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Dreams of living green vines and margays in the rain forest

Towering peaks at Pico Bonito National Park are often hidden in the misty clouds of the rain forest, but when the sunshine comes out, they point to the stars while the base sprawls down to the sparkling sea.

By PAMELA CONLEY

Back at the Lodge at Pico Bonito, we enjoyed the luxury of a first-class hotel with hot water, great food, a ceiling fan and soft chairs to sit on, after having spent a week in the wilderness of the Honduran Moskitia.

The skies looked promising and gave us hope for the ascent to Zacate Falls where one year before, Dennis and I failed to make it up because of rain, and Dennis had taken a 40-foot ride down on the seat of his pants on slick hard rock.

At the beginning of the trail, there was a 30-foot waterfall with a cave entrance behind. White-collared swifts swooped low and fast passing us amazingly close. We could hear their high-pitched cries as they flew near us almost like a swarm of bats. A large black swift with a white collar, these birds can maneuver at high speeds changing directions instantly. We could see several of them hanging onto the side of wet rocks like woodpeckers hang on the side of trees.

The hike up to the top of the water fall was a steep and long one but rewarded us with several birds including, keel-billed motmot, yellow-backed oriole, scrub euphonia, red crowned ant tanager, chestnut colored woodpecker, squirrel cuckoo and a new life black and yellow bird, the black-throated shrike tanager.

Before departing Pico Bonito, we added two new birds to the Lodge at Pico Bonito's new bird list, bringing the total to 286.

The falls were approximately 100 feet high. April is the dry season and so the waterfalls weren't as spectacular as in January when tons of water comes pouring down and Robert said you can't even see the falls in its entirety because of so much water and spray.

We sat on boulders in the creek eating chicken sandwiches. I saw a movement and at first thought I was looking at a dipper. However, this bird was brown instead of gray but wagged its tail up and down like a dipper. Then it flew and we saw the white on the butt of the buff-rumped warbler as it flitted from rock to rock near the water's edge.

Just as we were packing up to begin our descent, Linda and Dennis wandered over to the edge of the pristine pool below the waterfall. The water was clear enough to see the bottom even in the deep end. Suddenly, they saw something and gasped. Robert, Ann, and I rushed to where they were standing. In the shallow water near the cliff's edge was a shiny acid-green snake about 6 feet long; a green ribbon appearing like a vine. Completely
submerged except for the head, the snake was frozen still.

Through my binoculars, it seemed as though the snake was transparent. Thin and delicate, the body had two black stripes down its back. The face was green and also appeared translucent with a wide mouth pointed nose and a red and yellow eye. Occasionally, its turquoise tongue would glimmer as it tried to sense us.

Dennis videotaped the snake while Ann and I took photos. Robert said that it wasn't poisonous, but it could move fast and give one nasty bite. He took a stick and prodded the snake gently. Instant pandemonium followed. The snake raised itself out of the water about a foot, and then started moving swiftly up the side of the cliff directly for Dennis.
Ann let out a scream while she, Linda, and I took off running. Dennis sat there with the video camera glued to his face trying to find the snake completely oblivious while the snake whipped through his legs, and Robert guffawed with maniacal laughter.

The snake eventually got up to the safety of the trees and began to climb. We watched the snake settle down in safety appearing like a green vine.
Robert later identified the snake as a tamagas verde (Drymodius melanotropis).

As we departed the pineapple fields, we watched several seed eaters flitting from one pineapple thorny top to another. Indigo buntings swayed on higher branches like blue lapis gems in the dusty pale background. Behind the indigo buntings, yellow-faced grassquits peeked through the tops of pineapples, a new life bird.

That night, we drove to La Ceiba and did some grocery shopping for the next day's journey to Copan. Then we went down to the beach front and enjoyed a dinner of garlic shrimp. Dennis had a meeting with Michael, the manager of the hotel regarding marketing the new hotel to bird watchers.

As we sat on our porch discussing the meeting softly afterwards, I looked up and saw a cat coming down the path toward us. I pointed to it, and then suddenly, I realized that this wasn't a domestic cat. This cat was larger than a domestic cat, with a long high back, long tail, light and dark mottled grays, with a small face. With an intake of breath, I whispered, "a margay." We watched the cat stroll down the path and disappear into the night.

I dreamed of green vine snakes sleeping in pristine pools near a waterfall, and margays hunting at night in the rain forests of Pico Bonito.

All inclusive fever hits Honduras! With the recent announcement that the Spanish Barceló Group is constructing Honduras' first all inclusive beach resort, other small Honduran resort hotels have begun to jump on the bandwagon by offering all inclusive packages that include room, food and drinks.

The first North Coast property to join in is the Caribbean Sands Resort located at Km. 22 on the La Ceiba-Trujillo road. Caribbean Sands is offering an all inclusive package for $65 per person, per night. Not coincidentally, Caribbean Sands is located close to the site of the soon to open Barceló resort.

