TRAVEL & TOURISM

Dreadful critters lie in wait for victims in Honduran wilds

First in a series by TERRY CLYMIRE

ROATAN -- Remember the movie Alien, when the monster bursts out of the chest of John Hurt? Well, this is not so far fetched to people who have traveled the exotic areas of Central America and specifically Honduras.

Anyone who has ever played host to a botfly larva can share the sympathy. Being the host to some voracious living parasite is a memorable and intimate experience. In fact, your own experiences of living and traveling in Honduras, along with those of others you will meet, may make the monsters on the silver screen seem almost companionable. For example, have you heard of the needle thin candiru fish than can swim up a trail of warm urine to enter its host, male or female, and open its huge jaws like an umbrella?

People who live and work in the wilds of Honduras, taking pictures, studying plants and animals or just building their tropical paradise, find themselves among sandflies, disease-bearing ticks, botflies, hookworms, and by no means least important, the dreaded candiru. Most of us are always trying to get just a little closer to creatures we wish to study and they cannot wait to get away, but this little group of creatures cannot wait to get close and sink their teeth into some nice warm flesh. If you stay in Honduras long enough, sooner or later you too will become host to some type of parasite.

Some botflies deliver their offspring by catching flying insects like mosquitos, and depositing their eggs around the head. Only the female mosquito bites and if it doesn't transmit malaria or dengue, then look out for botflies. The eggs hatch into larva and are triggered into action by the insect landing on the skin of the host.

One variety of botfly known to inhabit humans is Dermatobia hominis, which is commonly found in Honduras. It eats its way into the subcutaneous tissues and spends almost two months there feeding. Though penetration almost goes unnoticed, its presence for the next 60 days causes great skin irritation and a large painful lump that oozes clear fluid and blood. One good thing about the botfly is that it does not migrate through the body. If left alone, after its feasting it will simply back out of you and drop off, to pupate in the ground.

One man who was working on a film in Central America remembered being bitten by lots of mosquitos, especially near his navel were his shirt kept coming unbuttoned. When he returned to Europe he noticed that one of the bites had not healed and was still bleeding. He then noticed a little head popping up and down through the hole in his stomach. It was given the name "George" and became a sure bet for extra helpings in restaurants because he was "eating for two now."

After five weeks, the pain became to much for the man and it was moving inside of him. He went to the school of tropical medicine in London and the staff there thought it was very exciting! Keep a raw steak over the hole and it will burrow in to the steaks in a couple of hours. In his hotel room, he had room service bring up the steak. After hours of laying in bed with a raw steak in his stomach nothing happened. It was then suggested to use vaseline. This melted all over the bed and created a considerable mess. Finally, he was told to paint nail polish on it and suffocate the larva. After being asked "what color" by the drug store clerk, he applied coating after coating and went to sleep. First light of morning, it was still moving!

His last chance was the hospital. He called and told them that he had a botfly in his stomach and they told him to come over right away. As he entered the hospital, the staff approached him and asked, "so, what's eating you?" After injections of a local anaesthetic and 10 minutes of digging, the doctor pulled out the one-inch wriggling black larva called "George." They don't see many botflies in England, so now it has its own special place in the lab. How do you avoid mosquitoes? Wear light-colored clothing, use repellents, and attend to any bites you received during your stay immediately!

Another biologist who was working on the Mosquito coast returned to the United States and noticed a small lump on the side of his head that would not heal. He went to a doctor and was told that it was just an infected mosquito bite and given antibiotics. The pain increased -- so he went to another doctor who said it was an infected sebaceous cyst and given more antibiotics. The pain increased and at night he could feel it chewing his flesh. It would stop each time the swelling was touched.

So, on his third try he told the doctor that he had what he believed to be a botfly larva in the side of his head. "Never hear of it!" It's an infected cyst and you are probably just imagining the eating sounds. He was then sent to a hospital to ease his worries and sure enough, they pulled out a wriggling, fat, horrible bristly one-inch grub.

Sometimes, screw worms are mistaken for botflies. Mostly affecting cattle, they sometimes miss their target and get dogs, cats, and even people. The difference is easily noticed for they appear like most maggots, are found in groups and migrate through the body usually making the soft tissues of the head and the brain the main target.

Robin Prytherch, an ornithologist, returned from working in the bush and noticed a small lump on his back. He too was told it was cyst that would soon disappear. One day while dressing he noticed a small protrusion sticking out of the lump. When he pulled on it, out came a one-inch larva and the mouth parts could very easily be seen moving.

NEXT WEEK: Horrible hookworks and nematodes.

