TRAVEL & TOURISM |
TRAVEL & TOURISM |
| Monday, February 24, 1997 Online Edition 43 | ||
Bringing La Mosquitia into the classroom: more than a field trip By CAPTAIN TERRY CLYMIRE "Paddle hard! Left, left, left!" Jorge shouts to the drenched crew. "Paddle hard! Lean in! Lean back! Crawl right!" The small rubber raft is tossed about the huge boulders, laced with fallen trees from years of tropical storms, pushed down river by the roaring rapids. "Now hard again! Forward. Easy, easy. Okay, paddles up, everyone rest." Up ahead, egrets cruise low along the river bank looking for their afternoon meal. It's so quiet you can hear the toucans scrape the treetops. Teachers hold the key to the hopes, the dreams and the future of the youth of Honduras. They whet our thirst to learn and start us out on a lifelong quest for knowledge. But sometimes, books, charts and the 4 walls of the classroom aren't enough to keep the learning process fluid. With this in mind, a group of teachers from the American School and the Discovery School in Tegucigalpa recently spent nearly a week on the Rio Sico in La Mosquitia. They made the trip so they could bring more information about the vast and beautiful country of Honduras back to their students. The group began their trip with a flight to La Ceiba to meet their guides, Jorge Salaverri. With a degree in forestry from West Virginia University, Jorge is considered one of the leading authorities on La Mosquitia flora, fauna and ecotourism. Equipment loaded, the group then took a 4-wheel drive vehicle to a small village upriver, where, with the help of pack animals to carry their rafts and supplies, they embarked on a two-hour moonlit walk through a dense jungle of broadleaf vines to the Rio Sico. After unloading their supplies and inflating the rafts, the group set out down river in search of the sandy platform that would be their first night's campsite. While some sat around the campfire talking about their first day of travel, others made their way to their canvas lodgings. Morning arrives early in La Mosquitia. The next day, as the sun was just beginning to peek over a distant mountain, the group was up preparing breakfast community style. After a morning swim, they loaded the provisions and distributed the safety equipment before Jorge prepared them with a thorough course on raftmanship. Over the next several days, the group travelled across the entire Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, following the course of the Rio Sico River. Starting at the river's mountainous headwaters and ending up at its mouth in the Caribbean sea, they crossed through one of Central America's most diverse tropical landscapes, a place with the unparalleled beauty of calm lagoons, roaring rapids and the enchantment of a life-giving tropical forest. Along the way, the teachers encountered ancient stone caves with mysteries that are still unrevealed. Were the Maya once there? Did the pirates use them to ward off attacks by the Pech or Miskito Indians? The rafters also experienced the beat of Garifuna drums and watched native dancers circle to tell their ancient Caribbean stories. Andrea Warner of La Mosquitia EcoAventuras says the trip is not just a tour, it's an adventure into the realm of monkeys, otters, parrots and macaws, tapirs, jaguars and crocodiles. Giant blue butterflies drift along the breezes of a mahogany forest while manatees and huge turtles move slowly through the lagoons and river mouths. Many Indians believe La Mosquitia is the center of the earth. After a trip there, you will, too. |
Honduras This Week Environment
Paya Bay is a charming, secluded resort of enchanting natural beauty |
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| Saturday, February 8, 1997 Online Edition 41 | ||
For visitors to Roatan looking to take a break from the beautiful reefs and beaches, the island offers a variety of other interesting attractions, including Bill and Irma Brady's Carambola Botanical Gardens. Botanical gardens offer break from beautiful beaches, reefs By CAPT. TERRY CLYMIRE ROATAN, Bay Islands -- Influenced by the wonderful Lancetilla Botanical Gardens of Tela, and knowing the importance of instilling education in the hearts of children, the Brady's build Carambola in 1985. But it was hardly their first project on the island. Bill Brady first came to Roatan in 1971. He came on a freight ship with a recent degree from North Carolina State University and fresh from the U.S. Peace Corps Training Center. There were only three cars on the island at that time, two of them awaiting repair. This man's greatly needed skill would culminate in three years of work that produced four schools, a baseball league and the first basic water system in Coxen Hole. Twenty-six years later, those projects are still in place. Just ask the young islanders at West End about the school behind Wood's market as they make their way there each morning. Or ask about the orphanage in Oak Ridge, or the many bridges