Things you'll learn about Honduras on the internet

Just some random photos around La Ceiba

Honduras is the cleanest country in Central America.
Honduras is the dirtiest country in Central America.

Hondurans are friendly people.
Hondurans are unfriendly and rude people.

The rainy season in Honduras is November through May.
The rainy season in Honduras is May through November.

Hurricane Mitch, one of the worst natural disasters to hit Honduras, occurred in 1994, 1997, or 1998. Deaths numbered 11,000 or 3,000.

San Pedro Sula is a quaint little town.
San Pedro Sula is the second largest city and the industrial center of Honduras.

Most of the people in La Ceiba are black.
The population of La Ceiba includes a mix of Latino, black Garífuna, and Anglo Saxon people.

Honduran banks are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
Honduran banks are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays.

Hondurans only eat black beans.
Hondurans only eat red beans.


Reading the travelogues, it is amazing how many people think they know a country or city because they spent a week in Honduras or a day in La Ceiba passing through to the ferry for the islands.

One common thread among travelogues is that people who visited Copan or the Bay Islands generally have a much more favorable overall impression of the country than those who visit other parts.

Those who visit or travel through the outlying villages are usually most struck by the poverty. Those who visit the big cities of San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa often mention how dirty and scary the cities are. Those who visit the North Coast, La Ceiba in particular, often mention the rudeness of people they meet in stores, hotels, taxis, etc. And sadly, people who visit all over the country often mention the trash and litter everywhere.

I don't know if tourism is the right answer for improving the economy of Honduras or not. The government seems to think so. But tourism doesn't just happen. It's going to take some effort which I just don't see happening in La Ceiba.

People depending upon the tourist trade just don't seem to realize that in this day of the internet, one tourist cheated by a taxi driver, treated badly by a hotel employee, staying in a dirty hotel room, or robbed on the street has the ability to really do some damage to Honduras' reputation.