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TEGUCIGALPA |
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 Much of TEGUCIGALPA 's appeal is understated, with its main pleasure
to be found in wandering the winding, narrow streets of the old centre,
which meander haphazardly up the lower slopes of Cerro Picacho , the
city's dramatic, mountainous backdrop. Along these streets, crumbling
colonial buildings give way to gently decaying nineteenth-century
mansions and modern, airy homes, each a watermark of the city's history.
Even the constant cacophony, gridlock and pollution of the traffic-choked
centre doesn't detract entirely from the charm, and the comings and
goings of hordes of vendors, beggars, idlers and passers-by provide
entertainment for free. More concrete attractions include several well-preserved
colonial churches , in particular the eighteenth-century cathedral on
the Plaza Morazán, a handful of national museum and art collections ,
and several small, well-patronized parks.
Yet just west of the old centre, the character of the city rapidly
becomes more menacing as you approach the banks of the Río Choluteca. On
October 29, 1998, ten-metre-high floods caused by Hurricane Mitch ripped
through the river valley, tearing down buildings in a tide of
devastation that killed around a thousand people. Today virtually
nothing has changed since the floods - vast mud deposits and garbage
clog the banks and hundreds of vultures circle overhead in some worst
scenes of urban decay in Central America. Cross one of the bridges and
you're in Comayagüela , always a poor barrio but now distinctly
threatening after dark as poverty levels have increased following Mitch.
Most visitors come here to visit sprawling market , or are simply
passing through one of the city's bus terminals , which are dotted
around Comayagüela's streets. Keep a very close eye on your possessions
as you change buses.
The City
The heart of Tegucigalpa's old city is the pleasant Plaza Morazán,
bordered on one side by the cathedral ; a number of the more interesting
churches and museums, plus many hotels, lie within easy walking distance
of the square. East...
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