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Showing 1-25 of 94 results
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Doin’ Time in Tegus – Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 21 May 2012
You wouldn’t automatically put most Central American capital cities (Belmopan, Guatemala City, San Salvador, Managua, etc.) on the top of your travel to-do list but they do have their charms, you just usually need some local help to uncover them. For example, we didn’t have high hopes for Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, but then we found a great burger, a really good museum or two, a nice little hotel and more with a some help from our local friend Edo. Tugucigalpa (just Tegus to some) has been the capital of Honduras since 1880.
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Update from the Field: Translation Follies, Contemplating Kindness and Comfort and KF Cribs
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 21 May 2012
Compiled by David Gorgani | KF17 | Dominican Republic This week's stories from the field span topics ranging from ill-equipped law enforcement to the "luxurious" living places of Kiva Fellows.
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Blowing Smoke – Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 16 May 2012
The road from the town of Gracias down to Santa Rosa de Copán travels through gorgeous pine forests and sloping, green hills. But we weren’t able to enjoy it. There were so many potholes in the “pavement” that it was best to think of the journey as a video game–something along the lines of Angry Potholes–in which gaping holes appear out of nowhere and it’s your job to avoid them. At one point a particularly huge pothole had a blow-up Santa Claus stuffed into it as a grim warning to steer clear or join the jolly man in the abyss. Good luck.
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Photo Essay: Lempira Day Parade – Gracias de Dios, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 11 May 2012
Gracias de Dios is the center of the land of the Lenca, the largest indigenous group in Honduras. Their most revered leader was Chief Lempira who, in the 1500s, managed to hold off invading Spanish forces. Though Lempira was ultimately killed by the conquistadors, he is celebrated every July 20 on what’s known as Lempira Day. The normally sleepy town of Gracias hosts the biggest celebration of them all with a three-hour Lempira Day Parade, air force fly over and a fireworks display.
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Land of the Lenca – Gracias de Dios, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 9 May 2012
Our travel timing was accidentally perfect and we pulled into the town of Gracias de Dios in southeastern Honduras (about four hours from the famous Copán archaeological site) just as the annual Chief Lempira Day Festival was gearing up. Held every July 20, this is the most important festival among the Lenca people–the largest indigenous group in Honduras–and Gracias (no one says the “de Dios” part) is ground zero.
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Update from the Field: Thoughts on Wealth, Religion and History, Foods from the Field, and a Day in the Life of a Fellow
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 7 May 2012
Compiled by David Gorgani | KF17 | Dominican Republic As our fellowships wind down and as the first batch of KF17 fellows packs up to head home, the time has arrived to reflect on our experiences in the field and on the realities faced on a daily basis by the people living in the countries in which we've spent t
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Brews and Views – Lake Yojoa & Cerro Azul National Park, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 3 May 2012
Travel just south of San Pedro Sula and you’ll find the biggest lake in Honduras. Lake Yojoa (Lago de Yojoa in Spanish) was formed in a volcanic crater and is shaped vaguely like the state of Florida. On the lakeshore there’s a small archaeological site where you can walk around the remains of a Lencan city which dates back to 700 BC and hundreds of types of birds (and vacationing Hondurans) love the place. But those aren’t the only reasons we went to Lake Yojoa. We also heard there was beer.
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Escaping San Pedro Sula – Cusuco National Park, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 1 May 2012
San Pedro Sula is not a pretty town. Nor is it cheap or attraction filled or, frankly, particularly safe. A Peace Corps worker was accidentally shot in the leg during a gun fight on a public bus in San Pedro Sula recently, precipitating a complete withdrawal of Peace Corps workers from Honduras (here’s more on the Peace Corps pullout). San Pedro Sula is, however, where the country’s biggest international airport is located and it’s possible that you will find yourself in SPS (as everyone calls it) at least for a night.
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On the Rocks – Utila Island & Rocks Cay, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 28 April 2012
A sad little ferry (more like a floating coffin) takes you from La Ceiba out to Utila town on Utila Island, in the Bay Islands of Honduras. But the dilapidated craft turned out to be a blessing because, unlike the sleek monster which travels from La Ceiba to neighboring Roatán Island, the Utila ferry is slow. In the midst of a downpour with seas churning we piled into the craft, then every single one of the windows and doors were sealed (not for the claustrophobic).
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Valley of the Dammed? – Cangrejal Valley, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 19 April 2012
We arrived in the Cangrejal Valley at a bad time. A company called Hydro Honduras had their eye on the Cangrejal River which is the heartbeat of this valley outside the grotty town of La Ceiba in Northern Honduras. For more than a decade businessmen had been sniffing around the valley with plans to dam the river in order to produce hydroelectric power. A fresh batch of greased palms had suddenly spurred the project into overdrive and concerned locals were circling the wagons.
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Water Sports Around the World
Blog: Canada's Adventure Couple - 18 April 2012
This spring, we asked our readers to help us choose where American Express should send us on our next adventure: Our next trip is on water and we have put together our top choices for water sports around the world.
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How to Ruin an Island – Roatán, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 16 April 2012
We believe there absolutely was a time when Roatán Island, part of a collection of islands in Honduras called the Bay Islands, was a paradise of white sand beaches, laid back locals, pristine waters and affordable prices. Sadly, those days are over thanks to a few buzz kill developments. Two words: vomit comet Of course getting to any island is part of the adventure.
