Here are all the posts for Honduras
map, Honduras
Tegucigalpa
I stayed a couple of nights in the Capitol of Honduras and enjoyed the sites in the City Center and learned the story of the statue of the Virgin de Suyapa and Don Pepe´s Men´s Room. At dinner, Hondurans cheered as their team beat the U.S. in futból.
Tegucigalpa is the capitol of Honduras. The pronunciation includes the English word ¨goose.¨ The city center is safe for tourists (in the day). Squads of tourist police, city police, national police and military are everywhere. Pharmacies and other stores have private guards and 
bars between their customers and the merchandise. I did feel safe in the central park (Plaza Morazón) near the cathedral and spent several restful hours people-watching. The temperature was perfect.
I visited the Museum of Art and really enjoyed it, including the traditional courtyard architecture of the building itself. I also visited the Museum of Man, but there was little to see. The Iglesia de Los Dolores and the Cathedral both had glorious, gold altars.
I ate at the Terraza de ¨Don Pepe¨ and learned the story about the Virgen de Suyapa and the Men´s Room. The Virgen of Suyapa is the patron saint of Honduras. The statue has disappeared from the Basilica on several occasions. One time it was found in the garbage can next to the toilet in the Men´s Room in Don Pepe’s restaurant. To commemorate the discovery , the former Men´s Room has been turned into a shrine (with a new Men´s Room built in the next room).
Getting there–The day began with a bang–literally. Someone was shooting off fireworks to celebrate the resurrection of Christ! On Easter Sunday, I traveled from Estelí, Nicaragua, crossed the border into Honduras and made it to Tegucipalpa. It was a long day–walk to the highway, taxi to the bus station, 2.5 hour bus ride to Ocotala, taxi to Los Manos, walk across the border, half an hour bus ride to El Paraiso, one-hour bus to Comayaguela, and a half hour taxi to the hotel in Tegucigalpa. Whew! Despite the crowds of people going home (or back to work) at the end of Holy Week, everything went smoothly. At one point we were in a line with about 200 people waiting to take the bus to Tegucigalpa. But bus after bus picked everyone up and we waited less than a half hour.
Lodging–I stayed in the Central Area at Hotel MacArthur. It was clean, comfortable and secure.
Lago de Yojoa
Lago de Yojoa is a large natural lake, 17 km long and 9 km wide. The Hotel Agua Azul is a resort on the lake with cabins and a restaurant. There are docks with boats and kayaks and lots of birds. I went kayaking and hiking. I went to Catarata de Pulhapanzak, a 43 metre high cascade–well worth seeing.
Getting There–I took a tourist bus from Tegucipalpa to La Palma and a local bus to the hotel on Lago de Yojoa.
Lodging–The Hotel Agua Azul is worth staying at for at least a couple of nights. The cabins have just the right amount of funk. The food is good. The views and birds are great.
La Esperanza
I knew I was off the tourist path when I signed into the hotel. The two open pages of the ledger were almost full. I was guest 98. Under the column ¨Pais,¨ the first person had written Honduras. From guest 2 to guest 97, there were ditto marks. I wrote, EE.UU.
I took a bus from LaGuama to Taulabé to see the caves. The caves are reportedly at least 12 km long. Visitors get to see the first 400 to 600 meters. They are very impressive with large chambers.
From Taulabé, I took a bus to La Esperanza, the highest town in Honduras (about 5,000 feet) and our beginning of the Ruta de los Lenca. This is a marketplace for Lenca people. On Saturday morning the town was flooded with people buying and selling all manner of foods and goods. Everyone returned to the bus station with burlap bags and boxes. The tops of the buses were piled high with mattresses, metal drums, crates of chickens and you name it.
The town reminded me of small towns in China. The main street had a little bit of asphalt and the rest of the streets were dirt. The people were simple and stared at me as I walked down the street. Many of them didn´t speak Spanish or English, but only the native Lenca language. Their houses, markets and bartering process reminded me of China. And, oddly, there were several Chinese restaurants.
Lodging–We stayed at the Hotel Alexandra. The room was small but clean and secure. At night, it was dark, quiet and cool.
Gracias
The town of Gracias, formerly known as Gracias a Dios, is an old, sleepy, little town surrounded by picturesque mountains. At one time in the early 1500s, it was the Spanish capitol for Central America. Here, the Spanish squashed the indigenous rebellion led by Limpira by offering him peace terms and then assassinating him. The basic Honduran currency is based upon the ¨limpira.¨
I visited Balneario Aguas,Termales. The locals in the bus insisted I must go there. I was reluctant because these are hot springs and I was already hot enough from the sun without getting up to my neck in hot water. But, it was wonderful. A canopy of trees covered with epiphytes shaded the pools. The temperature was just right–a little warmer than body temperature. And when I got out, the breeze in the shade felt cool
I also took a day trip to La Campa. I went in a three-wheel taxi (yes, Made in India). The town was 18 km away and it took an hour, about 10 mph along the bumpy road. The town has a new museum about the pottery of the Lenca people and plenty of pottery stores. The townspeople are very friendly and trying to promote tourism. There are a couple of hotels. The setting is very picturesque. It’s not in the guide books. It would be a good place to hide away for awhile.
I visited Casa Galeano, a restored colonial house with gardens. It has interesting artifacts and an exhibit about the history of the area.
Getting There — Took a micro bus from La Esperanza to Gracias. The road was very rough and took about four hours. I enjoyed talking with three people that lived in Gracias.
Lodging–I stayed at the Hotel Guancascos. It is a wonderful hotel. Clean, secure, tastefully designed, a lush garden, good restaurant and friendly staff, great view and centrally located.
Copan
The Copan Ruins are well worth seeing. The Mayans worked on the city for about six hundred years. They are not as large as Chitzen Itzen, but the sculpture is better preserved and more intricate. Most of the best work has been moved inside the museum for better protection. Some of the names ascribed to kings are humorous, like 18 Rabbit. That´s a name the 
Artist formerly known as Prince could consider. I spent the better part of a day wandering around and enjoyed all of it.
I also visited Macaw Mountain, a home for orphan birds. People get exotic birds for pets and for one reason or another decide they don´t want to keep them. Macaw Mountain takes them. Because they are no longer tame, they can´t be released back into the wild. After stalking birds in the jungle for days on end it was funny to have them perch on my shoulder–no need for a telephoto lens.
The town of Copan Ruins is kind of nice with good restaurants and interesting shops. It´s definitely a tourist haven.
Getting There–I took three buses. From Gracias to San Juan de Copan to La Entrada to Ruinas de Copan. It took about six hours, but went smoothly.
Lodging–Stayed at Maya Acropolis Hotel. Had a spacious room with a balcony, a wonderful courtyard, roof terrace with a garden, shared kitchen, centrally located, hot water, good bed and friendly staff. I liked it.
-
Photos from Honduras
Honduras -