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PUERTO CORTEZ |
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 North of San Pedro Sula, Highway CA-5 runs through the flat
agricultural lands of the Sula valley, amidst lush, tropical scenery.
After 60km the four-lane highway reaches the coast at PUERTO CORTÉS ,
Honduras's main port, where the unstinting heat and dilapidated wooden
buildings merely add to the rough and ready feel of the place. There's
nothing here to entice you to stop, but if you do, Hotel El Centro (tel
665 1160; US$5-25), at 3 Av, just west of the Parque Central, has basic
but serviceable singles and doubles, some with cable TV and private
bathrooms, while Hotel Villa Capri (tel 665 6136, fax 665 6139, villa-capri@lemaco.hn
; US$60-80), close to the docks at 1 C and 2 Av, has the best rooms in
town, all with a/c.
Three companies run buses between San Pedro Sula and Puerto Cortés,
including the reliable Citul, whose offices are at 6 Av, 7-8 C SO in San
Pedro; they have services every thirty minutes between 6am and 6pm, and
the journey time is one hour. The Citul terminal in Puerto Cortés is a
block north of the main plaza at 4 Av and 4C - if you're heading on to
Belize or Guatemala, the migración (Mon-Fri 8am-noon and 1-5pm; tel 665
0582) is conveniently close by at 5 Av and 4 C, one block to the north.
To change money , head for Banco Atlántida on the south side of the
plaza, or to the market just to the west, where the largest shoe-stall
owner cashes dollars at fair rates. There's Internet access at Plaza
Marinakys, 2 Av and 6 C (Mon-Sat 8am-6.30pm), two blocks east of the
Parque.
Moving on from Puerto Cortés, there are buses to Corinto, for Guatemala
, every ninety minutes (8am-3.30pm; 4hr) and hourly connections to Omoa
(1hr); buses leave from the Transportes Citral terminal on 3 C a block
west of the Parque. It's also possible to travel from Puerto Cortés by
fast skiff, the Gulf Cruza , to Belize , with weekly departures on
Mondays at 10am from the old bridge at La Laguna, 3km south of the town
centre. The journey to Belize City (US$75) takes around seven hours,
with stops at Belizean immigration at Big Creek and at Placencia (4hr;
US$50). For more information and the latest schedules and prices call
665 1200 or 665 5556.
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