Showing 1-11 of 11 results
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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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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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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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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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Access Denied – El Salvador Border
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 28 July 2011
It was bound to happen. After 30 shockingly smooth border crossings into and out of six different countries we knew our luck at the border couldn’t last forever. Apparently, it couldn’t last until El Salvador. The problem actually started many, many months ago but we didn’t know that as we approached the immigration station at the El Poy border crossing into El Salvador from Honduras.
Showing 1-11 of 11 results