islanders cross daily. Brady returned to the States for several years, but he knew that he had fallen in love with the island -- as they say here, "he had hung his hammock!" He returned to marry Irma, raise a family, and continue his well known work in architecture. And, of course, to build Carambola. The gardens are located in a small valley in Sandy Bay. The English who first settled there in 1740 used the fertile ground to supply sailors with much needed fresh produce. Now, more than 250 years later, the gardens have restored that early farming heritage covering over 30 acres along the banks of Mahogany Creek, which flows through its middle and Carambola mountain at the far base. The gardens' name comes from the Carambola fruit, which forms a star shape when sliced across the center. From the main tourist center, a 20-minute walk along the path leads you through the gardens to the picturesque summit. Here, a special deck has been provided to view the encircling hills and the many colors of the distant reef surrounding Anthony's Cay. Looking past historic Gibson's Bite, to the west, is Utila, the third largest island in the Bay Islands. With its low profile, only one small hill is visible, Pumpkinhill. Returning once again along the path to the tropical valley, you will find yourself passing a sheer cliff with a rock out-cropping running directly east to west. It is covered with silver-leaf trumpet trees. This affords a natural protected area for yellow nap parrots and an ideal sunny deck, plus the favorite food for the island's iguanas. Thus the name "iguana wall." Also, ancient Paya Indian archaeological sites are nearby, dating back to the Mayan era. There are hundreds of plants to be seen in the garden, most of which are identified for the lay botanist. Many of the native medicinal plants can be seen growing in wild clusters, an important part of island culture, beneath shades of banana, achiote (lipstick tree), ming tree for repelling mosquitos, conde bush for stomach ailments, jungle cactus, and hibiscus flowers. There are travelers palms, who because of their great size are able to provide two gallons of water daily. Herbs such as lemon grass, oregano, ginger, sage, and all-spice abound. Cashew trees, wild poinsettias, peace lilies, sour sop, coco, pineapples, hog plum and indian berry grace the garden slopes. There are also mangos, teak, and mahogany trees covered with giant yellow pothos vines leading up to blue island skies, and others covered with native orchids such as, Brassavola nodosa, "lady of the night,' and schomburgkia, another bold epiphyte covered with three-foot stalks of clustered flowers. Most garden aficionados are particularly awed by the vast collection of beliconias, "lobster claw, firebird, wild plantain and parrot flower," to name a few. And this being the tropics, don't forget the fishtail, royal, and coconut palms. The gardens are also a great place for birders, photographers, entomologists, nature lovers, or people who just like to relax or read in quiet, tranquil surrounds. Hundreds of the island children make this an important part of every grade level's environmental curriculum. The Brady's believe that what ever conditions exist above the water, so will you find below. "If you can plant a seed in a young child's heart........ !" The gardens are open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Besides the tourist center and gift shop, there are private guided tours by Nicole and Nickie Brady. Currently in the works is a tourist campground to be located up on the hill above the gardens. |
Honduras This Week Environment
Paya Bay is a charming, secluded resort of enchanting natural beauty |
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| Saturday, February 1, 1997 Online Edition 40 | ||
Cool breeze, hot sun and good food in Trujillo By WENDY GRIFFIN Trujillo seems to have it tall -- a good (albeit disorganized) museum, a historic Spanish fort, Garifuna Indian culture and sandy beaches that extend for miles. Cool trade winds make Trujillo Bay's beaches a great place for a stroll and the champas, or shade huts, that dot the white sand allow a cool, yet unobstructed view of the beach. The sound and sight of the waves is very relaxing and you can enjoy them from a hammock hung from the posts of a champa. For those with energy, playing beach volleyball is another possibility. You can find a net in front of one of Trujillo's most popular beach restaurants, Rogue's Gallery. Rogue's is popular among foreigners living in Trujillo, partly for its great food and partly because its owners, U.S. expat Jery King and his Honduran wife Luisa, are so friendly. Convenient hours also help. The restaurant is open from early in the morning to late at night, so there is time for a walk on the beach and breakfast before catching the 9 a.m. bus to Tegucigalpa. For breakfast, Rogue's offers traditional U.S. cuisine and is one of the few places in Honduras where you can get real hash browns. The