CPA Gringo in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, C.A.

Tegucigalpa or "Tegus", Honduras, Central America

Hello friends & colleagues -

Our annual marathon begins about Labor Day, turns into a sprint at Thanksgiving until we collapse around New Years.  This time period is similar in intensity and time demands to that of the public practice CPA’s “tax season.”  Our entire team scrambles to help clients meet their deadlines, and to accomplish their savings and tax planning objectives.

It is now wonderful to catch our breath in Honduras, Central America.  This is a country where we have never been, with a language we do not speak (or only barely), while we learn about a culture in some ways similar but mostly dissimilar from the U.S.

We are spending 12 days of “mental health” time in Honduras. Half the time is in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.  Tegucigalpa is a busy, noisy city nestled in a valley at an altitude of nearly 1000m/3280ft. It has a fresh and pleasant climate, and is surrounded by pine-covered mountains.  Called “Tegus” by locals, the city was bestowed with the name ’silver hill’ when the Spanish founded the city as a mining center in 1578.  Tegus, with nearly two million inhabitants, has homelessness and pollution but offers gourmet restaurants and colorful fruit stands.  Its interest in tourism and security make it one of the safer big cities in Central America.

San Pedro Sula, Honduras, C.A.

Tomorrow we will transfer by bus 400 km northwest to San Pedro Sula.  San Pedro Sula is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula (Sula Valley), about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean Sea.  With a population of 1,000,000 people in its metro area, it is the second largest city in Honduras behind the capital of Tegucigalpa.  It is considered the economic and industrial center of Honduras, due to the many factories, plantations and business concentrated around the city.  San Pedro Sula is considered one of the fastest growing industrial cities in Central America. Set in the Sula Valley surrounded by banana plantations and the Merendon Mountain range, San Pedro Sula plays host to tourist and business travelers alike offering a wide range of activities, sites, excellent hotels and restaurants, and great shopping.

Tela Bay, Honduras, C.A. on the Caribbean Sea

We will walk on tranquil beaches most of the week at Tela Bay on Honduras’ North Coast on the Caribbean Sea.  Located near Guatemala and Belize, Tela is a premier alternative beach resort destination in Central America.

Even while gathering our thoughts during this respite, it has been wonderful to sit on the patio overlooking the city in the cool mornings, or at local coffee shops sipping coffee and writing and editing articles, so some of our productivity will begin to appear over the next few days and weeks.

My Latina friend and hostess Marlene, who is a native Honduran, tells me more about the country.  Divers will enjoy three beautiful islands . . . called Rohatan, Guanaja and Utila . . . called Bay Islands in the north of Honduras.

The Copan Ruins are the remains of the ancient Mayan civilization.  These ruins lie in eastern Honduras, and are visited by millions from around the world.

Happy & Prosperous New Year.

— J. Michael Stolp
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