Gracias

Monday, May 2, 2011--La Esperanza to Gracias, Honduras

I got to the bus station at 8:15 only to learn that I could leave at 9:15 on a bus that only goes to San Juan where I would catch another bus or at 11:30 for a direct bus to Gracias.  Others were taking the 9:15 bus planning to go to Gracias, so I did, too.

What a surprise.  The road from La Esperanza is not paved for 1/3 of the distance to Gracias!  It is a dusty and rough crushed stone road.  This is a major tour route for Honduras, so I expected more.  The mountains were beautiful.  This roadway is called the Ruta Lenca after the people who live in this area.  And where it has been paved, it is rough with worn spots because only a very thin coat of tar and gravel were put on top of the crushed stone.  On the bus with me was an American Peace Corps Volunteer.  We visited for a while.  It was interesting to hear how procedures are these days.

Gracias was once the colonial capital of all of Central America.  But then Antiqua took that title and even Comayagua took over as colonial capital of Honduras.  Gracias has, therefore, remained a small, dusty town.  To be honest, I can't figure out why it is popular with tourists.  There is a nice central plaza with a church.  A few of the streets are paved (cobblestone); most are unpaved and dusty.  The hotels here are over priced.  (I'm at the Posada de Don Juan in a room that is nice but would cost only half to 2/3 what I am paying in any other city in Honduras.)  And the only sites worth visiting in the area are a couple of hot springs, and neither of those is convenient unless you have your own transportation or want to hire a driver.

I did have a couple of good meals here today at the same restaurant.  For lunch, I had beef that had been cooked with spices, tomatoes, and onions.  I had rice on the side.  Then tonight I had two beef and chicken tacos (where were what we call flautas in Texas) served with sour cream, sliced tomatoes, pickled cabbage, and crumbled goat cheese.

I had planned to be here for 2 days, but I have now decided to leave tomorrow.  The next town, Santa Rosa de Copan, sounds like a better place, and the hotel has a much better review for about 2/3 the price.  I'll need to collect my laundry and pack before I can get off, but I think there are frequent buses to there.