It remains to be seen how small, locally owned beachfront properties like Caribbean Sands, Telamar in Tela and Christopher Columbus in Trujillo will be able to effectively compete against the new resort that will surely boast all the requisite bells and whistles, as well as top flight service.

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Bad news at the gas pump and airline ticket gate. La Prensa is reporting that Honduras boasts the highest gas and jet fuel prices in Central America, thus pushing up already sky-high air ticket prices. In Tegucigalpa, for example, a gallon of gas is running $1.79 per gallon, while other cites in the region and the United States look like the following; San Jose $0.76, Houston $0.81, Miami $0.85 cents, Managua $1.09 and San Salvador $1.04 per gallon.

Forty-five percent of the costs of flying into Honduras for an airline are related to fuel. In addition, airlines flying in and out of Honduras face other additional elevated costs that are above and beyond what is levied in the rest of the region. For example, the landing fee in Honduras for a 737 is $350, in Houston it is $135. On top of this, one must factor in 10 percent income tax and a 25 percent tax on sales, further driving up operating costs for airlines.

* * *

Need a vacation? During the past decade in the United States, the number of hours worked has increased an average of one week per year to almost 2,000 hours per year. So Americans are working more, making preciously short vacation time even more valuable and appreciated. Honduras, with its emphasis on diving and archaeology, is close enough to the U.S. so that time challenged American vacationers have relatively easy access from Miami, New York City and Houston -- all of which offer daily direct flights.

* * *

In other related news, it has been reported in the local press that the attorney for the Honduran Consumer Affairs Office has stated that he will go after airlines serving Honduras for price hikes on flight tickets. Before he jumps on the airlines for price gouging, he may want to do a bit of research as to what factors play a role in airline ticket pricing. A few months back, the president of TACA Airlines gave a speech at a national tourism conference that was reported in the national press whereby he offered a detailed outline of how fuel prices, government tariffs and taxes, as well as landing fees, etc. play a critical role in helping to determine airline ticket prices.

* * *

Franchise fever hits Honduran shores! A recent trend among most of Honduras' high-end hotels is the arrival of international hotel chains. Clarion, Best Western, Imperial Hotel, Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, Quality Inn, Bonne Beach, Gran Viagge and the soon-to-open Barceló resort.

Together they account for the majority of high-end hotel properties in Honduras. The trend for Honduras is new -- up until just a couple of years ago, there wasn't a single major international hotel chain in the country.

* * *

Today's fun tourism stat. Cuba, an economic basket case in a sense of the term, is now living from, by and for tourism -- which has become the only economic activity yielding any real positive results. In 2000, Cuba's tourism sector took in almost $2 billion and a total of $12 billion during the past decade.

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>.

Back to Raista after several days birding at Las Marias

A family of Miskito Indians relax on Easter Sunday in front of their home.

By PAMELA CONLEY
(Fifth in a series)

Coming out of the outhouse I met Robert and he asked me if I had heard the owl. I told him it was coming from behind the latrine. He said, "Let's go find it."

He had a big flashlight, and we spent several minutes trying to get a reflection of its eyes but with no luck as it continued to call. Dennis and Ann joined us shortly. Dennis got lucky and saw the owl turn its head and caught a glimpse of its eyes. It had been sitting with his back facing us making it difficult to get an eye reflection. A big black and white owl blinked at the light with its red eyes. Its facial disk was dark and its bill was bright yellow. Its collar and body were finely barred.

We went down to the water edge and spotted a yellow-crowned night heron but the huge white bull frogs with their bulging milky eyes were what held my attention.

The Tinglas family we stayed with were one of the few inter-marriages between the Miskitos and Pech. There seemed to be no interracial problems as we watched the extended families arrive from the river to visit during the Easter holiday. 
They had a yellow-napped psychotic parrot that we all wished to free, watching it alone in its small cage made out of a box.
Someone had moved the parrot's cage out under a tree. The wind was cool and promised rain as we stood on the porch. The bird began screaming, laughing, and singing in Indian dialect.

Throughout the rain storm it screamed its indignation. After
the storm stopped, it continued a giggly laugh as it preened.
The sun came out and steam poured off the trees and the huts. The sudden temperature change from the cool shower to a sauna environment was intoxicating. We watched a white-necked jacobin hummingbird do its mating dance in front of the female. The white tail feathers were extended in an arch and the bird buzzed up and down in an undulating dance. The female never moved away whirring her wings in one spot approximately three feet from the ground as he continued to woo her.
We stood frozen watching the beauty of the dance for several minutes before loading our gear, paying for our rent and food, and waving goodbye, heading back to Raista after several days in Las Marias.