ROATAN -- "Touristic" ships first arrived in the Bay Islands in 1502 under the watchful eye of Christopher Columbus. They enjoyed many of the same activities as today's vacationer, such as fishing, canoeing, sailing, horseback riding, and diving. Every year thousands come here from all over the world.

Second now only to fishing, the tourist industry provides employment for hundreds of local islanders and many foreigners. A little over three years ago, Romeo Silvestri, of Romeo's Restaurant and the Bay Island Aggressor, and Julio Galindo, of Anthony's Key Resort and the Marine Institute, had a vision of what Roatan and the other Bay Islands would need to sustain the unlimited potential of future visitors and their needs, and what it would entail to bring them and their friends back to Roatan.

So far, the biggest obstacle in the way of many tourists who have had interests in visiting the Bay Islands has been the expensive airfare costs required to reach the area, not including room, board, and recreation expenses. The package deals available for trips to Cancun, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean destinations were distracting them from pursuing an adventure to the islands of Honduras.

However, after much collaboration and hard work, seven business investors, including Silvestri, Galindo, Alan Hyde, Henry Hynds, Albert Jackson, Evan McNab, and Italo Tugliani are expecting positive change very soon. Their efforts have resulted in the creation of "Honduras Air" which will be the first Honduran airline dedicated exclusively to tourist transportation in Central America. Initially, the new company has signed a contract with Miami Air, considered one of the best chartered airplane companies in the United States, that will make a round trip flight every Saturday from Miami to Roatan. The next step includes plans for a Houston/Dallas connection to begin sometime in January.

The grand inauguration of the first flight was planned for last Saturday, Dec. 13. However, due to inclement weather the plane circled a few times and finally had to return to Miami. Honduras Tourism Institute Director Ricardo Martinez, said, "The rain is not going to stop our happiness and excitement for this great opportunity for Honduras. Tourism will be the number one business opportunity by the year 2000."

Round trip air fare will start at a special introductory price of only $249.00 until Jan. 29. Then it will return to the standard rate of $352.00. Tickets are good up to one year, and there are special incentives for hotels, resorts, dive operators, dive clubs, and travel agents.

Smiling, Martinez said, "Honduras Air is creating healthy competition in the tourist industry which is much needed in Honduras. Already TACA airlines have been reducing their fares; we will probably see the number of visitors double or triple soon."

The international traveler who chooses Honduras Air will enjoy wine and cheese aboard a special DC-727 with a seating capacity of 173. Baggage allowance is set at 65 pounds per person. It is advised, especially during Christmas season, to have extra baggage sent a week ahead by ship.

Connecting flights to Utila, Guanaja, and the mainland can be arranged through either Caribbean Air or SOSA airline. Payment must be made 30 days in advance by either credit card, cashier's check, or in cash. Bookings can be made at several locations, including Bay Island Tour and Travel in French Harbor, Honduran Air Tours counter at the airport, or through travel agents. Honduran Air Tours' offices in the United States are located at 7930 N.W. 36th Street, Suite 23-238, Miami; toll free 1-800-599-0014 or phone (305) 871-1992.

SAN PEDRO SULA -- Last Friday (Dec. 12) was the official opening of the Camino Real Inter-Continental hotel here. With an investment of US$30 million, the hotel is expected to give a big boost to tourism and business in the San Pedro Sula area. The hotel is located next to the modern Multi-plaza Mall.

Camino Real offers 150 elegant rooms complete with all the luxuries travelers would expect. For business travelers, the hotel offers secretarial services, computers, fax machines, copiers and a small personal-sized conference room for six to eight people. There is a large conference room that also serves as a ballroom that can hold 480 people. Azulejos restaurant seats 90 people and offers a wide selection at moderate prices. To relax, there is Scenarios bar, which offers a complete selection of mixed drinks. The bar also features live music nightly. The stage has a unique 'Old World' style that adds to the ambiance.

This modern hotel was developed by Grupo Roble and Inter-Continental Resorts as part of a chain of modern luxury hotels that cover Latin America. The next sites for Camino Real hotels will be Tegucigalpa, Managua, Nicaragua and Miami, Florida. The developers felt there was a need for more luxury, business rooms due to the rapid industrial growth in San Pedro Sula. Honduras is also an area of growth in tourism.

Eduardo Ymay, the director of Marketing and Sales said, "Today we begin operations in Honduras with only one promise, to offer the highest standards of quality and professional service."

In June of 1999, Grupo Roble will open a 200-room luxury hotel in Tegucigalpa. This will be an investment of an additional US$ 40 million. The other hotels that form part of the Camino Real chain include Camino Real in San Salvador, Viva Clarion Suites in Guatemala and Meson del Angel in Puebla, Mexico.

