[Aztlan] Bandits rob and beat tourists at Copan

[Carlos]

As a casual traveler in central america I am not surprised.  While 
traveling in Honduras one is not surprised to see machine-gun toting 
guards in front of places as ordinary as discos or shoe stores.  On my 
last trip to La Ceiba in Barrio "La Isla," where many of the discos are, 
an American, full of "courage," didn't take the advice of the guard to 
call for a cab or wait until some suspicious characters had left.  They 
found him in the morning in a ditch with a machete wound to the head.  
He was alive but with a big headache.  Climbing the volcanoes around 
Lake Atitlan in Guatemala can be risky as well, but most are forewarned 
of the possibility.  Violence can also happen in Los Angeles.

In my 20 years of traveling by "chicken bus" and staying in very 
economical quarters secured by my own combination lock I have never felt 
personally threatened.  Except in lawless Guatemala in the late 1980's 
when there were many military roadblocks in the highlands and Michael 
Devine lost his life near Poptun in the Peten.  But this is over 20 
years ago and things are different there.  I also recall being stopped 
and asked for a dollar to support this or that cause.  Very different 
from being pistol whipped for sure.

I'm glad the local officials were as concerned as they appeared to be; 
this could have a negative impact on the tourist economy.  Traveling and 
climbing over ruins can be a heady experience but keeping a weather eye 
on surroundings is always a good idea.

Carlos

Janice Van Cleve wrote:
> Amigos y amigas,
>
> This email comes from two of my friends with whom I traveled the length of Mexico examining ruins.  I am shocked and surprised that they were held up by bandits on their way to Copan and that some of the passengers where even pistol whipped.  What is going on in Honduras?  It used to be such a pleasant place to visit.  This is indeed serious.  Who else has news of this incident and what is being done about it?
>
>
> Janice Van Cleve, MA
> Author of "Eighteen Rabbit.  The Intimate Life and Tragic Death of a Maya God-King."  Xlibris, 2006 
>
>  
>  =================================================================== 
>
>
> Have now visited Copan and were both very impressed with the Stellae.  Having read your book and followed your email made a big difference to us.  The rest of the group took the morning ttour and went home, we stayed all day and redid the whole site and even climbed into the bat hole you mentioned but the bat was out!  Many thanks for adding to our enjoyment of the experience of Copan.
> We did not get to Las Sepulturas.  We were held up by armed bandits en route to Copan who cleaned out the belongings of most of the 13 punters in our party and roughed up several members of the group by pistol whipping them.  Nobody seriously hurt but this reduced our enthusiasm for wandering anywhere off the beaten track  Locals took the event very seriously, Minister of Security and President flew in next day and locals had public meeting re security of tourists and they sent us off with an armed guard to the border on the next leg of the trip.
> Keep in touch, look us up if in London (if we are at home!) and let us know when the new book comes out.  Several members of the group read the book or parts of it on our trip and some intend to purchase copies of their own so it may turn out to be the best seller you´ve always dreamed of!
>
>
>
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