The one luxury we missed the most was surprising. It wasn't being in the dark, or hot water, or a more selected diet. It was having something soft to sit on. Each of us had designed our own whoopee seat for the long ride back. Some were sitting on Mosquito netting, clothing, and I had made my inflatable neck brace into a rocky seat.

We made only one stop to stretch our legs, and at that stop we added the bronze cowbird, yellowthroat, thick-billed finch and a swallowtail kite, which was a life bird for Dennis and me.
The next day back at Raista, Eddie -- Robert's friend -- took us out in his dugout canoe across the lagoon to a place called Caram. The birds were extremely quiet, however, we did see a seven-foot rat snake in the middle of the trail that had half digested some poor victim.

As Dennis took video footage, the snake began to move its tail back and forth in a fast whipping movement to distract us. Slowly it backed up went off the trail and climbed up a tree. We also saw a big lone howler monkey hanging from a tree.

The wind had come up and the water on the lagoon was choppy. Robert said we would get wet. But nothing prepared us for "the perfect storm" and it wasn't even raining. The wind was coming from the opposite direction and every swell brought a wave of water down on us for the 45-minute crossing. I kept listening to the rhythm of the small boy bailing water fast.

When we got out of the dugout, water poured down us through our pants. We poured water out of our boots. As Ann said, "It's been two days up and down the river, three forced marches through the forest, and "the perfect storm."

Being Easter Sunday, and Robert's last day with his Miskito family, dinner was something special. We had cooked cabbage, rice and beans together with spices, and small chunks of lobster in a sauce. Dessert was chocolate cake with icing. However, as it had been most of the week, the rations were small for our huge appetites after such long days walking.

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."

The announcement that Honduras will soon have a world class, all inclusive beach resort on its Caribbean North Coast all its own has created quite a flutter in the country. Immediately after the press conference, a couple of weeks back announcing the project, a number of Honduran companies took out large half-page ads praising and welcoming the soon-to-open Barceló Palma Real Beach Resort.

* * *

In other tourism promotion news, the Honduran Institute of Tourism, which is charged with promoting and marketing Honduras as a tourist destination, is currently in the midst of a new ad campaign directed at the internal, national market. The large, full color ads in the daily papers are part of the Institute's "Tourism Is Everyone's Business" campaign that seeks to get the word out in Honduras that the tourism chain affects all of us -- from the hotel and restaurant owners, to taxi drivers, to the vegetable salesman at the market. All to often in countries like Honduras that have little direct experience with large scale tourism, the local populace perceives very few direct benefits from tourism, and the ad campaign seeks to change the public's perception.

One of the ads features the whale shark and another a "gem beetle," a species of beetle found only in Honduras. The ads seek to show that Honduras has a host of natural treasures that can be found no place else. The Bay Islands, for example, are world famous for whale shark diving/viewing and the aforementioned beetle has only been found in Honduras' tropical forests. For more info, go to the Web site http://www.letsgohonduras.com

* * *

Did you know, part l: That almost 2 million people, or 25 percent of the nation's population, live in Sula Valley, which comprises Omoa, Puerto Cortés, Choloma, La Lima, San Pedro Sula, San Manuel, Pimienta, Potrerillos, Villanueva, El Progreso, Santa Cruz de Yojoa, Santa Rita and San Manuel de Cortés.

The Sula Corridor also boasts some impressive economic stats. The area produces a whopping 62 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, which accounts for 40 percent of the nation's exports.

Sula Valley's population is growing at a belt busting rate of 5 percent a year, which makes the valley one of the fastest growing regions in Latin America. In addition, San Pedro Sula
is the tourism hub for the majority of incoming and outgoing and ongoing tourism. The Caribbean coast at Tela is only an hour and a half away, La Ceiba three hours, and Copán Ruinas three hours as well.

* * *

Roatan, which is slated to get a brand spanking new addition to its cruise ship dock, is still waiting for work to begin. According to the National Port Authority, the winning bid will be announced shortly and work is to be started by the end of the month. The lowest bid was Lps. 32 million, approximately $2 million.

According to Roatan tourism empresarios, the lack of an adequate dock facility this coming winter season will cause then to lose the business of some of the larger cruise ships that are currently unable to dock due to current infrastructure constraints -- namely, the lack of an adequate docking facility suitable to handle the large vessels.

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Did you know, part 2: That in 2000 Central America hosted some 2 million tourists who spent approximately $2.5 billion. It is estimated that tourism in the region will grow at a 4 percent annual rate.
There is also an effort being undertaken by the Tourism Commission of the Central American Parliament to promote Central America as a destination with all the nation's contributing and reaping the benefits of a shared "brand" and a common promotion and marketing campaign that will be brought to the primary outgoing markets of the United States and Europe. The "brand" will promote Central America's ecotourism, historical and archaeological sites, as well as beach and sun tourism.

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