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Sunday, July 28, 2013

La Esperanza

A view of La Esperanza, from atop the Gruta

From the first time I'd traveled outside of my temporary new 'home' of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, I found that getting away from the over polluted, dangerous, and rather boring capital city is surprisingly easy and affordable. With this most recent 3-day weekend, I decided to forgo my workplace's 30th anniversary and instead hop on a $6, 30 minute bus ride to Honduras's coldest city, La Esperanza, Intibuca.

Surprisingly light and breathable,
typical Lenca attire
        

       Halfway between Tegucigalpa and the countries westernmost attraction, the Mayan Ruins of Copan, and well along a winding mountain road in what seems like a path into deeper and thicker forest, lays the culturally beautiful pueblo of La Esperanza, Intibuca. Famous for concealing the native hero "Lempira" from Spanish conquistadors, this little city stuck me as having a different, more Indian population than Tegucigalpa. The majority, known as Lenca, dress in colorful fabrics and often don headscarves they have personally crafted. (Most likely the only place in Honduras to do so, considering Esperanza's considerably cooler climate) Though this demographic has its own language, they have assimilated enough and now Spanish is the predominant language spoken. The accent, however, remains and gave me a little bit of trouble when I was trying to understand the sweet old woman trying to sell me some clothes.


Central Park
         Getting away from the bus station and to the wonderful, family run hotel that our friend Anai provided for us, we enjoyed finding serenity and a well maintained, cool Central Park in a country where the blistering heat swelters and creates a norm of blood-boiling fiestas and movement. Instead of the typical partying, people are more relaxed. Violence and crime are drastically lower. Finally, I could feel at ease even while wandering the streets at night, as we comfortably watched the folklore festival with what seemed like half the population of the miniature city.  Groups from all over Honduras came to perform traditional dances while dressed in Honduran clothing.  


The steep steps leading to the church are so uneven,
as if made by youngsters, yet perfectly beautiful







     Without a doubt, spending only one full day here turned out to be completely insufficient.  Though the city is small and easy to traverse in less than 30 minutes, its surrounding attractions include free public baths, a natural lake for fishing, picnic-ing and rowing, as well as many hikes, including one that leads to the fantastic Cascadas de Rio Grande, one of Honduras's tallest waterfalls. There is also a natural dwarf tree park nearby, totally unmarked and reachable only with assistance by the locals, where scientists are still trying to discover the secret to why so many of the world's trees have decided to grow on their own as dwarves, never reaching over 2 meters tall.  



Mirian bartering for some oranges


Wearing a typical Lenca head scarf, Mirian overlooks one part of the vast public baths recreational area.