Chalet del Lago
perfect recreational spot for weekends

By CAPT. TERRY CLYMIRE

Almost halfway between Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula is the nation's largest natural lake surrounded by majestic mountains and the 8,000 foot Cerro Santa Barbara, the second highest peak in Honduras. Today, just as it has been for thousands of years, Lake Yojoa is a playground for fishermen, boaters, and nature lovers.

Just off the highway, on the shores of Lake Yojoa, is the popular Chalet del Lago and Honduyate. It is very easy to spot on weekends, for it is one of the favorite spots for those coming from the capital and San Pedro, and the roadway is usually swamped with cars and boat or jet-ski trailers.

The Hotel and Yacht Club is famous as a stopping off place in part because of their well-stocked bar and ice cold beer. They also serve a complete menu with fantastic weekend barbecues, while you listen to your favorite sounds on the huge custom built stereo and watch the sunset over the lake.

Tall Richard Joint, the club's owner, also offers boat rentals, lake tours, fishing and custom sailing trips and instruction aboard a specially built 30-foot yacht. Also, Honduyate is the proud sponsor of the Lake Yojoa Regatta and the annual jet-ski races.

Besides the room at the chalet, a large home is available for rent across the lake from the club for groups up to 12.

It was built by the Rosario Mining Company for its staff long before paved roads, so much as the materials for its construction were brought in by mule train or across the lake by boats.

There is a large stone fireplace for evening get-togethers, with the rest of the house remaining as it was originally built except for the bathrooms, which have been completely modernized. This is a fantastic opportunity for those persons who are looking for a really great quite weekend getaway, where you can just relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Besides the many watersports offered at the lake, bird watching and hiking are probably a close second and tours can be arranged through the office. Over 300 species of birds can be spotted at various locations around the lake.

There is also Finca La Ceiba Flower and Coffee Farm, located on the northside of the lake just past Pena Blanca (from the farm one can hike up to the cloud forest), Pulapanzak Waterfalls, the Taulabe caverns, and several archaeological and nature parks.

"The Hotel and Yacht Club is famous as a stopping off place in part because of their well-stocked bar and ice cold .beer."

Beware of the 'Yellow Heads':
A lesson of free enterprise in Honduras

By RIVER BURTON

One of the most desirable assets in the home of any newly-converted resident of Honduras is the yellow-headed parrot. Noted for their impressive speech capabilities and bright yellow cap that so boldly distinguishes them from other species of tropical birds, the yellow head is a delight and a marvel to that individual fortunate enough to cross paths with one.

My mother, my daughter, and I became proud residents of the small town of West End, Roatán in 1994. My mother established a small bed and breakfast type resort there and spent most of the time entertaining and tending to the needs of her guests. Almost daily she would ramble on about how she wanted a yellow-headed parrot, how much she had to have one, and how it seemed that everyone else had one but her. Of course, I secretly knew a handful of people who could have easily obtained one for her, but I was all too happy to suppress information that would lead to the maintenance of something I didn't want.

One day we were blessed with a visit from a couple of Honduran peddlers travelling on foot. It was obvious to us that they were from the mainland because we had never seen them before on the island and they seemed uncertain as to which direction to take. Upon seeing our faces starting back at them from the window, they made a bee-line for our front door, and we cringed at the thought of having to donate to yet another "church" being built in the wilds of La Mosquitia. Among their belongings was a tattered box containing two small birds that peered at us from its bottom. They were young, haggard, and basically looked as if they had been snatched out of the jungle and crammed into that box for several days without food or water.

Braced for the sales pitch, I beat them to the punch and told them we were definitely not interested in buying them. I was trained for the occasion and quickly recited (in rapid succession) 20 reasons why we didn't need them; the whole time my eyes remained fixed on the two pitiful captives in the box. The vendors argued, the birds' eyes pleaded, but I held fast. Out of the clear blue (and much to my dismay). Mom blurted out in her less than adequate Spanish, "Quiero cabeza amarilla...I want a yellow head parrot," and as if they were hearing impaired, she executed a series of hand gestures to indicate her desire for one.

Although they didn't have one in their possession, the proposition gave them hope, and I knew we would be doomed thereafter by relentless solicitation of brooms and birds. Their eyes gleamed with the thought of making a quick buck, and they assured me that they would be back with one. I gave up. In the weeks to come, we were visited daily by these parrot hustlers and to our surprise, they always returned with something other than what my mother wanted. The routine was predictable: they came, they argued with mom, mom won, and they went away packing what they started out with. She would always shout after them, "Cabeza amarilla!" as they limped away with their burdens.

