TRAVEL & TOURISM

MUSICA MAESTRO

Believe it or not there is a place to listen to great music and it is available without cover charge or minimum. Henry Morgan's in West Bay features "Iron Shore", a local group with international musicians doing all of your favorites. We don't want to type cast their repertoire but if you like Jimmy Hendricks, Prince, Pink Floyd or any of the other rock and roll stars you will be pleased. Brion James, a world-renowned musician and songwriter heads up the group and he is absolutely fearless. He will play anything you request and play it even better than the original. His stage presence is riveting to the audience and it is obvious his love for the guitar and music is overwhelming. Please see for yourself every Saturday night starting at nine o'clock and lasting but two short hours. You will want more and Brion can tell you personally where and when you can catch up with him around the island. If you are really lucky Bobby Remer will be sitting in on the harmonica. His contributions bring a smile to Brion's face as well as to the entire audience.

SPEAKING OF BOBBY

If you have not already bought a copy of the CD called "PULPURIA LEAH" do yourself a favor and get one or two. These island originals by Bobby and his group make Jimmy Buffet sound like a phony. Real life stories of our island, each track different in beat and style. Caribbean, Reggie, Island and folk all combined to keep you wanting to hear it over and over. Where can you get one you ask? We got ours at Paradise Computers in Mangrove Center near the Coxen Hole entrance but they have been seen at Mangietc in West Bay and Video Pics in Las Fuertes. It is well worth the search. And, this is not a commercial just a heads-up for all the music lovers living here on beautiful Roatan.

ATTENTION MR MAYOR

Many of our writers ask why a simple two-man road repair crew cannot be taken to the bad spots for some quick fix on the potholes. A pick-up with some gravel and two shovels for the men could easily fix an axel-bending hole until help can arrive from Public Works. They are particularly complaining about a couple near Bo Jangles, right in front of the airport, just before RECCO and of course the minefield in First Bight just coming up on Parrot Tree turn-off. What shall I tell them?

BUILDING BOOOOOOM  CONTINUES

The building department reports some six hundred condo starts are in process at this time. Dump trucks are moving in both directions as are cement trucks. A new gas station at the entrance to West End is receiving its driveway and new shops and eateries are peppering the road from Coxen Hole to the West End.  Cruise ships are dropping anchor regularly and tourist taxis and buses are scurrying all about the island.
The duty free zone is still on schedule and should be in effect by May of this very year. People are now seriously dragging their feet on bringing in cars and materials in hopes of enjoying the Bay Island resident perks.
The weather is perfect and all seems well for Roatan and, as if all that were not enough, RECO has been performing in an exemplary manner with zero brown or blackouts. With fingers crossed we go to press.

As the month of February rolls around, temperatures begin to climb swiftly, often topping out at 100 F in the daytime and dipping to a downright comfortable mid 80s in the evening. Although Copan’s fame as having a year round climate that I like to describe as “springtime - all the time” does hold true for much of the year, daytime temperatures in the late winter and spring often hover at the “hot as heck” level. However, many visitors from Canada, the US and Europe can attest that high temperatures are no hindrance to their visit. In fact, snowbirds from the north and east come to Honduras desperately seeking respite from February winter storms which have the well deserved fame as being some of the worst of the winter season. In addition to toasty temperatures which are the norm, dry conditions prevail and there is no precipitation which is bad for water supplies and hydroelectric generation in Honduras, but at the same time, a blessing for tourists as everyday is pretty much guaranteed to be sunny, warm and bathed by blue skies and white puffy clouds.

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Word in Copan these days is that the long awaited village archeology museum and the cuartel tourism renovation projects are back on the drawing boards. The museum, which is slated to occupy the premises of what currently is known as the Nuñez Chinchilla School, will take the place of the existing village archeology museum which has long ago outgrown its limited exhibition space.

The current village archeology museum will be turned over to other use after the construction of the Nuñez Chinchilla museum across the street.

The other project of note which seems like it may become a reality is the renovation and rescue of the Old Cuartel, which in times past served as a military and police barracks for the town of Copan. The old fort’s exposed adobe walls and impressive gun turrets in each corner of the structure have deteriorated rapidly in recent years as rainy season precipitation takes their toll on the delicate earthen walls. If action is not taken soon, it is feared that there will be precious little of the original structure left to reconstruct, requiring builders to rely on photographs to construct from scratch much of the structure, which would be a shame as the purpose of historic preservation is to preserve the physical integrity of existing structures whenever possible and limit the amount of new add-on construction. The most important thing right now is that both projects get off the drawing board. The renovation of the old fort will provide a myriad of benefits to both tourists and locals alike. First off, the street where the fort is located in a strategic corner of the town, as the street fronts the Central Park, the town center and a number of hotels; Hotel Marina, Hotel Los Jaguares, Hotel Posada and Hotel Calle Real. In addition a number of businesses catering to visitors are on this street; Café Welchez, MC Tours, a fine cigar shop, an internet, the workshop of stone carver Don Lito and the soon to open commercial center which will be housed in a lovely, colonial inspired structure which is in the final stages of renovation. The street itself is probably the most handsome and scenic of all village streets. Its steep cobblestone paving climbs up the steeply graded hill above the village, affording wonderful panoramic views of the valley and the village below.

After passing Hotel Calle Real, tourism businesses peter out and it’s a few short blocks to the site of the old fort which is perched on a privileged location at the edge of the hill, providing spectacular panoramic views down to the valley and village. The remodeling of the fort for tourism purposes will provide a jump start to development on the upper reaches of the street. The neighborhood which I call “The Beverly Hills of Copan” for its hilltop location and the fact that some of the nicest houses in town are located in the neighborhood, will be able to upgrade its existing housing and retail stock and offer additional services to tourists and locals alike, as the corridor to the fort will become a much transited via for tourists.
Coincidently, the proposed new museum is located just steps from the street leading up to the fort, giving the corner which fronts the Central Park even greater value as the premier cultural and tourism epicenter of the village.