Honduras Travel
Honduras is the second biggest country in Central America. It has colonial villages (Gracias, Comayagua), ancient Maya ruins (Copan), natural parks (Moskitia), and Pacific and Caribbean Sea coastline, and the Bay Islands, with great beaches and coral reefs where snorkeling and diving is a must. The country is neighbored by Guatemala to the northwest, El Salvador to the west and Nicaragua to the southeast.
Part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation on 15 September 1821.
After two and one-half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras was a haven for the Reagan-sponsored anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Sandinista government of Nicaragua and an ally to Salvadoran government forces fighting against leftist guerrillas.
The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused almost $1 billion in damage, affecting seriously the development of the country and its main infrastructures.
The Honduran "Plato tipico" is the most famous lunch. It consist of rice, beef, fried beans (frijolitos), and fried bananas (tajaditas). Other choices are tacos, baleadas, and enchiladas, inherited from the neighbor countries.
Take special care at night. It is common from time to time for a foreigner to be robbed on the streets of Tegucigalpa at night. Thieves will stake out areas in front of tourist hotels, especially the Hotel Maya in Tegucigalpa. Crime is getting higher, especially in tourist areas. The best tip is not to risk yourself by walking through the poor parts of any towns or taking public transportion. You should cooperate with burglars if one is being robbed. This problem is mainly in big cities. In small towns, robbery is not a great issue. On main cities be sure to never be walking alone (especially at night), but it is definitely better to avoid walking in large cities. The best solution is to travel by car. It is also very important to know that there are parts of the city especially dangerous, and parts which are relatively safe (always ask people).Note, that the situation is completely different in smaller towns. This is type of issues are mainly common on Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and a bit less in La Ceiba. Ask local people about which places are safe and which are not, and follow their advice.
|