One day, I returned home and discovered my mother and daughter in especially good moods. They had bought a yellow headed parrot from the vendors and had decided that they would name him "Petie," and had already devised a complicated array of swings and PVC tubing to keep him entertained. I was less than ecstatic and eyed the characteristic yellow crown he bore on his head as he traversed the nearby porch railing. My daughter extended a finger to which he reached out to and perched on as if he had been born to it. He was unusually tame for his purchase price, and I quickly decided that the two vendors had undoubtedly stolen him from someone's house.

Despite my suspicions, Petie was there to stay and would become one of the most celebrated fixtures of our household. Adored by all the guests, he enjoyed being handled, liked to watch Walt Disney movies with my daughter, rode the handlebars of her bicycle as she made infinite laps around the ball field, and only showed hostility if you were eating in front of him and did not possess enough courtesy to extend him a portion of the fare. It seemed that the only disappointment was that he refused to say anything, and no amount of coaxing would extract more than an ear-shattering whistle or shriek.

Amongst his favorite pastimes, Petie enjoyed a brisk rub-down by my friend Steve who would pass by our house daily to go to work. More oblivious than ourselves to the sometimes severe inflictions Petie could make with his beak, Steve engaged in daily frolics with him. At the sound of his voice at the door, Petie would hotfoot it across the wooden living room floor in hopes of latching on to a pant leg or a thong. I clearly recall that fatal day of our enlightenment. Steve and Petie were involved in their usual tussle as the rest of us lolled about on the front porch.

"Hey Río, come here!" Steve's voice echoed from the living room.

With some regret, I abandoned my hammock and went inside to find Steve hovered over Petie and sifting through the brightly colored plumage on his head.

"Yeah. What's up?"

"His head's got something on it."

We both craned our necks forward to get a better look.

"Whatever it is, it's sticky."

He pinched some of the feathers together, leaned over, and sniffed inquisitively. He the looked back up at me with the expression of one both perplexed and then suddenly amused.

"What?" I was impatient and the hammock beckoned.

"You're not going to believe this, but somebody painted his head."

I stared at him incredulously and then at Petie. After examining the patient at great length, we both concluded that his head had indeed been vandalized with a very convincing coat of yellow paint whose true identity was confirmed two weeks later after it completely wore off. Needless to say, my mother was astonished by the fact that she had been so easily hoodwinked and vowed to get even with the two scoundrels that sold him to her if they ever showed their faces in West End again. Subsequently, she became the target of much ridicule and taunting as word spread like wildfire of her misfortune. She couldn't decide who was more foolish -- herself or the bird. She couldn't be too upset. After all...she got exactly what she asked for.

"One day we were blessed with a visit from a couple of Honduran peddlers travelling on foot. It was obvious to us that they were from the mainland because we had never seen them before on the island and they seemed uncertain as to which direction to take."

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

In a not too long ago Copan Update article I mentioned the problem of security in Tela, especially where it concerns the tourist. It seems that in recent months Tela has experienced a wave of attacks, robberies and other crimes directed against tourists. This is a shame, because Tela and its surrounding area has a lot to offer: tranquil Garifuna villages, the Lancetilla Botanical Gardens, Punta Sal National Park, white sand beaches, a recently opened Garifuna Museum, and of course its funky, slightly weathered, banana port town ambiance. However, who can blame the tourist who passes on Tela and continues on to La Ceiba, Trujillo or the Bay Islands.

It is up to the government and private sector in Tela to come up with a workable plan to provide security to both residents and tourists alike. In these days of on-line instant data, word travels fast and news of attacks directed against tourists in Tela can be accessed around the world with the touch of a 'mouse.'

The Honduran Institute of Tourism (IHT) has great plans for Tela, and the so-called Tela Bay Project seems to be finally off and running, after years of sitting on the shelf.

But the mega-project is still years away from even partial completion, and in the meantime? Do I advise tourists to pass on Tela in favor of more tranquil Utila? Or do I warn them to 'be careful', 'watch your back' and 'by the way have a great time!' For the international tourist, security is always a top concern. If Honduras cannot get a handle on the security problem soon, it could easily get out of hand. Once the U.S. press gets a hold of it and Honduras acquires a 'rep' as an 'anything goes' 'dangerous', 'slightly loco' destination, then we are sunk.

Other tourist hot-spots in the region have experienced bouts of crimes directed against tourists as well. Antigua, Guatemala, for example, registered a big increase in crimes against tourists. Antigua, however, fought back through combined efforts of local government, police, Ministry of Tourism and the private sector. A 'tourist police' was set up to patrol the quaint cobblestone streets of Antigua, providing security to tourists. Could we expect something similar in Honduras? Possible, but not very likely. Remember we are in Honduras...

Howard Rosenzweig, a U.S. expatriate living in the Village of Copan Ruinas, is the owner of the Casa de Cafe Bed and Breakfast.