Day 1 (June 28) - Landing at TGU and driving to Zambrano
TGU airport is currently under constructions and so the auto rental offices are a bit tricky to find. Once exiting the terminal, they are to the left, in a construction area... There are a few tiny booths, one for each rental agency. We were warned in advance that even with a reservation we should not expect to get a car immediately. And indeed, the Mazda we reserved was not there.
At first they tried to persuade us to take a small Chevrolet Aveo, but knowing that we have 2 weeks of travel we politely declined. We were then offered a 4x4 Mitsubishi SUV. Within an hour they brought the car from the Avis central agency and off we went (after withdrawing the max of 5000 lempiras = US$250 from the airport ATM). The road from the airport to Zambrano is excellent. Zambrano is about 35 miles from the airport in the direction of San Pedro Sula, on a well-paved, wide road. Driving was easy, with not too much traffic and very wide shoulders. There is a slightly tricky turn to get on to the highway to San Pedro Sula. In general, we found that entrances and exits from towns and cities onto highways sometimes looked more like back alleys than roads. But they did connect to the main road again.
We booked our first night at Caserio Valuz in Zambrano (double room for $60-$72, and there is a neat dorm). It was built and is run by Jorge Valle-Aguiluz (email: jorgevalleaguiluz@yahoo.com), a terrific guy. Jorge speaks English and Spanish and knows everything about Honduras and way beyond. The hotel is beautifully decorated and is as serene as it gets. The town of Zambrano is tiny with zero attractions besides the real country life, kids at school, families going to the mill to grind corn for tortillas, etc. No restaurants, and we didn't see any real comedors either (so plan on either bringing stuff or eating at Caserio Valuz which can be slightly expensive). As in most of Western Honduras (except Copan Ruinas) there were no gringos in sight. There was, however, a large house that belongs to an American expat (Jimmy Hughes) called "door of hope", which we heard was some kind of an orphanage.
To get to Caserio Valuz, right at KM 35 there is a sign for an Army post on the left and a nearly invisible sign for Caserio Valuz. Take a left there and just continue straight through he cobble-stoned village until you reach the beautiful palace-like hotel on your right. If you miss that left turn, you will immediately see a gas station. You will also find there a good convenience store to stock up on water, snacks (we got lots of crackers and baked goods), local souvenirs and even some from Egypt! (an Egyptian guy who lives in the area sells some mementos at the supermarket).
TGU airport is currently under constructions and so the auto rental offices are a bit tricky to find. Once exiting the terminal, they are to the left, in a construction area... There are a few tiny booths, one for each rental agency. We were warned in advance that even with a reservation we should not expect to get a car immediately. And indeed, the Mazda we reserved was not there.
At first they tried to persuade us to take a small Chevrolet Aveo, but knowing that we have 2 weeks of travel we politely declined. We were then offered a 4x4 Mitsubishi SUV. Within an hour they brought the car from the Avis central agency and off we went (after withdrawing the max of 5000 lempiras = US$250 from the airport ATM). The road from the airport to Zambrano is excellent. Zambrano is about 35 miles from the airport in the direction of San Pedro Sula, on a well-paved, wide road. Driving was easy, with not too much traffic and very wide shoulders. There is a slightly tricky turn to get on to the highway to San Pedro Sula. In general, we found that entrances and exits from towns and cities onto highways sometimes looked more like back alleys than roads. But they did connect to the main road again.
We booked our first night at Caserio Valuz in Zambrano (double room for $60-$72, and there is a neat dorm). It was built and is run by Jorge Valle-Aguiluz (email: jorgevalleaguiluz@yahoo.com), a terrific guy. Jorge speaks English and Spanish and knows everything about Honduras and way beyond. The hotel is beautifully decorated and is as serene as it gets. The town of Zambrano is tiny with zero attractions besides the real country life, kids at school, families going to the mill to grind corn for tortillas, etc. No restaurants, and we didn't see any real comedors either (so plan on either bringing stuff or eating at Caserio Valuz which can be slightly expensive). As in most of Western Honduras (except Copan Ruinas) there were no gringos in sight. There was, however, a large house that belongs to an American expat (Jimmy Hughes) called "door of hope", which we heard was some kind of an orphanage.
To get to Caserio Valuz, right at KM 35 there is a sign for an Army post on the left and a nearly invisible sign for Caserio Valuz. Take a left there and just continue straight through he cobble-stoned village until you reach the beautiful palace-like hotel on your right. If you miss that left turn, you will immediately see a gas station. You will also find there a good convenience store to stock up on water, snacks (we got lots of crackers and baked goods), local souvenirs and even some from Egypt! (an Egyptian guy who lives in the area sells some mementos at the supermarket).
posted by Galit Shmueli at 10:00 AM
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