To get to the Honduras, we had to first take a launch along the coast to Puerto Barrios, another once-important port for the United Fruit company. Omoa lies on the Caribbean coast about 2 hours east of Puerto Barrios. Barrios is a rather squalid seaside town with few still-important commerce connections. The last working train in the Honduras is here, which is evident by the sprawl of tracks that indiscriminately cut across the main street where the buses and collectivos gather.
Copan Ruinas is a small town 2 kilometers west of the the site itself. Rugged mountainous terrain, ranches, and a rustic atmosphere. Highland location with cool nights and warm days: just the way I like it. The town is situated on a hillside with steep cobblestone streets that crisscross back and forth.
As is tradition in most Latin American towns, people gather in the town square in the early evening when the heat of the day is subsiding. Women prepare and sell snacks, children play games on the boardwalk, men sit and discuss affairs, while teens hope for romantic encounters.
by Richard Stern
I visited the port city of La Ceiba (population around 150,000) on the Caribbean coast of Honduras for a week in February with a team of non-birders to do some medical work at a clinic in the village of El Cacao, about 45 minutes by van along the coast to the west. I live in Nova Scotia, eastern Canada, and have birded elsewhere in N. America, Europe, and 2 previous visits to Central America. The area was devastated by Hurricane “Mitch” in 1998, but has made a remarkable recovery.
It’s no longer possible to get a cheap rate to fly to Honduras.
The upcoming holiday season has Honduran residents abroad looking for cheap tickets to return home. Unfortunately, the experts in booking, explain that the best way to obtain a good rate is buying ahead of time, and planning. A representative from Continental Airlines, Carolina Heyer, stated that three months ago, the cheaper seats were sold out, and 90 percent of the seats already occupied.
Recommendations
The Honduran president of the Association of Airlines of Honduras, Armando Fúnez, recommends purchasing tickets online for the best rate.
The retro-looking buses slowed to a stop on the dirt road outside of our motel, La Casa de Café. With my day pack on my shoulder and suntan lotion slathered on my nose, I climbed into one of the vans.
As our Honduran driver, equipped with a Colgate baseball hat, maneuvered us through the center of Copán, Honduras, we passed people selling tortillas and trinkets on the sidewalks outside of restaurants and novelty shops. After a five-minute bumpy ride, the vans deposited us at the welcome center at the ruins of Copán.
Hola Amigos
I have finally started to make my way south and am currently in Copan Ruinas, Honduras. So I have finally left Guatemala for good. I ended up spending a lot more time there than I had originally planned. I guess that means that I enjoyed my time there more than I was expecting to.
It has actually been a little bit of a slower couple of days since I last wrote. I spent 2 nights at a farm that I had heard really good things about in a town called Poptun. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t that good and I just didn’t a good feeling from the other travelers there. So I just sort of hung out, got a lot of reading went for a sort hike, and then got out of dodge.
Right now writing you from an internet cafe from the island of Utila on the Bay Islands group in the carribean ocean! Hurricane Gamma was right over us last night and it has been very windy and rainy for 3 days now. Tonight will however be the last night of stormy weather, and tomorrow it’s supposed to calm down alot. Maybe we might even see the sun (my tan from Puerto Escondido is now completely gone).
The ride here took 14 hours, starting in Antigua in Guatemala at 4 o’clock in the morning, and having two stops on the way (Copan and San Pedro Sula in Honduras). Managed to sleep most of the way.
There is no passage between El Progresso, Tela, and La Ceiba due to the damage caused by the rivers Guaymón and Leán.
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Hostel: Tegu Airport Backpackers
Rating: 5
Address: From TGU - Tegucigalpa’s Toncontin International Airport, 600 meters east and about 400 meters south. TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS
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Getting There: Just email them first, and they will send you a map and directions on how to get there. It’s only about 10 minutes walk from the airport, or you can take a taxi in a couple of minutes.
Price: $12 per person twin share. Includes great service and breakfast, and includes internet and bottled water.