TRAVEL & TOURISM |
TRAVEL & TOURISM |
| Monday, March 24, 1997 Online
Edition 46 Webmaster's note: All the images on this article are part of the Honduras This Week Interactive CD-ROM which is currently being authored. It will be released to the public on mid 1997. |
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Lancetilla's
lush gardens a welcome escape from the beach TELA -- Green lawns, colorful birds, an abundance of exotic plants and trees and a cool swimming hole to top this off. If you are tired of Tela's crowded beaches, where better go than to the Lancetilla Botanical Garden? This green haven of tranquillity lies only 15 minutes outside of Tela. There is plenty of shade under trees from every continent, in every color, shape and size. The restaurant in the visitor's center offers cool drinks and good food, while the lawn is excellent for playing soccer.
The United Fruit Company founded the Lancetilla Botanical Garden and Research Center in 1925. It is the largest botanical garden in Central America. Here Dr. Wilson Popenoe began to experiment with trees and crops from all over the world. Several plants that are now common in Central America were first imported by Popenoe. He studied which bananas grew best and tasted better, which palms gave the most oil and what trees were best suited for logging. Visitors will encounter over 60 different species of exotic woods and fruit trees at Lancetilla. Especially impressive are the bamboo tunnel at the entrance to the botanical garden and the "boulevard" of Royal Palms whose straight white trunks with their green leaves rustling way up there in the wind, make you feel you are entering a drive-way to heaven.
BIOLOGICAL RESERVE If you don't fancy British-style parks, then just cross the river to the biological reserve further up the hill. There you will find 1,300 acres of unspoiled tropical rainforest with lots of rare birds and animals. You might see toucans, pumas, howling monkeys and wild cats. It is quite a hike to the biological reserve, so start early and bring plenty of water and insect repellent.
If you are not into hiking through a rainforest on your day off, have one of the guides show you around. The Spanish-speaking guides live in the park and can tell you all about the different trees, explaining where they come from and what they are used for. Beware of the beautiful but poisonous African fruit tree, though. The sweet smelling fruits killed poor Mrs. Popenoe in 1931. You can still see her grave at the outskirts of the park.
ECO EDUCATION CENTER
From the entrance, it is still a two-mile walk to the visitor's center, though. If you don't want to be exhausted before you get to the actual park, it might be wise to find a taxi in Tela and have the driver take you all the way to the visitor's center. The park has dormitory space for 32 people but it is frequently rented out to groups of students or scientists. If there is room, they will let you stay for just Lps. 50 and you may wake up to the lovely sound of toucans outside your window. Paya Bay is a charming, secluded resort of enchanting natural beauty Advertisement |
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Lodging for every
budgert available Trujillo offers a wide variety of places to stay. During the year, the North Coast beach town is busy with foreign travelers, especially from June to August. There is also a surge of travellers from colder climates seeking warm weather from December to June. But by far Trujillo's busiest time is Semana Santa, when it fills up with Honduran beachgoers. LOOKING FOR LUXURY
The top of the line Trujillo hotel is the Christopher Columbus Beach Resort (Tel 44-4966, Fax 44-4971), located just out of town on the beach next to the airport. Its target market is foreign tourists wanting to escape cold winters without sacrificing the comforts of home. And its rates are priced accordingly. During the regular season, singles run Lps. 600 per night, doubles run Lps. 700 and triples run Lps. 800. The Semana Santa special is Lps. 800 for a single, Lps. 900 for a double and Lps. 1,000 to 1,500 for a suite. The hotel also has an enormous, pretty -- and pricey -- restaurant.
Next to the Christopher Columbus is the Trujillo Bay Hotel (Tel/Fax 44-4732), where all rooms, single, double or triple, run Lps. 600 a night. It is slightly cheaper here because you have to cross the airport runway to get to the beach. Also cheaper is the hotel's restaurant, Schooners, with good food, fast service and the same prices you would pay in town, about Lps. 25 for a breakfast of coffee and french toast. COMFY FOR POCKETBOOKS If you're looking for a mid-range hotel, the Hotel Colonial on Parque Central (Tel 44-4011) charges Lps. 214 for a single. But if you pay with a credit card, the rate goes up to Lps. 235 in order to cover a 6 percent service charge and the phone call to the company to make sure your credit is good. This hotel is done in an attractive hacienda-style decor with white walls and dark woods, but it can get a little dusty and a few ceiling panels are missing. If you have allergies or asthma, try someplace else.