pancakes are light, but the best part is the coffee. It is served in big mugs. Any coffee lover who suffers every time Hondurans serve coffee in cups that seem to hold about 2 tablespoons and then have to pay for a second cup will recognize the difference immediately. For lunch there is a choice of sandwiches or seafood. The spaghetti is served with little chorizo sausages and tomato sauce. For vegetarians, there's a ham and cheese sandwich with no ham and spaghetti without meat sauce. One of the things people learn when they travel is how many different types of music exist that they don't like. Spanish-language rap, Computo, and Rancheras blast from many of the champas on the beach. But Rogues' has no music, except for occasional live marimbas. The sun, the water, a cold Coke or Kaluha with milk -- all you need now is a good book. The good news is that Rogue's has a paperback exchange. If you've finished your book, you can trade it in for another. The books are behind the counter, so you have to ask. If coconut trees and blue Caribbean skies are your kind of decoration, come to Rogue's. But come soon. In addition to Garífuna canoes and Dole banana boats coming into and out of the local port, the Honduran government has decided to go ahead with plans to build an oil refinery across the bay at Puerto Castilla. When asked what he thought about the refinery project, Jerry said, "refineria, no. distileria, si." ("Refinery, no. Distillery, yes.") A Trujillo hotel owner stated his feelings more clearly. "Right now we are full and we have been since December 5. But if they put in the refinery, I'll sell you the hotel. Who will come?" Other Trujillo locals are talking about selling their farmlands, fearing pollution from the refinery will ruin their citrus and cacao crops. So, word is out. Come see us soon. |
Webmaster's note: All the images on this column are digital video capture previews from the upcoming CD-ROM Honduras Interactive. Trujillo is one of many cities featured on the CD-ROM.
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FIDE teams up with tourism By RON MADER Special to Honduras This Week Need information on investing in Honduras? What about travel? The Industrial Development Group - Honduras (IDGH) and the Institute of Tourism have teamed up to share an office and integrate their work in Miami, Florida. IDGH, a division of Honduras' Foundation for Investment and the Development of Exports (FIDE), is the only Central American industrial development group office of its kind in the state of Florida. The Miami Institute of Tourism office is the headquarters for North American information distribution on travel in Honduras. "We have the same basic interests -- we want to generate investment and interest in Honduras," said Mario Aguirre, who is information agent for tourism office in Miami and works shoulder-to-shoulder with FIDE. "It's the same tree with different branches." "FIDE has the most up-to-date materials on investing in Honduras," says Gina Bueso, executive director of the IDGH Miami office. Having successfully attracted the foreign apparel industry to Honduras, Bueso says that IDGH and FIDE are now looking to diversify its production base by attracting companies that produce electronics and automotive parts. In 1995 United Technology Automotive inaugurated operations in Honduras, joining more than two hundred Honduran industrial plants that work as subcontractors for the United States, Asia and Latin American apparel, footwear and electronics companies. FIDE estimates that this has led to the creation of 55,000 new jobs in the past few years. "We attract companies that already have offshore businesses," Bueso explains. "North and South American firms are interested in moving their production from China closer to home, and Honduras, with its political stability, can attract these firms. Aguirre says that the tourism office is receiving more requests that ever from the new website on the Internet: http://www.hondurasinfo.hn The site, sponsored by FIDE, is one of the most useful -- and eclectic - in cyberspace. It provides not only travel, business and trade information, but cultural and environmental profiles as well. Ron Mader is an environmental writer who focuses on Honduras and ecotourism. He is the co-author of the upcoming book, Honduras: A Natural Destination and can be reached via email at ron@txinfinet.com |
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| Contacts: | ||
| Foundation
for Investment and Development of Exports (FIDE) PO Box 2029 Tegucigalpa, Honduras Phone (504) 32-9345 Fax: (504) 31-1808 Email: fide@hondutel.hn Miami Office: IDGH Honduras Institute
of Tourism - Miami Branch |
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All original articles and photographs published in Honduras This Week are protected by international copyright law. Reproduction, in whole or in part without prior written permission, is strictly prohibited.Published online by Marrder Omnimedia |
