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The mild and mellow Caribbean vibe of Tela is far removed from the discos and drive throughs of San Pedro Sula. It is a pretty town, with a main square to wander around and drink watermelon licaudos. Whatever you do, do not leave without trying pan de coco, a traditional local bread made from coconut flesh. Especially when warm, they are delicious.

From here, you can easily get to the Garífuna villages of Miami, La Ensenada and Triufuno de la Cruz. Thatched huts on sandy roads with delicious seafood and not-too-bad beaches you can swim from (do check). Well worth a visit to get a feeling of Garífuna life and culture, a people descended from indigenous carib islanders, with a strong cultural identity kept alive through language, dance and story-telling.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23808 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23806
Buenos Aires is the first village you reach in the Merendon Mountains, a cool, misty range covered with primary and secondary growth cloudforest. The village smells of woodsmoke, hot corn and sweet coffee. Stock up in the local shops, and try Waldina's famous fried chicken at the Tucan.

The village boasts spectacular views over the valley and a lovely, very basic eco lodge, where you will wake up to the sounds of bird song and coffee pickers singing on their way to work and little else.

From here, arrange a guided tour of Cusuco National Park. On the way up to the park (a steep climb) you will most likely be invited in for a strong, painfully sweet cup of local coffee.

Quite suddenly, the pine forest gives way to giant ferns. Here are toucans, tapirs, jaguars and howler monkeys. You can swim in (some) waterfalls, and spot orchids and hummingbirds.

Here you are a world away from both the humid bustle of San Pedro Sula and also from the Central American tourist trail. You are immersed in everyday latin american village life and the cool, silent word of a spectacular cloudforest that sees surprisingly few visitors a year.

Go!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23806 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15540 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15540