Honduras This Week Travel and Tourism

Beachside apartment-hotels becoming popular in Honduras

By WENDY GRIFFIN

With views like this near Hotel Playa Trujillo, it is easy to see why beach apart-hotels are growing in popularity here. (Photo by Wendy Griffin)

In each of the major beach town of the North Coast -- Tela, La Ceiba and Trujillo -- it is now possible to find "apart-hotels." Most foreign tourists do not stay in them, probably not being sure what they are.

The majority of Hondurans who stay in apart-hotels use them as the equivalent of short-term executive housing. The owner of Hotel Playa in Trujillo explained that most of his business comes from people who will be working two, three or four months in the Trujillo area and want the convenience of having a furnished apartment with a complete cooking area, cable TV, separate living room, and separate bedrooms while being next to the beach.

Although geared toward long-term visitors, all the apart-hotels visited rent rooms by the day, the week, or the month. Rates are reasonable. For example, Apart-Hotel Playa rents a one bedroom apartment for Lps. 3,800 a month that includes once a week maid service, sheet changing, phone, cable and utilities. In the center of town, this would get you 10 days in a similar class hotel, and furnished apartments run Lps. 3,000, utilities not included. Reasonable prices are the reason this hotel with four apartments is usually full.

During Holy Week, these rooms are at premium because the price is the same regardless of the number of persons staying there, like condominiums in the United States. While both Trujillo's Hotel Playa and Tela's Apart-Hotel Ejecutivo are within walking distance of the beach, La Ceiba's Apart-Hotel Pico Bonito is on the highway going to the airport. Each apart-hotel has a parking area -- a rarity for Trujillo and Tela hotels.

In addition to hotels that only have apartments, some hotels like Villa Brinkley in Trujillo now offer the possibility of renting condominiums instead of hotel rooms.

Both Tegucigalpa, and especially San Pedro Sula, have seen an upsurge in the construction of luxury hotels. Some of these are apart-hotels, such as the Apart-Hotel Lomas del Guijarro in Tegucigalpa. Others are called Suite Hotels, which Hondurans believe is the English translation of Apart-Hotel.

These apart-hotels offer foreigners who are moving to Honduras but have not yet found a place to live a great housing option. This type of housing is also handy for development workers or executives who are sent on short-term assignments. People who come to learn Spanish and bring their families also prefer apart-hotels. A complete and up-to-date listing of Honduran apart-hotels can be found in the quarterly publication Honduras: Tours and Tips, available at most tourist locations.

Copan Update

This week is the first in an occasional series of "Some say.... Copan Update says...."

* Some say that the Bay Islands will be the next hotspot for the rich and famous of LA, N.Y. and Paris... Copan Update says, "When I see Tyra Banks, Uma Thurman, Naomi Campbell and Leonardo DeCaprio together munching on lobster tails and sipping cold Port Royals at Bite On the Beach, West Bay, then I'll believe it."

* Some say that Honduras is destined to become the next Cost Rica or Belize... Copan Update says, "In your dreams."

* Some say that the Honduran government does little or nothing to promote tourism and market Honduras as a tourism destination... Copan Update says, "You're darn right."

* Some say that Honduras is an ecotourism paradise.... Copan Update says, "In the 'goodbook' (IHT brochures) this is true, but here in the 'hood,' we got some serious gettin' busy to do, like slowing deforestation, overfishing, pollution, illegal hunting, clear cutting or we ain't gonna' have much 'hood' left to recreate in no mo'."

* Some say that Tela is a funky, ex-banana port town that is ripe for tourism development... Copan Update says, "Yeah, OK...and I got some land in Florida I'd like to sell you as well."

* Some say that San Pedro Sula is a hot, busy, boring commercial city with little to offer the international tourist... Copan Update says, "I don't agree" -- San Pedro Sula is a very hot, very busy, very boring and very commercial city with absolutely nothing to offer the international tourist."

* Some say that Copan is poised for great things in the future... Copan Update says, "O.K. but don't you think we need to pay at least a teensy, tiny, tad bit of attention to such 'basics' as repairing streets, water and sewage systems, electricity, garbage collection, security, and other 'amenities.' In most major tourist destinations, the above are all considered necessities, not extras to be wished for like frequent flyer add-ons."

