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Jaunted in Honduras: South to Comayagua

Jaunted contributing editor Paul Brady just returned from a tour through Honduras, the original Banana Republic. We'll be posting stories this week about his travels in the tropics. Have any burning questions?

After running myself through a biblical rinse cycle, I changed into some dry clothes and hopped a bus south from Lago de Yojoa toward Comayagua. The former colonial capital of Honduras, it's a fairly large city right along the main highway between San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa. Having been the capital on-and-off for nearly 350 years, it has plenty of European-style cultural things to see.

Number one on that list would be the Cathedral of Saint Mary in the heart of town, which everyone will tell you has the western hemisphere's oldest clock. Honestly, it didn't look that old to me, but what do I know about clocks? (Anyway, the story goes that Philip III donated the clock to the cathedral in Comayagua, but the details change depending on who's telling the tale.) Another nice sight is the Church of Mercy (Iglesia de La Merced), just up the road from the Cathedral. It's not usually open, but the colonial architecture and the leafy park across from the building are nice.

When you're done with the sights, the Hotel America Inc. (actual name!) is a good bet for a clean bed.