The Hotel Colonial's restaurant is popular, with working air conditioning and reasonable prices. Breakfasts are good and cost less than $2. Although service and cleanliness are variable, there are restrooms and the colonial decor is attractive. For convenience and cleanliness, many people like Hotel O'Glynn (Tel 44-4595). Lps. 450 will get you a room during Semana Santa (Lps. 250 and 350 the rest of the year). Rumor has it you can get rooms in the old part of the hotel for Lps. 80, but no receptionist could be found to confirm. Up on the hill above Trujillo is the Villa Brinkley Hotel (Tel 44-4444, Fax 44-4269) where rooms with fans run Lps. 180, doubles with air conditioning run Lps. 280, family-size rooms with four beds and a kitchenette run Lps. 450 and a room with seven beds and a kitchenette runs Lps. 450. During Semana Santa there's a high season charge of Lps. 100, and there are additional charges if you pay with your credit card.
Villa Brinkley's restaurant, like the rest of the hotel, is done in colonial decor and the food is good. The soup and salad bar is popular, at Lps. 30 per person, including coffee or tea. If you find the walk down the hill to the beach too hard, there is also a pool. NO FRILLS The nicest of the budget hotels is Hotel Trujillo at Lps. 85 per night. It is located at the top of the only paved street in Barrio Cristales. The bathrooms are tiled and the walls are well painted.
Hotel Emperador is in the same price range, with Lps. 75 singles, Lps. 100 rooms with TV and Lps. 175 for doubles. This includes private bath and fans. Persistent mold and mildew problems, however, make this another place for asthma and allergy sufferers to be wary of. While some hotels are just hotels, others are more like staying with friends. Giovani Quinonez, the owner of Hotel Mar de Plata (Tel 44-4458), enjoys sitting and talking with guests. He provided a lot of insight into local issues like AIDS, drugs and the sunken ship full of asphalt in Trujillo Bay. At Lps. 70 a night, this is the cheapest hotel in town, so it is often full. Although there is currently much debate about the future of Trujillo as a tourism destination, for now at least there is a shortage of budget hotels. Some travellers choose to stay in Barrio Cristales at places like Hospedaje Lilian and Hotel Coco Pango, a great place for punta dancing. Another alternative is to stay in nearby towns. Pulpería Franklyn in Guadalupe has rooms for rent and some local Garífuna families have built cabañas. |
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| Monday, March 17, 1997 Online
Edition 46 Webmaster's note: All the images on this article are part of the Honduras This Week Interactive CD-ROM which is currently being authored. It will be released to the public on mid 1997. |
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By MASJA ZWART Special to Honduras This Week. Photography by Stanley Marrder and Linda Foss Marrder. Courtesy of Marrder Omnimedia. TELA -- If you are looking for a relaxed Easter holiday with plenty of sea, sand, sun and swinging, then Tela is the place to go. The biggest and whitest beach of Honduras stretches on for miles and miles. You can just hang out at the beach in the shade of a palm tree, or take long walks to the nearby Garifuna villages. Although all Hondurans seem to flock to the North Coast at Easter, in Tela you will always find some sand for yourself.
There is plenty to do around town. You may want to observe the beachlife of all those Hondurans from 'inland,' who come and camp at Tela's beach during Semana Santa. They make music and build fires to cook on. And of course the place is swarming with all kinds of salespeople. Garífuna women will braid your hair, little kids sell coco de agua, more serious entrepreneurs might come up with a typical dinner or fried fish, and then there are the international travellers from Chile, Argentina and Europe, offering their handmade jewelry and musical instruments. DAYTRIPS If you are in for something more active go and explore one of the national parks nearby. There is the magnificent Punta Sal, a peninsula covered with tropical rainforest, and encircled by deserted white beaches and coral reefs. Marymar Tours (48-2420), located across the street from Hotel Villas Telamar in Tela Nueva, can take you there by boat and provide you with snorkeling gear and a warm lunch at the beach. More expensive is the Italian-owned Garifuna Tours, located at 3a Calle near the Central Park. They offer the same service, but their boats are a bit rocky.
Both companies also organize trips to the Lancetilla Botanical Garden, four miles north of Tela, where you can admire a variety of exotic birds and trees. You might just want to make your own way there by renting a mountain bike at Garifuna Tours. The road to the park leads through palm plantations and there are lots of colorful birds you won't spot from inside a car. A definite must is the two-mile walk east along the arc of the beach to the Garifuna village of La Ensenada. Have a cool drink in one of the local cafes, then walk along the dusty inland road, passing a beautiful lagoon, to the bigger village of El Triunfo de la Cruz. These villages are right on the beach, with traditional houses and plenty of little restaurants serving delicious Garifuna food. If you are too tired to walk back, a bus leaves for Tela from El Triunfo as well as La Ensenada about every hour. You might want to go there in the weekends, when Garífuna bands give concerts, and demonstrate how you are really supposed to dance the punta. Be aware of thieves, though. It is advisable to take nothing of value when you go for a stroll on the beach. PLACES TO EAT AND SLEEP The promenade along the beach is a good place to hang out. There are several restaurants with terraces that serve delicious seafood. Cesar's Mariscos prepares a decent pancake breakfast as well. More luxurious is the Gran Hotel Puerto Rico, at 5 Avenida at the beach. It offers a beautiful view of the sea, but is less cozy than some of the smaller restaurants. If you are tired of seafood, beans and tortillas, there is a pizzeria one block from the beach at the corner of 2a Avenida. Luces Del Norte at 5 Avenida, one block from the beach, serves a combination of continental and typical food.