* Some say that the ruins of Copan are one of the finest, best preserved Mundo Maya sites in Mesoamerica... Copan Update says, "I hear ya' babe, but what about the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History doing a little (much needed) renovation to raise the village of Copan from it's decaying (pre-19th century) state; the Central Park needs renovation, the infrastructure is a scrambles, the streets resemble Beirut, and the lack of even the most minimal zoning codes are turning Copan into a 'mish-mash' of pseudo-colonial, 20th century, concrete-block architecture."

* Some say that as tourism increases, service to tourists will get better... Copan Update says, "experience in Copan may indicate the reverse. Already young, self-appointed guides are engaging in definitely 'unfriendly' behavior toward tourists, charging out of whack prices, being verbally abusive, threatening tourists -- all in a bid to intimidate the inexperienced tourist and dip a bit deeper into their wallets."

* Some say Copan Update should refrain from referring to Honduras' up-and-coming tourism sector in my column as a 'pinch' optimistic, bordering on the hallucinogenic... Copan Update says, "To live in Honduras one must be a bit optimistic, a bit of a dreamer (a bit freaking' crazy). If I didn't have at least a milliliter of optimism, I'd be back in the good old US of A right now teaching a bunch of runny nosed, saggy pants wearin', middle school brats the finer points of 20th century world history!"

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

"The majority of Hondurans who stay in apart-hotels use them as the equivalent of short-term executive housing."

These apart-hotels offer foreigners who are moving to Honduras but have not yet found a place to live a great housing option.

Copan Update

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

As I mentioned in last weeks column, Semana Santa san be a joyous, happy time, filled with sun, fun, family and other earthly (and spiritual pleasures). On the other hand Easter week can be a nightmare, the vacation from hell, a real bummer. How to make your Easter a great one? Well, here are some tips on preparing for the last Easter week of the millennium -- Easter '99...

* Reserve that beach front room Now. As Easter approaches, everything from four star resorts (do we have any four star resorts on Honduras' North Coast?) to no star rooming houses where rates go by the hour and the front desk girl sports a 5 o'clock shadow and a too tight, slinky, stretch mini-skirt.

* Pack a tent, sleeping bags, etc. because chances are your hotel will not hold your reservation, even after repeated confirmation calls and faxes throughout the year.

* Start saving now for that boombox of your dreams, you know the one that you saw in Curacao with a half-dozen speakers, built in laser light show, color TV, CD, DDS, double cassette, video recorder, and built in PC. The wallet-busting price tag will be more than offset by the hordes of onlookers and curious bystanders who will no doubt crowd around your beachfront encampment.

* Start working on that wardrobe for the beach. If you're heading to Tela, the 'de rigueur' of this past year was undoubtedly something I like to call "Catracho chic" -- casual, slightly disheveled, unpretentious and very cool. For men, we start with a pair of cut off jeans, cut just above the knee, an El Pueblo mas Macho es el Pueblo Catracho (The most macho guys are Honduran Guys) T-shirt, and a Nike 'Do-It' baseball cap.

* For women, it's really quite simple -- beachware consists of bra, slip and a pair of chancletas (rubber sandals). Who says dressing up at the beach has to be complicated? Besides, Calvin Klein ain't never been to Tela.

* Car preparations. There is no time like the present to start preparing your vehicle for the coming Easter '99 road war. Check local auto parts shops for four used tires, any size or condition will do, and a few feet of heavy duty wire. The idea here is to hang two tires or your front bumper and two tires on your rear bumper. That way, in the infamous words of Mc Hammer, nobody will be able to 'touch this'!

Buy a couple rolls of duct tape, which is perfect for fastening down broken tail pipes, loose bumpers, broken body panels and covering car body holes. It's also great for quick, road side, post-accident repairs during your trip to or from the beach. If you drive a pickup, be sure to duct tape down 'everything' that could fly in case of a sudden stop or head-on collision. This includes taping down cooler, lawn chairs, as well as grandma, grandpa and the kids.

Try and come up with some alternatives to spending Easter Week with the teeming multitudes in Omoa, Tela, or Trujillo. How about staying home and catching up on all those old editions of National Geographic you haven't read yet? How about staying home and having a Easter movie film festival in your living room -- invite the neighbors over for some fish soup and Ben Hur? How about heading up to the mountains for a little eco-R&R, the cool mountain air, virgin pine forest, quaint indigenous villages? As Robert De Niro would probably say, "are you freakin' crazy or somethin', we're talkin' Easter here, da big knish, an Easter without da beach is a like a Sunday morning without the Times. "You talkin' to me?"

