Honduras
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Honduras is located between Guatemala and Nicaragua in Central America. It is a somewhat mountainous country with coasts on the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The country has about 6 million inhabitants these days, most of whom are sober much of the time. The main cities are San Pedro Sula in the north and the capital Tegucigalpa in the southeast.
Brief History
The Spanish colonized Honduras in the 16th century, although up until recent times it was sparsely settled. The country achieved its independence about the same time the rest of Latin America did in the early 19th century. A great leader, Francisco Morazan, tried to get the countries of Central America to work together and succeeded for a time with the creation of a United Central American Republic. But as the countries of the region were very independent and mistrustful of one another, the republic died, and Morazan was shot. He is considered to Honduras's greatest hero to this day. Honduras was able to avoid a lot of the turmoil that occurred in Central America in the last half of the 20th century. Aside from Catholicism, soccer, otherwise known as football, is the national religion. In fact Honduras once went to war with El Salvador over a World Cup match.
Basic Facts
The national currency is the Lempira. It was named after an Indian chief who resisted Spanish colonization and was tricked by them into a peace conference where he was summarily executed. Whether the naming of the currency after him was a monument to his independence or his gullibility is not known. The current rate is about 15 to $1 US. Banks are the safest places to exchange money, always beware the local moneychangers as their lack of hygiene and bad breath often offends.
The national language is Spanish, but unlike Mexicans, Hondurans don't tend to swear that much. Much of the population does understand English speakers using over-emphatic sign language as well. Being a foreigner walking through town will cause many of he natives to comment on this fact. Ignore this, as many are just saying, "look at that jerk with the huge backpack and ugly sandals." For the most part the people are friendly, and polite. (This excludes most children though). If one approaches with a working knowledge of Spanish, a good sense of humor, and patience the people become very friendly indeed.
As far a cuisine, I hope you like the idea of rice, beans, and corn tortillas present at nearly every meal. There are more and more types of restaurants opening every day though. The best thing is this is a country where just about every place serves beer. Cheap beer. The local brands are roughly equivalent to most American light beers and are often sold for $ .50 or less. Liquor can also be found and is quite good and costs roughly 1/3 of what it would sell for in the US.
Areas of Interest
Tegucigalpa
The capital has many beautiful cathedrals. The exciting part though is the landing when flying in. The capital city is a series of hills inside a bowl surrounded by mountains. Add to this a short runway, and major streets located near the beginning and the end of the runway and we're talking real fun. The descents have to be fast and hard. Having flown in a few times, I recommend keeping a barf bag handy. After one particularly rough landing, after everyone had caught their breath, the whole plane began cheering the pilot for not crashing the plane. It is rumored that landing at this airport is a way for the airlines to haze their employees.
The city is a bit dirty and is still recovering from the damage done by Hurricane Mitch from a few years back. The main street to party on is called Blvd. Marazan. It is pretty rocking on weekends. It is the only place I have seen where you can pay mariachi's to follow you around and act as your theme music. The marketplace is cool, but can be a bit dangerous. There are also a few parks and historical sites which are nice as well.
*Tip: Do not attempt to drive here. The taxi drivers are ego-driven maniacs, and the bus drivers believe that not only do local traffic laws not apply to them, but that the laws of physics can be waived aside as well. Anyone who has seen them turn on some of the narrower streets can back this up.
San Pedro Sula
Located near the north coast, this is the country's industrial heart and it's most rapidly growing city. The topography is flat, and the weather is quite warm most of the time. This is where Kathy Lee Gifford's factories are located. The city is somewhat modern and often serves as a good location to reach the best travel spots the country has to offer.
Copan
Town near the Guatemalan border which is home to the Mayan Ruins of a city of the same name. There are nice accommodations, but aside from the ruins and some local canoeing there's not a lot to do outside of relaxing.
*Note: This is a plea for those Americans and European visitors that come here with crystals and try "to commune with the rocks". STOP THAT! You make us all look like a bunch of weirdo’s. If I hear one more hippy joke I'm gonna hurt someone.
Bay Islands
The highlight of a vacation to Honduras. Since the islands were handed back and forth between Britain and Honduras over the years most of the natives here speaks English. They also use American dollars as well in many locations. This is the perfect place to become a beach bum. The rooms are clean and cheap. Many travelers are making this a destination, but there are not many 'tourists'. And the snorkeling and kayaking are exquisite. They are one of the last remaining affordable Caribbean destinations left. Boffo!
