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TELA |
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 East of San Pedro, highway CA-13 runs through fertile lowlands, past
serried ranks of banana trees which stretch for mile after endless mile.
La Lima , 15km from San Pedro, is the definitive company town,
headquarters for United Fruit ("Chiquita" brand) operations in Honduras.
At El Progreso , a dusty town a further 15km east, the highway swings
north to enter the stunning scenery of the coast .
With its magnificent natural setting midway round the Bahía de Tela,
surrounded by sweeping beaches, TELA should be a dream getaway. The town
is a magnet for Hondurans and young European travellers alike, and
though the police have reined in some of the gangs of would-be lotharios,
there remains something of a seedy undercurrent about the place that can
either add to its charm or bring a sense of unease, depending on your
point of view. However you feel about Tela itself, the wealth of
fantastic natural reserves within just a few kilometres of the town make
it well worth a visit.
The Town
Today's Tela is a product of the banana industry. In the late nineteenth
century United Fruit nominated what was then a backwater as its
headquarters, and set about building a company town - Tela Nueva - on
the west bank of the Río Tela; the...
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