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

Utila locals sink freighter for divers
'Halliburton' becomes new artificial reef and wreck-diving site
The sea cocks opened, the Halliburton 211 begins to take on water. Minutes later the 300-ton vessel was resting on the sea floor east of Utila, 99 feet below the surface.

By ALUN GORDON

Special to Honduras This Week

Utila, long famed amongst travelers as the jewel of the Bay Islands, has a brand new attraction for visiting scuba divers to enjoy: the wreck of the 300-ton freighter the "Halliburton 211."

In January of this year, the dive operators of Utila united behind Ronald Janssen, owner of Cross Creek Dive Centre, to buy this ex-oil rig supply-boat for $60,000. They then gave her to the island's Municipality, so that she could be placed on the sea floor as an artificial reef and wreck-diving site.

Preparations for the sinking took weeks. The red and white ship first needed to be thoroughly cleaned, to prevent any oil or diesel spillage. Then a team of welders cut out all the hatches, to make the boat safe for divers. Finally, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, the boat was towed out to her chosen resting place by local supply ship the "Tonia C." Capt. Lejourn Cooper maneuvered his vessel with inch perfect precision to ensure that the 131ft Halliburton was positioned as required, just outside the island's sheltered eastern harbor.

Dozens of boats packed with spectators gathered around as Jim Engel, owner of the Bay Islands College of Diving, opened the sea cocks and abandoned ship. Within minutes the decks were swamped and a loud cheer went up as she slipped under to find her final resting place on the ocean floor.

Only seconds after she had disappeared, divers went down to confirm that the new wreck was sitting upright in 99ft of water, exactly as planned, making this the latest artificial reef in the Caribbean and one of Central America's most exciting new dive sites.

After the sinking, I spoke with the popular local Mayor, Monty Ray Cardenas, about all the positive things that are currently happening on Utila. He explained that the sinking of the wreck was just one of many projects which have seen islanders working together with local businesses and the Municipality to improve and protect this little corner of paradise.

Other successes include: the placement of buoys to prevent anchor damage by dive boats, a petition against the illegal use of undersized nets by a small minority of fishermen, improvements to the local schools, the cleaning of the local dump and a campaign to raise $6,000 so that Utila can buy itself a garbage truck.

Local people have been eager to help the Mayor in his endeavors. One example of this came on March 28 this year when locals and tourists got together to organize a fund-raising party on Water Cay, a short boat ride away from Utila. They named the party "Sunjam" and invited an international DJ line-up to play 24 hours of non-stop pumping tunes.

Alfred Olin, owner of the legendary "07" club and one of the Sunjam organizers, explained what they were trying to achieve. "We wanted to rock till we dropped and do something to help our island," he said. "It was amazing; there was a real festival atmosphere with live music from Remolino, great food, drumming sessions around the camp fires and of course, plenty to drink!"

Olin's enthusiasm was obvious as he continued, "it felt great to party for a good cause. Sure, the hangovers hurt as we sailed home on Sunday afternoon, but everybody had a great time, we cleaned up and we raised Lps. 4,700 towards the garbage truck this island desperately needs."

On questioning visitors to the Island, it became clear that the island of Utila is very popular with both diving and non-diving holiday makers. One tourist, Julie Hiam from London, England said, "it's so friendly, there's little or no crime, everyone smiles all day long, there's almost no traffic and the local hotels and restaurants offer tremendous value for money."

Chris Phillips, owner of the Utila Dive Centre and founding member of Utila's sky diving club, said the only problem visitors to the island were likely to encounter was a shortage of hotel rooms. "Book up well in advance" was his advice, "and come prepared for the holiday of a lifetime."

The sinking of the Halliburton 211 was just one more example of the positive spirit of this very special island. Plan a visit as soon as possible and experience this warm and welcoming place for yourself.

By the way, the next Sunjam is being planned to coincide with an eclipse of the moon on August 8 and will once again be raising money for a good cause. More information about the party can be found on the Internet at <http://www.zuper.net/sunjam.html>.

For donations to the garbage truck fund, call Utila's municipality at 425-3255.

Copan Update

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

Well, Easter '98 has come and gone like a springtime Arkansas tornado. Easter -- or Semana Santa as it's called in Central America -- whips up the local populace into an annual frenzy fed by a long vacation, lots of sun, hot temps, plenty of freely flowing booze and religious fervor.

