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VALLE DE ANGELES |
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 Beyond Santa Lucía, the road continues to rise gently amid
magnificent scenery, winding through forests of pine whose slender
trunks reach up towards clear blue skies. Eleven or so kilometres from
Santa Lucía is VALLE DE ÁNGELES , another former mining town, now
reincarnated as handicraft centre and scenic getaway for capitalaños .
Perched on the edge of a valley, surrounded by green, wooded mountains,
the town slumbers during the week in preparation for the weekends of
hard business when the tourists pour in. Buses from Tegucigalpa run
through the centre of town, passing the Parque Central and terminating a
couple of blocks away. Everything in the town is only a few minutes'
walk from both the Parque Central and the bus terminal.
The town is chiefly noted for its high-quality, carved wooden goods -
including bowls and household items, trunks and ornaments - but there is
also a wide range of leather and ceramics. Numerous small shops around
town sell crafts, and gentle bartering is possible if you're serious
about buying. The covered Mercado Municipal de Artesanías , by the bus
stop, offers an overview of the range and quality of handicrafts
available, while Lessandra Leather, close to the bus stop, sells very
high-quality leather goods - bags, belts, purses and so on - at decent
prices.
Although many people visit Valle de Ángeles as a day-trip, combining
shopping with a walk in the surrounding woods, there are a couple of
places to stay . The Posada de Ángel (tel & fax 766 2233; US$25-40) in
the centre of town boasts comfortable rooms, all with bath, set around a
courtyard, where the pool is also open to day visitors. Ten minutes'
walk north of town on the road to San Juancito, Los Tres Pinos ( rubio@david.intertel.hn
; US$5-10) has three very comfortable rooms set in a garden; the
American owner arranges horse-riding and tours of the area. Reservations
for both places are usually necessary at weekends and are recommended
even during the week. For eating , try Restaurante Epocas (closed Mon)
on the Parque Central, which also functions as an antique shop: a range
of excellently prepared Honduran dishes are served in the dark, candle-lit
interior. El Anafre , next door (closed Mon & Tues), serves large
portions of spaghetti.
Direct buses for Valle de Ángeles (1hr) leave Tegucigalpa every hour
until 6pm from an open lot near the Hospital General San Felipe. To get
there, follow Av Juan Gutemberg/La Paz past the Bolívar Monument and
turn right at the Esso petrol station; the terminal is about 100m
further along on the left. The last bus back to Tegucigalpa is at 5pm.
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