Know Your World – Honduras

This article starts a new series called Know You World.  Bloggers from different parts of the world discuss the culture and uniqueness of their own countries.

This week I am featuring the beautiful Central American country of Honduras.  Ninfa from A Year in Motion had the gentleness of answering my questions about this country.

Read ahead and learn new things about this magnificent country.

1.      From what part of the country are you?

Born and bred in the capital, Tegucigalpa, probably the hardest capital to remember, spell, and pronounce when learning geography.

Describe briefly your hometown.

Tegucigalpa is a city of almost 1 million inhabitants. Although the biggest in the country, compared to other capitals it’s more like a big town. It’s a city of many hills, few big buildings, and in its outskirts, you will find many charming traditional small picturesque towns. Year-round we have nice summer weather.

Where are you currently living?

SDF, like the French, says “Sans Domicile Fixe”. I am currently not a legal resident anywhere, I left my country 6 years ago to travel and work in Europe. A year ago, I left Europe to travel the world. The plan is to move to Dublin, Ireland soon.

2.      Design a one-day itinerary for somebody visiting your hometown.

Take a Radio Taxi (safest) to have breakfast at the famous “Panes del Barrio La Bolsa” consisting of fresh crunchy bread filled with refried beans, mantequilla (local sour cream), local grated cheese, and spicy sauce. From there, visit the colonial part of the city in the downtown area, walking through the churches, and parks.

Then head to the lookout point of the city at the Cristo statue in El Picacho. Go back down to Boulevard Morazan (commercial street in town) and eat pupusas (a local delicacy consisting of melted quesillo – our mozzarella- in a dough filling and topped with pickled onions and cabbage) at “Paseo Universitario”.

After lunch, visit either the Museo del Hombre or Villa Roy for history. Or you can visit Valle de Angeles (20 km away), a well preserved colonial town which is the best place to buy souvenirs. Before dinner for an aperitif and after dinner party visit one of the many bars in Paseo los Proceres or Boulevard Morazan.

For dinner, try “El Patio” and order a “Plato Tipico” (the national dish) consisting of many barbecued meats, plantains, rice, beans, chismol, tortillas, cheese, etc. This place is as typical as you can go and it has a lot of ambiance, as plenty of mariachis and musical groups perform inside.

3.      What parts of the country have you visited?

Almost all of it, but I have to go back and visit La Mosquitia, a very remote jungle area. Comparable to the Amazon, but not as exploited.

4.      Your country is known for _______________.

Scuba diving, ancient civilizations, friendly people, being in the last World Cup, and a recent coup d’etat (nothing to worry about there).

5.      What type of food is typical to your country? 

Baleadas (flour tortillas with refried beans and sour cream), pupusas (see above), pastelitos de perro(fried meat and potato filling in a seasoned dough) topped with pickled salads, tamales, and plato tipico (see above).

Are any special dishes prepared for a specific season or festivity? 

Whole pig cooked in a charcoal oven and different kinds of tamales for Christmas.

6.      How would you describe the family ties in your country? 

Extremely important and the basis of society.

7.      What holidays are celebrated in Honduras? 

All the theme commercial USA ones. We have official days off for December 25, January 1st, 3 days in Holy Week, September 15 (Independence), and 3 holidays in October for celebrating the discovery of America, and some military occasions, as well as Labor Day on 1st May.

8.      Any cultural practice/curiosity we should know about? We do not want to offend anybody if we visit.

Being a Catholic country, most people are conservative: go to church on Sunday, do not live together until marriage, are devout of Saints…

9.      What off the beaten path place or activity can you recommend? 

Visiting the jungles of La Mosquitia.

10.    Leaving aside cultural activities and sightseeing, where we can go to have pure fun? 

In Tegucigalpa, Paseo Los Proceres. In the country: Tela and La Ceiba beaches in our Caribbean Coast or the Bay Islands.

11.    Cheapest way to have a good time or learn something?

Honduras is quite a cheap country so every activity is accessible to foreigners. Walking  (with no valuables) should only be done during the day in the downtown area to see the colonial buildings.

12.    In your opinion, what is a good way to experience the true soul of the country (or have an authentic experience)? 

Befriending a local at Paseo Los Proceres to know more about Tegucigalpa and where to go. Traveling to the Western part of the country stopping at all the little towns, which are authentic and far from the capital.

13.    What makes your country and people unique? 

The friendliness of the people, and the affordability of the country, in relation to all the unexploited natural attractions we possess.

14.    Anything else you want to add about Honduras?

Come before we exploit tourism as our neighbors have done already.  Top attractions: The beautiful and unspoiled beaches of the Bay Islands, and the impressive Mayan Civilization in Copan.

15.    How we can learn more about you and your country?

Myself: contact me at www.ayearinmotion.com

I can answer any specific questions about Honduras.

To read about my recent world travels and look at all our pictures: www.ayearinmotion.com

Follow me on Twitter: @ayearinmotion

I want to communicate to Ninfa my deepest gratitude for taking her time to share the wonders of her country with all of us.