Semana Santa has become a two-edged 'machete.' On the one hand it's Christmas, New Year's, summer vacation, Fourth of July, your grandma's birthday and your once a year binge-till-you-puke week all rolled in one. On the other hand, however, Easter week is a time of deep religious fervor, coupled with ancient rituals as old as civilization itself.

How do we rationalize these two extremes? Well, don't even bother to ponder the complexities of what makes the Central American psyche tick, you'll just get a whooping dolor de cabeza (headache) and be just as confused, perplexed and disheartened as when you began your analysis.

So, what's a poor ex-pat to do? Well, read on... First off, to avoid any further confusion, Easter week in Honduras is a purely Honduran affair. No foreign tourists need apply. North-of-the-border-sun seekers would be much better off waiting till the end of April to avoid the craziness and excesses of Easter week Honduran style.

Now, I know all of you back in the States, Canada, and Europe who are reading this article while curled up in front of your color monitor, a mug of hot starbucks at your side, are wondering... "How bad can this Easter thing be?" For those of you just back from a frilly, pastel colored, Easter day egg roll in a local park or suburban shopping mall take note -- arriving on Honduran shores during Easter Week for that long awaited tropical, Easter holiday brings with its certain inherent (and possibly lethal) risks. Still confused? Well check this out...

Easter week in Honduras brings thousands of locals to the North Coast beaches (notice I did not say 'beach resorts' because Omoa does not exactly qualify as a four star resort!). Most visitors arrive packed into a pickup, they bath with their clothes on (really!), no string bikinis a la Rio there! Garbage piles up in heaps... everywhere these visitors park themselves, beaches begin to resemble the local town dump. The phrase 'no littering' has not exactly fared well in its translation into Honduran psyche. The beach during Easter resembles on open air disco, without the light or the a/c. It's all there; the throbbing, crappy dance music, poor quality, over priced food (prices go up during Easter... surprise!), the mass of sweaty, overly-dressed bodies, the stumbling, stupor of alcohol-laden young (and old) people makes the white sand beaches look more like a M*A*S*H* unit than a peaceful, Caribbean, palm-fringed, coconut sipping, love-making-by-moonlight getaway.

And finally we have transportation. Easter week is the one time of the year when you do not, repeat, do not want to drive. The roads resemble a Mad Max flick, complete with local road warriors, Honduran style. To say that accidents are common would be pushing the envelope of truth -- they are endemic.

Next week we continue with part 2 of Easter 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.

Great beaches, Garifuna culture await in Limon

By WENDY GRIFFIN

Stretching east from Trujillo are a whole series of Garifuna villages or towns, the largest being Limon with a population of about 8,000. Founded by Garifunas working in the mahogany lumber business on the Rio Limon, the major attraction of this town is the beach: 15 miles of white sand and blue water from Limon to Farellones, where businessman Miguel Facusse is building an impressive resort.

Garifuna culture can be seen all around you as women in their distinctive head scarves and boys dressed in homeboy and Rasta styles call out to each other in their native tongue. Church services are also conducted partly in Garifuna.

In Limon there are artisans who make handicrafts, including those of buyal. Horacio Martinez, former president of OFRANEH, says the community hopes to soon begin a reforestation project with this plant on lands they are trying to recover at Vallecillos, to the east of Limon. However, handicrafts must be directly ordered from the artisan, and one must wait for him to make it, as there are no handicraft stores.

Although Martinez said Limon restaurants served only chicken and more chicken, fish and beef were also offered at Restaurante del Pueblo, owned by a Garifuna who previously cooked in the United States. Like Santa Rosa de Aguan, Limon has seen its fishing yield depleted by commercial fishermen. Prices were reasonable at Lps. 79 for a dinner for two, including beer, and the fish was excellent.

The hotel is very pretty and affordable at Lps. 60 for a double room with private bath. Limon has running water, but no electricity, although some restaurants have generators or Coleman lamps. A new hotel will soon open on the beach in front of the city hall building.

Guidebooks to Central America recommend carrying bug spray like Baygon for hotels with cockroaches. If staying in Limon, don’t leave the last big town you visit without it. Mosquito coils are also sold by the owners of the hotel, which are helpful.

