By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

"Interesting" interest rate news. Ever wonder why there is so darn little investment taking place in the tourism sector? Well, I've often wondered about that, too. Maybe, just maybe, it might have something to do with interest rates for bank loans, which are currently hovering between 34 percent and 35 percent.

Protecting the Platano. The Rio Platano Biosphere, one of the largest protected areas in Central America, was the scene a few weeks back of a massive show of force by Honduran police, military forces and COHDEFOR, the purpose being to put an end to illegal logging and other illegal activities in the zone that have had a negative effect on the ecology of the protected area. Some 2,000 men were sent to the area in a unprecedented show of force. However, the campaign was cut short due to the simmering conflict that arose at about the same time between Honduras and Nicaragua over a territorial waters dispute that had nothing to do with the area of La Mosquitia where the Rio Platano Biosphere is located. Unfortunately, the Nicaraguans raised a ruckus about the military/police operation in La Mosquitia by hinting that the campaign to protect the forest could have been in some obscure way intended to provoke Nicaragua, an assumption that is completely inaccurate. But to lower tensions and shut Nicaragua up, the Hondurans opted to pull out their forces form the Rio Platano and avoid any further provocative statements on the part of the Nicaraguans.

Sex Tourism. The Canadian-based International Office of Children's Rights has released a study denouncing that many nations are not enforcing laws against sex tourism. Some 20 countries have laws on the books that are not enforced in relation to sex crimes against children while their citizens are engaged in foreign trips. There are some 25 nations that have laws which permit individuals or organizations to be taken to court in their home country, if children are exploited during a trip to a foreign country. In countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria, pedophiles have been found guilty. In Canada, for example, only one pedophile has been tried since May, 1997 upon his return from a trip to an unnamed African country. This pedophile was found guilty and fined $204.

Honduras going for the gold. Two additional gold mines are initiating operations, making a total of four mines now in operation in Honduras. The two newest mines are located in Macuelizo, Santa Barbara and in San Ignacio, Francisco Morazan.

The new mines are slated to produce some 130,000 ounces of gold per year. In addition, the San Andres, Copan mine is currently producing some 60,000 ounces of gold per year. By next year, it is hoped that three more gold mines will be up and running, in addition to the El Mochito mine which has produced lead, zinc and copper for years. It is projected that the four gold mines now open will generate some $150 million a year for Honduras of which the Honduran government will get 25 percent and 1 percent for each municipality where a mine is located.

England goes for the gay tourism market. Using the new tag line "Great Britain, you don't know the half of it !", The British Office of Tourism has launched a web page destined at attracting gay and lesbian tourists from the U.S. to British shores. According to Paul McDonald of the British Tourism Office, gay tourism "has been identified as a key market and one of the most profitable in the future." The Office of Tourism is highlighting Britain's "gay-friendly environment" as a key marketing tool to lure gay travellers. According to a gay leader in the United Kingdom, British tourism authorities understand that "homosexuals are a population with high disposable incomes who travel often and without the restrictions of taking into consideration children in school, etc. that limit travel choices of heterosexual couples." Studies in the United States of the gay market indicate that the mean income for gays is higher than 70 percent of the population at large and that gays take approximately four to six vacations per year.

Problems and solutions in La Ceiba. The dock where passengers and freight head out of La Ceiba to the Bay Islands has experienced problems of late due to the lack of maintenance of the waterway accessing the dock. Earlier in the month, the passenger ferry Galaxy II was damaged as its prop was caught on tree trunks submerged at the bottom of the waterway. So what to do? Instead of relying on government promises of clearing the underwater debris, businessmen from La Ceiba and Roatan got together at an emergency meeting and agreed right then and there to dredge the waterway and reopen sea traffic between La Ceiba and the Bay Islands in as short a time frame as possible. With an investment of some Lps. 300,000, the business community together with the Municipalities of Roatan and La Ceiba got to work dredging the waterway. The key here obviously was the quick response of the local businesses both on the mainland and the Islands. It was in their interest to get the dock up and running as quickly as possible. Now, if only the myriad of other problems facing the tourism sector were able to be resolved as quickly and efficiently. That really would be something to write home about.

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>.

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A heliconia plant at the Carambola Gardens on Roatan. (Photo by Wendy Griffin.)

By WENDY GRIFFIN

The Sandy Bay Marine Reserve, located on the northside of Roatan in the Bay Islands, was founded in 1989. The park was extended to include the water off of West End and West Bay on the northside and as far as Key Hole on the southside of the island in 1992.

The marine reserve was created to protect the reef and species that live on and around it, such as the conch. The reserve is managed by the Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA) under an agreement with the state forestry agency, COHDEFOR.

