July 9, 2007

After ten kilometers of driving on a deserted stretch of road in the middle of nowhere, we were starting to question our decision.

Yuscaran wasn’t referenced in The Rough Guide to Central America.

We had circled it on our map the night before in Comayagua only because it was located between the capital Tegucigalpa, which we wanted to avoid, and the Honduran/Nicaraguan border crossing, which apparently closed at 5 pm.

We managed to suppress our increasing anxiety - the farther we drive on unknown roads in unknown countries the edgier we get – and continued on the road (another seven kilometres) until we reached our destination.

It turned out to be one our better decisions of our trip.

Nestled on the side of a cool mountain and with rough cobblestone streets, red-tiled roofs and a postage-stamp sized central plaza that brims with palm trees, pine trees and Honduran cowboys, Yuscaran had a captivating untouched quality.

If I was a writer looking for an exotic, economical and inspirational spot to finally write my first novel, I would seriously consider moving there.

And although this tiny town of about 2,000 people wasn’t mentioned in our guidebook, it is not a secret to Hondurans: the former mining centre was declared a national monument by the Honduran government in 1979.

It also the type of place where the townspeople gave us a "buena dias" when we walked by, and escorted us to our destinations when we asked for directions.

(This included to the unsigned Hotel Ochao - which is a few blocks down from the church, is more like a guest house and one of only two or three very modest places to stay in town - and a "cafeteria" in the far corner of town, the only option that was available for dinner (fried chicken, french fries, rice, beans and pop)).

That's not say we always understand what they were saying.

To us, Hondurans speak Spanish as if their mouths are full of marbles and we feel like we are starting over with our language skills, as our tried and tested phrases from Mexico and Guatemala no longer work for us.

Key Facts & Figures:

-Hotel Morales, Comayagua: $21/night
-Hotel Ochao: $15/night