Dear Editors:

Your “Fashion Police” of Vol. 2, No. 19 really caught my eye.A0Thank you so much for making my surrogate father the butt of local jest and mockery.A0I am heartened that you have nothing better to comment on. I find this funnier in that if your self-styled fashion police cared to actually talk with him about why he was dressed this way, they could have had a discussion of fashion trends in history.A0Strange to some 85 sure, but why mock?A0But hey, the little black box over his eyes makes all the difference in anonymity.

– Gregory Tremblay

(Editor’s note: The Telegraph offers its apologies. We didn’t know anyone read the Fashion Police.)

A mud season travel tip

Dear Editors:

Why would anyone go to Honduras?

Hurricanes, prison uprisings, drug wars, poverty and a rock starlet killed in a car crash. Those are the only headlines we see from Honduras. Is there ANY good news about this misunderstood Central American country? Yes, is my answer.

I have been vacationing in Honduras since 1992. I admit, I have not really been many other places in Latin America. What I did find is the best kept secret in the region. Guatemala and Costa Rica have much better tourism marketing funds. Honduras has the wildlife, rain forests, and botanical gardens, and Mayan ruins people expect to see in Central America.

The official doctrine of the government is that ecotourism will be the focus for the future. Efforts are being made to preserve the natural resources of the country without massive development. Ten years ago only the Bay Islands of Roatan, Guanaja, and Utila were tourist destinations. The islands have improved their infrastructure since then, but still remain a funky, laid-back paradise. One of the largest coral reefs in the world surrounds the Bay Islands. They are fantastic!! The north coast city of LaCeiba is a gateway to much of the country. An international airport serves the islands, $35 round trip to Roatan.

Connections are available and frequent to Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. Flights from San Pedro go to every other country in the area. LaCeiba offers reasonable rooms from $10 a night for the backpacker crowd. For those of us who prefer a bit of luxury, the Lodge at Pico Bonito offers a complete guided ecotourism experience. Hotels in the mid range are all over town.

A raging whitewater river drains the rain forest of the Pico Bonito National Park. You can kayak the river into town, take a left at the Caribbean and paddle back to your hotel on the beach. Jungle waterfalls across the Congrejal River make for a nice day hike destination. The cool water is refreshing after the two hour hike. Wildlife refuges guided trips through mangrove estuaries, multi day float trips into the Mosquito Coast, are all available through tour operators in LaCeiba. Customs officials are nice, police are helpful, and everyone appreciates you visiting their country. Even with my very limited Spanish skills, I never feel uncomfortable, threatened or taken advantage of.

So this mud season, try somewhere different and exotic.Visit Honduras.

– Sincerely,

Dave Weidenmiller