Santa Lucia

 Every other weekend we get both Saturday and Sunday off and we can choose to spend the time either on the NPH Ranch or take the opportunity to go explore somewhere else. This last weekend we took the employee bus into the city of Tegucigalpa on Friday after work, then took an Uber to a little town called Santa Lucia located in the hills a half hour west of the city. Santa Lucia is an old city, dating back to the 1500s and located high in the mountains west of Tegus. It may have started as a mining town since there used to be veins of silver, gold, and other metals nearby. Now it is primarily agricultural with more focus on tourism.  It is full of hills – even more than Tegus – and the steep stone streets make driving or even walking around the town difficult, particularly if it is raining.

Several people on the ranch had recommended Santa Lucia, but none of them had actually stayed there, so we did not have any advice on lodging. Our internet search had shown possibly five hotels, but you had to call to get rates and to book and we just wanted to “play it by ear”. One of the possibilities for lodging was close to the scenic church and closer to the restaurants and cafes so we had the Uber driver go to La Posada de Dona Estefana. Unfortunately, the driver’s car could not quite navigate the steep hill leading to the Posada, so we got out and walked at the end.

                                            Sanne and Allen (carrying Sanne's guitar) in Santa Lucia

We knocked on the door and asked in our stilted Spanish about lodging. The gentleman that answered the door looked puzzled, then answered back in perfect English!  He was originally from Central America but had spent many years working in Washington DC and was now retired and living with his wife in Honduras. They had started up a restaurant next door (he gave us a tour) and were considering converting their home to a bed and breakfast similar to Dona Estefana’s which was the house behind his.

With his directions, we arrived at Dona Estefana’s Posada and were able to book a room at the Posada for just $60 which is about right for a nice hotel in Honduras. One of the other volunteers, Sanne, joined us on this adventure. She is a free spirit in her mid-thirties from Holland and bought a guitar in Copan that she takes everywhere – including on this adventure. Many of the children at NPH and some adults think we are her parents. Even though there were only three rooms at the Posada, two were available and we were delighted with the accommodations. There was a beautiful view of the lights of Tegus in the distant valley below from a terrace and we were able to enjoy some dessert and drinks as well as listen to some wonderful music nearby.

                                            The Lights of Tegucigalpa from the Terrace

The next day we walked around the small town and took in the sights which included a beautiful old church, a lagoon, several shops and bakeries. We took a longer walk to scope out the other lodging in the area and decided that Dona Estefana’s was the best choice, but also that there was no need to stay an extra night and decided to go back to Tegus to shop for additional items that we would not be likely to find in Santa Lucia. We decided that Santa Lucia would be a fun place for a return visit and we would likely do the same things all over again.

                                            Oconic Church in Santa Lucia (Also from the Terrace)

                                                                Santa Lucia Lagoon


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