As in most of the Garifuna villages, the busiest times when hotels might be full in Limon are between Christmas and Jan. 15, throughout Holy Week, and during the patron saint’s fair, which is held the first two weeks of December.

For both Christmas and the fair, Garifunas of Limon dance most of the rarer costumed Christmas dances like Pijamanadi, Dona Amidi, Coreopatea, as well as Maypol. Only on Jan. 15, they dance Brisi Lama, Coreopatea, Mascaro or John Canoe, followed by the final dance of the Warini or Christmas Herald who is then thrown into the sea.

Many of the people staying in the hotel are not tourists but Garifunas visiting relatives at these festive times. A study by students of the National Teaching University (UNP) estimated that fully half the population of Limon resides in the United States, particularly in New York. This explains the presence of many fine cement and cinder block houses among the few traditional homes of yagual, a hardwood.

Limon is easily accessible. From La Ceiba there are direct buses to the village. You can also take a bus from La Ceiba and change in Tocoa or Corocito, on the road to Trujillo. Or coming from Trujillo, get off at Corocito’s triangle and change to a bus coming from Tocoa to Limon. It is two hours from the main Trujillo-Tocoa highway to Limon.

For tourists flying into Tegucigalpa, an interesting way to go to the coast is to take a bus from Tegucigalpa to Juticalpa, and from there to the Pech village of El Carbon, where there is a new ecotourism project. From El Carbon, take any bus going north and change at the triangle in Carbonales, where there are buses to Limon as late as 3 p.m. It is four hours from El Carbon to Limon.

There is also intermittent boat service from Limon to Palacios, Plaplaya, and the Rio Platano Biosphere area. Although a great way to see part of the infamous Mosquito Coast, female passengers are reminded these boats have all male crews and mostly male passengers.

Copan Update

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

Today, part 2 of our series, 13 ways to beat the heat -- Honduran style...

6) Head up to La Tigra park outside of Tegucigalpa, for a little bit of hiking in the cool, crisp mountain air. Bring plenty of munchies, drinks, and don't forget that cooler of purified ice!

7) Drive up to Agua Caliente, about a 45-minute drive from Copan Ruins. Although the name of the village translate literally to Hot Water, it is really a cool place to spend an afternoon. The hot springs at Agua Caliente are famous (and they are hot -- burning hot), but the trick to it is to soak in the cool mountain fed stream at the spot where the hot, thermal waters mix freely with the cool stream. You can adjust your bathing temperature by strategically placing rocks around the area where the hot and cold waters mix -- it sounds weird -- but it is lots of fun (and a great way to beat the heat). Note: a small pulp' at the springs sells cold beers and pop, no ice available here, so pack in your own. Purified ice is available for sale in Copan Ruins at Hotel Gemelos and Hotel Marina.

8) Rent a sea kayak on West End and paddle out, sticking close to shore, so as to be close to beach front bars and restaurants for liquid refreshment breaks. Recommended stops include: Bites on the Beach and Fosters.

9) Head up to Gracias. Hike the marked trails (to the peak if you can)! Remember, the higher you go, the cooler it gets. If you plan on spending the night, pack in all necessary supplies. Tent, sleeping bags, food, water and warm clothes.

10) Head up to the North Coast (any small Garifuna village will do), slice up a fresh coconut and suck down its cool, sweat juice, dive into the ocean, find a shady nook, and snooze the afternoon away. If you find yourself in or near Tela, don't forget to post a trusted friend as a lookout to watch out for potential beachfront thieves!

11) Hop on the ferry that runs from La Ceiba to Roatan, stand at the front of the ship with your favorite gal (a la Titanic) and soak up the cool ocean breezes and sea spray.

12) Hit the magnificent ruins of Copan around 3 p.m. when the sun is just beginning to travel earthward, the fading light casts unworldly shadows as tinges of red, pink and copper bathe the ruins -- it's an experience you will not soon forget.

13) Mix up a blender full or banana daiquiris' (don't forget plenty of purified, crushed ice), switch on the ceiling fan (or a/c), whip off the clothes, shoes, socks (a pair of skimpy gym shorts is adequate), flip on the re-runs of the Nagano Winter Olympics, pull out a quart of ice-cream from the freezer (with 2 spoons -- one for you and one for your partner) and think cool thoughts. Remember the theory of bio-feedback, that humans can actually control body temperature and cure diseases through the use of mind-control. Just repeat after me... Honduras is cool... Honduras is cool...

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