A Country Worth Visiting?
- Virtual Traveller 86
- May 14, 2020
- 3 min read
Day Three: Country No.16
HONDURAS Arrival Time: 3:23pm
In a mere 75 minutes you can fly from Guatemala city to Toncontin airport Tegucigalpa, capital city of Honduras. The country has a diverse landscape. Caribbean white sandy beaches, lush rainforests and rugged mountains. Yet in the midst of this is a country that is the second poorest in Central America. There are high levels of inequality, massive unequal distribution of income and high unemployment. One of the greatest threats to children living in Honduras is violence. Social exclusion, a lack of opportunities and disillusionment all feed the growing number of gangs. According to the United Nations, Honduras has the highest homicide rate in the world. These are some of the main reasons thousands have been fleeing the country on foot, seeking a safer and more stable life for their children and themselves.
I am so conscious of this as I explore the country via virtual tours, many of which invite you to come and holiday on their beautiful island beaches. And yes the beaches and the countryside are truly stunning.
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa is the capital city. I explored some of the museums and spent time walking around the main square. There is some amazing creativity and I loved the different street installations which can be seen in my photos below. I also visited the Cathedral which too you can see below. It was nigh impossible to get a full picture of the front of the building due in part to trees but mainly my inability to get close enough (the constraints of Google Streetview).
Comayagua Comayagua is a city founded in 1537 and is about 80 kilometres northwest of Tegucigalpa. It has one of the oldest churches in Central America. Building began in 1634 and the cathedral was inaugurated in 1711. The bells are said to be the oldest in the Americas, dating back to 1100 and the time of the Moors. They were cast in Spain. It is a beautiful city with lots of colonial architecture.
1. Town Hall
2. The bells
3. Catedral de la Immaculada Concepción
4. The rainforest is home to these marsupials.
5. The town of Cedros, 77km from the capital
6. Parrots and Macaws are native to Honduras
7. Cedros sits in an area of hills and tropical forests
8. More countryside.
Copan Ruinas
Copan is an archaeological site of the Maya civilisation, situated in western Honduras not far from the border with Guatemala. It was the capital city from the 5th to 9th centuries AD. Both excavation and preservation are ongoing.
1. Underground is a network of tunnels decorated with Mayan stonework of different colours.
2. This area was used for ball games, using a ball weighing 8 pounds and made from the sap of a rubber tree. It was about the size of a child’s head (according to an information board next to this area).
1.Tiger Island in the Gulf of Fonseca, on the Pacific coast. The island is a conical basaltic stratovolcano and the southernmost volcano in Honduras.
2. View from Amapala beach on Tiger island.
3, 4, 5. All pictures of the Caribbean archipelago, Cayos Cochinos, off the northern coast of Honduras. It has the world’s second largest barrier reef system. 6. Beachside at Amapala.
Whilst a country (like many others) with much social and health inequality and clearly widespread corruption, Honduras also has great natural beauty. Would I visit it? Yes I think I probably would.
Leaving Honduras: 6:21pm
I am doing this challenge to raise funds for The Scoliosis Association UK (SAUK) and for the NHS Charities. You can read my reasons for choosing these in an earlier post. Any donation is gratefully received and can be done by clicking on the virginmoneygiving link below. Thank You.
Google Earth and Streetview
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