Castillo de San Felipe, Rio Dulce, Guatemala

Castillo de San Felipe, Rio Dulce, Guatemala, a photo by Adalberto.H.Vega on Flickr.

An amazing colonial structure rises in the Lake Izabal, Guatemala, near Rio Dulce, one of the nicest spots in eastern Guatemala, where you can spend a couple of days exploring the surroundings and having a most exciting boat ride downstream  Rio Dulce through the gulf ending in the quaint little Garifuna village of Livingston.

The Castillo de San Felipe de Lara is a Spanish colonial fort located at the entrance to Lake Izabal in eastern Guatemala. Lake Izabal is connected with the Caribbean Sea via the Dulce River and El Golfete lake. King Philip II of Spain ordered the fort to be erected in an attempt to reduce pirate activity in the area.

This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on September 23, 2002 in the Cultural category. (via Wikipedia)

Overlooking the Lake Izabal

"Castle of San Felipe de Lara, it is composed for defensive strength that watched over the entrance to the old Kingdom of Guatemala from the Caribbean sea, built during the time of Spanish dominance (1524-1821). This construction has served from protection to important cultural goods for the reconstruction of the history of this type of monuments. It is connected in a natural, simply impressive landscape." ~via UNESCO

Interior passage

Garifuna fishermen, Punta Izopo, Tela

Garifuna fishermen, Punta Izopo, Tela, a photo by Adalberto.H.Vega on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Around 10AM these Garifuna fishermen will pack their nets and head to their huts with today's lunch: a few fresh fish caught from the Río Platano canals in Punta Izopo National Park as they have been doing since over a couple centuries when they first arrived to Honduran Caribeban Coast after being sent away from Saint Vincent Island.

Alrededor de las 10am estos pescadores Garífunas recogerán sus atarrayas y retornarán a sus cabañas con el almuerzo del día: unos cuantos pescados recién obtenidos de la desembocadura del Río Plátano en el Parque Nacional Punta Izopo como lo han venido haciendo a diario desde su llegada a las Costas del Caribe Hondureño hace más de dos siglos luego de ser enviados lejos de su natal isla de San Vicente.

 

A few Km. from Tela, Atlántida in Honduras, Punta Izopo National Park main attraction is the Rio Platano, where you can kayak through a maze of  mangroves admiring an impressive landscape and plenty of aquatic birds, howler, spider and cappuccino monkeys and some crocodiles. An exciting way of spending half day, and then enjoy a typical Garifuna lunch at the community of Triunfo de La Cruz.

Artisan's street, Copan Ruinas

Artisan's street, Copan Ruinas, a photo by Adalberto.H.Vega on Flickr.

Via Flickr:

The artisans' street in Copan Ruinas. Every weekend, this street is blocked to vehicles, and turned into a pedestrians' way, where everybody can admire and buy at bargain prices some excellent artwork and crafts exhibited by local and regional artisans. One of the little details that make this acquainted charming little town a true gem for tourists, besides the majestic Copan Maya Ruins.

La calle de los artesanos en Copan Ruinas. Cada fin de semana, esta vía se cierra al tránsito vehicular convirtiéndose en una peatonal donde los artesanos locales e internacionales exponen sus magníficas obras, las cuales estána la venta a precios muy razonables. Es una de las cosas de las que pueden disfrutar los visitantes en este pacífico y encantador pueblecito del Oeste de Honduras, además de las magníficas Ruinas de Copán.