Hotels are abundant in Tela, but be sure to reserve in advance if you plan to stay there during Semana Santa. The most luxurious of all is without a doubt Villas Telamar (48-2393/4/5), at the west end of the village. It offers tennis courts, a swimming pool, a sauna and the best stretch of beach. In front of Villas Telamar is the wooden pier where the banana boats used to dock. The resort's colorful wooden villas once housed the foreign staff of the Standard Fruit Company. Some are big enough for 15 people and they are all equipped with a hot shower.
Cross the bridge to Tela Viejo and you will find Hotel Sherwood (48-2416) right at the beach. It has a restaurant where they serve excellent seafood. Small but clean is Hotel Marazul, one block away from the beach at 4 Avenida NE. Even smaller, but very friendly and right on Central Park, is Hotelito El Porvenir. Two blocks down from Marazul, on 9 Calle and 4 Avenida, is the more expensive Hotel Tela (48-2150), which boasts a roof terrace and has spacious rooms. The backpacker favorite is the worn-down Boarding House Sara (48-2108), at the eastern end of town, one block from the beach. DANCING
Across from Boarding House Sara are two discotheques. Tiburón Playero II usually has free admission, but for special sessions on Saturday night you may have to pay. There are windows looking out over the beach and a pool table if you don't like to dance. Next to the Tiburon is the brand new Tropical. Cross the street and you will hit two more discos, one on the beach, and one upstairs in an attic. All play the same music, so the choice is hard. On Friday and Saturday nights, Hotel Villas Telamar has a disco on the beach where non-guests are welcome. Ask around if one of the nearby Garífuna villages is hosting a party or a concert. They are definitely worth the while. GETTING THERE Buses depart to and from El Progreso nearly every half hour. Check the exact timetable at the central bus station. Persons coming from San Pedro Sula have to change buses in El Progreso for the two-hour ride to Tela. There is direct service between Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba, which passes through Tela. The bus stop lies quite a way out of town, though, in front of Hotel Los Arcos. Check with the bus companies Traliasa (37-7538), Etrusca or Christina. By car, it takes about five hours from Tegucigalpa. Follow the highway north and don't miss the crossing at El Progreso. From San Pedro Sula you drive to El Progreso, and then take the exit to Tela/La Ceiba. Paya Bay is a charming, secluded resort of enchanting natural beauty Advertisement |
Semana Santa guide to Utila By SARA ANNE BODDEN Special to Honduras This Week Utila is the first of three major islands located approximately 18 miles off the North Coast of Honduras. These islands are collectively known as the Bay Islands and are one of Honduras' most important departments due to the booming tourism industry. Utila is the smallest of the Bay Islands, and it is the perfect destination for travelers who wish to enjoy the simple things in life. If you are planning to visit the island during Holy Week, you should plan ahead and make reservations at one of the islands hotels. Utila is accessible by air and sea. M/V Tropical ferry makes a daily trip (Monday-Friday) from La Ceiba to Utila at 10 a.m. The passage costs Lps 95.00 and a Lps 5.00 dock fee (one way). Sosa Airlines offers three daily flights from La Ceiba to Utila (6 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.). Airfare costs Lps. 215.25 (one way) and an airport tax of Lps. 10.00 must be paid before boarding. Caribbean Air also offers two daily flights from La Ceiba to Utila at 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The airfare is the same as Sosa's. Caribbean Air has a 3 p.m. flight from San Pedro Sula to Utila from Monday to Friday. There are also direct flights from Roatan to Utila on Saturdays at 7:15 a.m. and 5 p.m. Hotel Nightly Rates & Phone Numbers Restaurants While on Utila, finding a place to eat should definitely not be a problem. There are many restaurants on the island and each offer a variety of dishes, ranging from typical seafood dishes to pasta and fast foods. Other Info For travel reservations from the island to your destination, contact either of the following travel agencies:
There are only two banks on Utila, BANCAHSA and Banco Atlántida. Both are located in the center of town. Should there be any
emergencies while you're visiting Utila, you can contact
the following: Diving The Bay Island of Utila possesses some of the most exquisite coral reefs found in this area. Persons interested in diving lessons can inquire at any of the dive centers listed below. You can be sure that the underwater scenery will be breathtaking! While diving or snorkeling, you can observe different species of fish and other marine life, not to mention spectacular coral formations. |
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| Saturday, March 8, 1997 Online Edition 45 | ||
How young is too young when it comes to kid scuba divers?
