La CeibaPersonal travel impressions in stories and pictures from La Ceiba, Honduras. Click on the pictures to enlarge, send as a free e-card, or download for personal use. You can locate La Ceiba and navigate the world using Google Earth Show on map
N 15° 47.199
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Ceiba is the name of a tree common in Honduras. In the interior towns, the ceiba is often placed on the main square, its huge branches providing shade to passers-by. Moreover, the tree can become very old. The third largest city of Honduras is called La Ceiba, and indeed, it was named after a huge ceiba tree close to the beach. When the tree was still there, it was a natural provider of shade for those living and working in this hot climate, but unfortunately, the tree is gone. The city is very alive, though. As the locals say, Tegucigalpa is for rulers, San Pedro Sula for workers, and La Ceiba for those who want to enjoy life. It is famous for its nightlife, it is a stsrting point for nearby national parks, and a jumping point for trips to the Bay Islands.
Upon arrival, the city was suffering a major rain bombardment. Even though I ran from the bus to a nearby taxi, I was soaked when I got in. As we drove through the city, I felt a boat would have been more appropriate, and at some places, the water in the streets was so high, that my feet, safely inside the taxi, were entirely immersed in the rainwater coming into the taxi. The first thing I bought were a pair of slippers. Then, I started exploring the city, and directly fell for it. Unfortunately, I didn't plan to stay much time and used it mainly as a stopover point for visits to other places.
I kept coming back at the market, which attracted all kinds of people. It was always congested with cars driving through, the green market stalls were attractive either opened or closed, and the people as colourful as can be. Another striking feature of the streets was the amount of people selling lottery tickets, which anyway is common in Southern Europe and many former Spanish and Portuguese colonies. At the market, it was easy to strike up a conversation, to just watch the market life develop, to listen to the haggling, to let everything work on your senses. 