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The Beverly Hills of Copán – Las Sepulturas and El Puente Archaeological Sites, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 4 April 2012
The Copán archaeological site is one of the top tourist attractions in Honduras and for good reason. Sadly, only a fraction of the visitors to Copán visit a little gem of a site located right next door (you can easily walk to it from the Copán site and your Copán ticket gets you in). It’s called Las Sepulturas and archeologists believe it was the Beverly Hills of Copán. We’ve visited more than 60 Mayan sites and wandered around the residential areas at many of them.
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Update from the Field: Non-Financial Services, Employment Discrimination + The Dark Side of Sustainable Tourism
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 2 April 2012
Compiled by Chris Paci | KF16 & KF17 | Ukraine It’s been a busy week here on Kiva Stories from the Field! Most of our KF17 fellows have been in the field for two months by this point, and they’ve been drawing on their wealth of on-the-ground experience to unpack some of the more complex and [...]
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Inside the Sculpture Museum of Copán – Copán Archaeological Site, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 2 April 2012
The Sculpture Museum of Copán at the Copán archaeological site in Honduras may lack the romantic ambiance and sense of history of the site itself. However, the museum is home to the best original sculpture and architecture the Mayans of Copán produced and it should be an integral part of your visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site. You enter the museum through a dramatic tunnel meant to mimic the experience archaeologists had while exploring the site.
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Old Copán – Copán Archaeological Site, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 30 March 2012
You’re gonna pay dearly if you want to visit the most popular tourist attraction in Honduras. It’s US$15 per person just to enter the Copán archaeological site. Another US$7 to enter the adjacent Sculpture Museum of Copán where the best stelae, facades and carved details are preserved and on display. Want to walk through a small tunnel inside a structure which was built around a temple which is now hidden inside it? That’s gonna cost you another US$12. All totaled up, that’s US$34 per person in entry fees. Is Copán worth the fees? Yes and no–mostly yes.
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New Copán – Copán Ruinas, Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 22 March 2012
It’s confusing, we know: The closest town to the ruins of the Mayan city of Copán, the most famous and widely studied archaeological site in Honduras, is called Copán Ruinas.Therefore, the comparatively new city of Copán Ruinas is your base for exploring the positively ancient remains of Copán ruins. Copán Ruinas is tiny but jam-packed with tourists and the services that come with them. Because the number one tourist attraction in Honduras is right on the town’s doorstep, most offerings are of the mediocre but overpriced variety (case in point: laundry is $1 per pound).
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Border Crossing 101: El Florido, Guatemala to Honduras
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 20 March 2012
Crossing international borders is never easy, especially when you’re driving across in your own vehicle as part of an overland road trip. We hope the information, below, helps you get prepared and get across smoothly with or without a vehicle. Date: June 8, 2011 From: El Florido, Guatemala To: Honduras Lay of the land: This border crossing, referred to as El Florido on both sides and used primarily by big rigs and day-trippers visiting the Copan archaeological site, is dusty and quiet. No touts, no hassles, no services, banks or other facilities.
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Five Years on the Road: Our Trans-Americas Journey “Road-a-versary” By the Numbers
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 27 February 2012
Happy Anniversary to us! Or should we say “road-a-versary” (thanks Julie)? Today is day 1,825 of our Trans-Americas Journey road trip. That’s five years of active travel on the road not counting a couple of stretches when we were unexpectedly stuck in one place for reasons beyond our control (looking at you, Chevrolet). We’re not very good at math Our initial description of the Journey predicted three years and 75,000 miles to cover North, Central and South America from the Arctic Ocean to Tierra del Fuego.
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A Trip Down Memory Lane of New Year’s Past
Blog: Canada's Adventure Couple - 31 December 2011
Wow, can you believe it's nearly 2012? This has been a short Christmas season, it seems shorter than usual with Christmas and New Years falling on a Sunday. It seems like the holidays just got started and they are already coming to and end
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60 Tips from Kiva Fellows
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 30 December 2011
Compiled by Kate Bennett, KF16 Peru The sixteenth class of Kiva Fellows has all but left the field- but we're by no means done talking about our experiences. We've collectively spent 422 weeks in the field (just over 8 years!) and worked an estimated 16,650 hours at Kiva field partners around the world.
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Updates from the Field: Autonomy, Sierra Leone and the 2011 Kiva Love Tour
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 5 December 2011
Compiled by Kate Bennett, KF16, Peru This week's updates come at a time of change for Fellows around the world. As the holidays near, Fellows prepare to phase out of their current placements, move on to the next ones, and tie up loose ends with their Kiva Field Partners.
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Kiva Love Tour: Honduras 2011
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 30 November 2011
By Sandra Pina, KF16, Honduras The Kiva Love Tour wrapped up about a month ago here in Honduras. I headlined the 3-week tour which was co-sponsored by Kiva and ODEF Financiera. Each of the 26 venues (read: branches) were sold out and I dazzled (yes, I dazzled) concert-goers. I'm relieved to write that the reviews were mostly positive. Keep reading for the full recap.
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Stuff Kiva Fellows Like #10-17
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 26 November 2011
Compiled by Jim Burke, KF16, Nicaragua We are Kiva Fellows. This is the stuff we like. Here is an insider (often critical, or satirical but always true!) view of what it means to be a Kiva Fellow and promote access to financial services around the world. From party crashing to bazaars to street food, these [...]
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Travel Photo of the Day – Caribbean Fishing Village of Roatan, Honduras
Blog: Two Backpackers - 31 October 2011
Jonathan is a regular contributor for 2Backpackers.com. For more information or to sign up for his newsletter visit LifePart2.com. Oak Ridge on the Honduran island of Roatan is a little touristed Caribbean fishing village. Oak Ridge is often called the “Venice of the Caribbean” because most buildings are on the water and travel is mainly [...]