There is much to do in the area, although most visitors to the island dive. A few dive shops like James Thomas's Happy Divers at Rudy's offer the chance to see the reefs from a Bay Islanders' perspective. However, most dive instructors are undocumented foreigners. Dive shops also offer snorkeling gear for rent. Sailing is another possibility.

No fee is charged to enter, snorkel, sail or dive in the park. Tourists who go there include people on one-day tours, through Premier or Norwegian Cruise Lines, groups who sign up for 4-day or 1-week tour packages, and independent tourists in that order of importance.

For those who are not inclined to get wet, Sandy Bay offers Carambola Garden. People can hike, take photos, learn about plants and look for iguanas and parrots. The cost is $3. If you wish a guide, arrangements must be made in advance.

The Roatan Museum is located at Anthony's Key Resort in Sandy Bay. For $5, you get admission to one of northeastern Honduras' nicest museums, plus you can watch the dolphin show. About seven of the dolphins escaped during the hurricane, but they still have three trained ones.

Hurricane Mitch's effect on Sandy Bay also included washing away some of the cabins and the destruction of the drinking water system for houses. One year later, this is still not totally fixed, reports BICA's Jose Galdames.

There is little beach in West End. To watch the sunset and catch the breezes, people instead hang out at wooden restaurants over the water.

One big concern people have had is crime. The current U.S. State Department advisory affirms what local people say -- there is less crime against tourists in the Bay Islands. People say they felt safe. Cruise ship tourists have not had problems. Even so, the governor of the Bay Islands, Dorn Ebanks, is requesting the government strengthen the police by having an agent of the investigative police (DGIC) permanently stationed on Roatan.

Tourists are also concerned about the post-Mitch situation. Within a week after Mitch, the beaches were clean and all the hotels open except Anthony Key Resort and a small place in Punta Gorda. A lot of coral was destroyed by the action of the waves, and BICA is still in the process of surveying the damage and making plans.

The road between the airport and West End is fine. In West End itself, the road is heavily pitted and unpaved. The project to pave the Coxen Hole-Flowers Bay-West Bay-West End road system has been approved and its contract put up for bid. Still, even unpaved the roads stay open during heavy rains because all the water flows into the sea.

Hotel prices range from $5 a night dorm beds to cheap rooms for $10 at Valerie's and $35 rooms with a kitchen at Posada Arco Iris. An equal variety of restaurants exist, with my favorite being Rudy's.

Although the West End-Sandy Bay area has many charms, for souvenirs try Coxen Hole. Yaba Ding Ding has beautiful Garifuna dolls and paintings by Garifunas and Islanders. Near the cruise ship dock, there is a new souvenir area sponsored by the Methodist Church. Roatan's English-language bookstore, Casi Todo, is also in Coxen Hole, so it makes an interesting trip to make if rain has dampened your afternoon plans.

Roatan can be reached by air through international flights to either San Pedro Sula or La Ceiba. In those cities, people switch to TACA, Sosa, Rollins, or Islena to arrive in Roatan. Islena has been acquired by the TACA group, which may improve reliability as far as meeting international airlines, but they now offer less local flights than before.

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By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

Only in Honduras news. Rollins Air, a small Honduran carrier, recently initiated service to the island of San Andres, Colombia. The initial half-page ad in La Prensa offered a package deal that included: r/t airfare, 3 nights hotel accommodations at a Sol Melia resort, airport transfers, taxes, all meals, all you can drink -- including all the aspirin and Alka Seltzer you care to ingest. I kid you not! And all for a total price of -- drum roll please --$6,700!

A footnote. The following week I came across the same ad, only this time the package received a slight alteration: total price Lps 6,700! (About $463 at the current exchange rate!)

A second footnote. Due to the brewing conflict between Nicaragua and Honduras over the newly signed maritime border agreement between Honduras and Colombia, Nicaragua for the time being has denied permission to Honduran planes to fly in Nicaraguan air space. Unfortunately, this put a slight crimp in the flight plans of the Rollins Air San Andres flight, which must fly through Nicaraguan air space.

More flight news. Rollins Air has expanded its flight schedule to include:

La Ceiba - San Pedro Sula, Monday - Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

San Pedro Sula - La Ceiba, Monday - Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

La Ceiba - Utila, Monday - Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Utila - La Ceiba, Monday - Saturday at 6:00 a.m.

Tegucigalpa - Puerto Lempira, Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 a.m.

Puerto Lempira - Tegucigalpa, Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:00 a.m.