By CAPTAIN TERRY CLYMIRE ROATAN -- You have almost completed your pre-dive equipment check with your buddy and are about ready for another exciting day of scuba diving in some far off, exotic, warm water destination like the Bay Islands of Honduras. Stop a minute and take a quick look around you. Besides all the shapes and sizes of dive equipment, some new and some old, there are also all shapes and sizes of young and old divers. Different age groups pose some very interesting medical concerns when it comes to diving. And they bring up a very important question: When is a person old enough to dive? As scuba diving becomes increasingly popular, most major dive certification agencies set a minimum age standard of 12 for junior divers and 15 for basic dive certification. The medical community believes that bone and growth plates are greatly affected by the pressure build-up of deep water diving. The epiphysial plates located at the ends of long bones allow bone growth to occur. They are very fragile and are susceptible to injury caused by the rapid build-up of pressure. Dr. Carl Edmonds, the author of Diving and Sub-Aquatic Medicine, recommends that young divers not go below 30 feet until they have completed puberty and their epiphysial plates have fused, marking the end of the growth process. The only sure way to know that the plates of a youngster eager to become a diver have stabilized is to perform a complete physical examination, including x-rays. Another risk to which young divers are particularly prone is spontaneous pneumothorax, or a break in the surface of the lungs, forcing air into the chest cavity. A thin layer of fluid normally holds the lungs steady in the chest cavity by means of a vacuum. When the pressure inside the chest cavity becomes negative, this vacuum can be broken, causing the cavity to fill with air and the lung to collapse. The condition is called "spontaneous" because it happens without warning. It also requires immediate medical attention. Young divers whose lungs are not fully developed are at greater risk of developing this condition. Setting an exact age limit to determine whether a child is ready to begin diving does not take into account the physical and psychological maturity of each individual youngster. Divers should be both physically and mentally mature enough to handle emergencies and to thoroughly comprehend the basic rules of dive safety and what can happen if you break those rules. They must also be physically mature enough to handle the effects of pressure on their bodies. Finally, it is highly recommended that young divers buddy up with an older, more experienced diver, ideally a parent -- and make sure the child wants to dive. For those of us who are captivated by the sensation of weightlessness in ocean depths, it is sometimes hard to understand why a spouse, a child or the rest of the world is not equally fanatical. Our loved ones are sometimes unable to express their own fears in the face of our enthusiasm. If you're going to participate in the sport of scuba diving, you've got to do it wholeheartedly. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a dangerous situation. |
Honduras This Week Environment
Paya Bay is a charming, secluded resort of enchanting natural beauty |
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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 |
A bamboo tunnel welcomes visitors.
On weekdays, the park opens at 7:30
a.m., on weekends at 8 a.m., but buy your ticket a day in
advance and you can come as early as you like. Real bird
lovers have no choice but to get up early or they will
miss the toucans flocking together around the visitor's
center at six in the morning.
After Standard Fruit transferred
the park to the Honduran government in 1976, Lancetilla
has developed into Honduras main center for ecological
education and awareness. Every year on April 20,
thousands of people come to the park to celebrate the Dia
de la Tierra, or Earth Day. There are groups of
school children, farmers, students, women and companies,
who all prepare an act, a dance, a song, paint a mural,
or participate in games. Learning about and expressing
concern for the natural environment is what this day is
all about. Everybody is free to do this in whichever way
he or she pleases, whether it is by performing an act, or
just strolling around.
Lancetilla is about four miles
outside of Tela, on the road to El Progreso. A large sign
marks the entrance and there is plenty of parking. Public
transportation is also available. Any bus coming from or
going to El Progreso or San Pedro Sula passes the
entrance of the park. 
Christopher Columbus hotel faces
the ocean
Trujillo palm trees
A small house on the beach
A canon at the Spanish fort
The entrance to the Spanish fort
A palm tree sways to the Tela wind.
Lancetilla
Botanical Garden is home to many exotic flowers.
Hotel
Villas Telamar's colorful wooden villas.
A small
walkway connects the wooden pier and the resort at Hotel
Villas Telamar.
A young
Garifuna dances on the Tela beach.
