La Ceiba Dangerous for Gringos (Honduras)

I spent 21 days in Honduras/El Salvador in August.

One must be careful at all times. All large cities are the same any
where any country.

We did not have a problem in La Ceiba, but it seems like the stores in
town are locked
up when it gets dark to prevent theft. Unemployment is high.

Never wear jewelry. Never look like you have any money.

Rent an older vehicle (on the junky side) or old 4 door 2 wheel drive
pickup, blend in
speak spanish, hang around the locals off the beaten path. We did and
had fun. The
problems are in the cities.

Go rafting, canopy ride, Isla Cochinos, Copan is a bust if you have
been to tikal or other sites
in Guatemala, Belize or Mexico. Near copan we went to many areas
labeled as unsafe in our
junk truck with locals we met on the road and had no problems (We are
Native/Fluent in Spanish)

The only problem we had was in San Pedro Sula, my wife had a very
expensive cross inside her blouse and a street thug quickly reached
inside her blouse and ripped it off from around her neck.
The police would do nothing, they said crime in the country was so
high that you would have to
capture/detain/restrain or do something else to the criminal on your
own before they got there.

I did see a number of upper class people in honduras openly wearing
side arms to protect themselves and family. Crime is not directed
towards non residents !

As a side note Honduras was so depressing that we went to El Salvador
and had a good time in the capital (safe), Santa Ana and the southern
playas.

Salto Jorge

Salto Jorge wrote:
> > Copan is a bust if you have
> been to tikal or other sites
> in Guatemala, Belize or Mexico.

What???

I found Copan the best of all the Maya sites. It has
the most inscribed stelae, and, best of all, you can actually
go into the archaelogical digs underground and see the walls
of some of the older covered-over temples.

Doug McDonald

Salto Jorge <salto@qwest.net> wrote in message news:<3FC61837.E3657217@qwest.net>...
> I spent 21 days in Honduras/El Salvador in August.
>
> One must be careful at all times. All large cities are the same any
> where any country.
>
> We did not have a problem in La Ceiba, but it seems like the stores in
> town are locked
> up when it gets dark to prevent theft. Unemployment is high.

Most stores lock up about 6 p.m. in Honduras - except the large
"superstores" and malls in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula

>
> The only problem we had was in San Pedro Sula, my wife had a very
> expensive cross inside her blouse and a street thug quickly reached
> inside her blouse and ripped it off from around her neck.

How did you let a street thug get close enough to get his hand INSIDE
her blouse and how did he KNOW she had expensive jewelry on if it was
INSIDE her blouse?

> The police would do nothing, they said crime in the country was so
> high that you would have to
> capture/detain/restrain or do something else to the criminal on your
> own before they got there.

Sounds like the same song and dance the Tacoma, WA police have given
to people who have been victimized in their fair city, like I was.


> I did see a number of upper class people in honduras openly wearing
> side arms to protect themselves and family. Crime is not directed
> towards non residents !

And you think upscale people in the US don't arm themselves?

Warren Post wrote:
>
> >
> > I found Copan the best of all the Maya sites. It has the most inscribed
> > stelae, and, best of all, you can actually go into the archaelogical
> > digs underground and see the walls of some of the older covered-over
> > temples.
>
> It all depends on what the traveler wants. Doug is right: Copán is the
> very best site for quality of workmanship. After you've seen Copán, every
> other site looks slapdash by comparison.
>

Well, if you include London as part of Yaxchilan, Yaxchilan
wins on workmanship. I.e. the good lintels got stolen. But other
than those few great pieces, Copan sure wins! And then there
is Bonampak ... but still, Copan wins.



Doug