Also flights to Gran Cayman. For info contact rollinsair@psinet.com

Even more flight news. A new carrier is slated to initiate service to Honduras on Dec. 20. Aerocaribe, part of Mexicana Airlines, will serve the San Pedro Sula - Cancun corridor. The daily flight will leave San Pedro Sula at 3 p.m., arriving Cancun at 4:35 p.m. The flight returns, leaving Cancun at 12:45, arriving San Pedro Sula at 2:20 p.m. Price for r/t ticket is $309, excluding tax. Aerocaribe will be flying Jet Streams with a capacity of 19 passengers. Cancun is a major Latin American hub where flights to New York, Miami or Europe can be obtained. Aerocaribe is seeking to take advantage of the three primary markets: Mundo Maya tourists, who will make up an estimated 70 percent of its passenger traffic; divers and beach tourists heading to the Bay Islands for a bit of sun, surf and reef; business travellers and finally Hondurans vacationers to Cancun. One small problem is that Cancun does not have a Honduran Consulate, so Honduran bound tourists who require a visa will have to obtain one elsewhere. Hopefully, the Honduran Foreign Ministry will take note and open a Consular office one of these days.

How 'bout a bit of down to earth land transport news. Many tourists prefer to skip the chicken buses, pass on the internal puddle jumper flights and opt for the comfort and versatility of a rental vehicle. To give readers an idea of rates, here's the info I clipped from a recent newspaper ad for Toyota Rent-a-Car. A Corolla will run $50 per day, a Toyota Hilux 4-wheel drive double cab runs $65 and a top of the line 4-Runner runs $70.

One more piece of flight news. Tocontin Airport in Tegucigalpa is receiving a much needed remodeling, although in my estimation what it really needs is a good solid dose of complete and utter demolition! The airport is slated to get new immigration and customs offices, a repaired runway, a new X-ray system to check passengers and luggage and two passenger ramps so that boarding passengers will no longer have to make the trek across the tarmac to board and disembark. Cost of the remodeling is projected at Lps. 15 million, about $1.1 million.

By DON PEARLY

Obvious now to me, I should not attempt to get into the minds of the National Police to write about crime or plans for crime prevention in Honduras. This is a very volatile subject and would take a reporter months to explore all the ins and outs to be sure what he or she was printing was factual. Also, it changes all the time and the direction of concentration moves from drugs to crime on the streets to tourist protection. I give up, and actually with great pleasure. I will say they are trying very hard to improve things and from what I learned there is no massive crime wave in progress.

Instead, I will concentrate on what I know. I saw a list of how to protect yourself while vacationing in Honduras printed in one of the last issues of HTW. No doubt deemed necessary, but certainly not a lure for tourists trying to decide where to spend their time off. I now speak from personal experience having been in Honduras approaching four full years. I have walked the main sidewalk of Guanaja, specifically Bonacca Town. From the small dark side streets, the back streets, the alleyways and the backyards, many times I have been alone during the morning noon and very late nights. Never ever have I been confronted, hassled, annoyed or scared by anything or anyone.

I have attended the disco in town and found it to be a safe and friendly atmosphere with tourists mingling with locals in the bar area and on the dance floor. I have seen people bumping people while dancing and never knocking a chip off of anyone's shoulder. They are all there for one or three reasons, to dance, to show off their new sports clothing and to meet people.

Every now and then a squad of uniformed police come in, stand around, talk to people, have a soda and leave. Their presence at first was ominous to me as they all carry automatic weapons and sidearms but I soon realized they were just doing a routine beat walk just like anywhere else. I never saw them pressed into service.

At Bayman when the weather is not conducive to diving, we encourage town tours. The people always come back with a new outlook on life. They marvel at how so many people co-exist without problems. They like the warm friendly greetings and service from the shop owners. They like the smell and bright colors of the vegetable stands on the street, they like everyone saying hello to everyone else. They marvel at how well the town has recovered from the category five hurricane lovingly called Mitch. It is sometimes a highlight of their visit and they send things back in the mail for the children of the town which we distribute evenly. Should they catch a holiday such as Independence Day, Halloween or Christmas, they are intrigued at how Islanders celebrate. Firecrackers and scary masks on the kids, parades and school and Church functions going on all over. It is like their home towns but with a little cultural twist.

At Bayman Bay Club, in the evenings they like the local foods prepared in a unique fashion, they like the fresh fruits and vegetables, they like the fresh fish, conk, shrimp and lobster we serve. They gather around the staff and watch them play a heated game of dominoes complete with yells and the slamming down of the tiles. They take pictures of the staff with themselves and many send back little "care" packages for specific staff members they made fast friends with. Many come back two, three, four times and each time bring something for their favorites. Some come with the specific purpose of helping the locals rebuild their Savanagh or Mangrove Bite homes. They bring tools to leave with them, they bring much needed materials. They are appreciated, but more than that they feel good about themselves for doing it.

I wish after that lecture I could invite you all down for the Christmas and New Year, but we are full and then some. Maybe during the year you could sample some of Guanaja's delights. Posada del Sol, Bayman Bay Club, Inn of the Last Resort, Nautilus, Hotel's Alexander, Rosario and others await your call.

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