesting destination to go to in lieu of the normal beach and drink til you drop scene.     Check out the hotels, restaurants, and activities on this page for a great time, whatever you end up doing, it’s a bargain, and there are from high end to middle to backpacker. Everyone here is ready to welcome you with a smile. Ruins (see below), Rivers, Museums (3), fabulous food, and all kinds of stuff going on during March and April! Hello Easter, or Semana Santa, it is hot hot hot, and everyone makes the annual pilgrimage to the River, pick up your trash please!!! We want everyone to know the trash is cash, turn in your plastic, tin cans, etc., and there will be people who collect and take it to the recycle people (hey all you locals who speak English or not, take note and tell family members and visitors too)! Oops! Lets not forget our great advertisers..... Look below....Now keep reading! This week's Featured and newest advertisers! During the week of Semana Santa Copan Ruinas welcomes thousands of visitors and I hope you are one of them. Part of what we will have for you is the sawdust rugs, which are very popular; it would be interesting to know where this tradition started but to date I have not investigated them, but they are beautiful and are done here and throughout the country as well as Guatemala. Ask to see when they will be on display; it’s usually Good Friday when the religious processions start. Re-Opening Casa Kinich Children’s Interactive Learning Centre. Casa K'inich, or "House of the Sun” has been featured in newspapers and magazines in six nations and has welcomed over 60,000 visitors since its opening. In keeping with the preservation of Copan’s historical sites, Casa Kínich will be housed in a rescued and refurbished building that overlooks Copan. The main theme that the expanded Casa Kínich will feature is the history of Cacao, or chocolate. Chocolate was a precious food of the ancient Maya (and still a precious food to many of us today!). The word chocolate comes from the ancient Aztec language of Mexico and cacao comes from the Mayan word kakaw. Recent discoveries show, that chocolate was being used as a drink in Honduras over 3000 years ago, 500 years earlier than thought before. The early chocolate drink was 5% alcohol and later the drink was seasoned with honey, chilli, maize, and flowers and frothed and was drunk as well as inhaled. Served in palaces during banquets these chocolate drinks were only used on special occasions. Rumor has it that historic San Lucas will soon be planting and creating a small cacao fina. There have been three phases of Casa Kínich, the only child based exhibit space located near a Maya site in the entire Maya world. Originally opened in February 2002, in a small-unused school classroom, it was expanded to double its size in 2004. During each planning phase, an international group of teachers and scholars collaborated on the learning centre’s design for the children of Honduras. Videos, food, murals, and a nine-foot carved stone temple face are in the works. A reconstructed ¨champa¨ will show not only how the ancient Maya lived but also the food they ate. Colourful graphic panels displayed throughout the exhibits have xplanations in three languages, Chorti (Maya), Spanish, and English. The new centre will also have an expanded play area, a gift shop, and future plans include a snack shop. Of all museums in the area, Casa Kínich has been the most popular. The March 2008 inauguration of Casa Kínich culminates combined efforts of the Copan Association, the Copan Maya Foundation, and PDRVC (The World Bank) along with the expertise of Copan Association’s DIPA team under the guidance of Ricardo Agurcia F. Also to be applauded are the efforts from The Honduran Institute of Tourism under the guidance of its Director, Ricardo Martinez. This is scheduled for March 15, so be sure and go visit. Admission is free but leave a donation, they operate solely on donations and operating costs include not just the director, but security, maintenance, upkeep. And that donation can be in any amount, there is no such thing as a small donation. Biblioteca Copan (the library ya´ll) , just recently inaugurated and named after the only living Honduran Poet, Roberto Sosa. It has a great book exchange with books in many languages. It is a nice place to quietly sit and read and just explore what literature is available in this part of the world. I’ve mentioned that before but its worth mentioning again, this library started with 20 books and it has grown and grown, Copan is going to have to start with branch libraries (it’s in the works). Also a good place to leave your books you are hauling around in your backpack, they accept donations. February and March also mark the opening of the mountain schools here in the Copan Valley. Rodger Harrison and Paramedics For Children will once again start taking to the mountain back roads for their annual school supply program here in the Copan Valley. This year they will give school supplies to over 1,600 children. This school supply programs covers 24 schools, and rodger and volunteers make four of these trips annually. This year's school supply trips take place in March, May, July, and late Sept. If you would like ride along he will be glad to take you. Rodger has been doing this with PFC since 1997 and is still going strong. PFC is one of Copan Ruinas's most established children's charity, and also runs a clinic for the poor" Clinica La Esperanza". This year PFC also donated four ambulances to Hondruas. Check them out at www.paramedicsforchildren.org Miramundo Café, just recently received notification that their coffee is certified organic coffee. It is 100% shade grown you should look for the beautiful toucan on the glossy black reseal able bag or gold bag which is whole grained.

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