This past September, I was in San Salvador for business. Close to my hotel, I stumbled upon a jewel of a boutique, specializing in handmade soaps called, 'Los Jabones de Mis Hijas'. It's located in the 'Zona Rosa', and is run by three sisters. They have over 30 varieties of soaps available, all handmade by the sisters. The soaps all cost $3.50 per 100 grs. I bought mango, honey and beewax, coffee, and rose.
If you're traveling to San Salvador, I highly recommend stopping in as the soaps make great gifts! The quality is what you would expect to find in a specialty boutique in France or Spain.
My only question, why don't Honduran artisans make unique, quality products that travelers actually want to buy?
The blog their shop is: www.losjabonesdemishijas.blogspot.com
Also, check out their Facebook page.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Ya Abrimos!!
The Tegucigalpa branch of the Guatemalan steak house 'Hacienda Real' (*****/$$$, Blvd Juan Pablo II, tel. 2239.6860) recently opened. Sure enough, my expectations were exceeded. You see, I go to Guatemala City every year for business, and I always eat at least one meal at the 'Hacienda Real' in Zona 10. I've been doing this for over ten years!! Recently, during my last trip to San Salvador, I also dined at the branch there. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw an advert in Taca's Inflight magazine and I noticed a small blurb saying 'proximente Tegucigalpa'.
Why do I like 'Hacienda Real' so much? For all the reasons that make a restaurant a great dining experience...
First, the food is amazingly good. All the steaks are grilled on an open bbq pit in the middle of the restaurant, the portions are generous and the meals are consistently good- consisting of quality meats, cooked to the specified temperature, tender and juicy. (Obviously, I'm not a vegetarian). The meals are always introduced with a cup of complimentary broth served as soon as you are seated.
Secondly, the ambiance is informal yet elegant, decorated in a colonial Spanish style. You can eat inside or on the terrace. There is even a rooftop terrace here in Tegucigalpa offering cozy, romantic dining in the evening.
Third, you receive real value for the price. While 'Hacienda Real' is not cheap, it is not overly expensive. Most items cost less or the same as other similar restaurants in town.
Finally, 'Hacienda Real' raises the bar on the level of service if offers its patrons. The wait staff actually knows what they are doing and are eager to please...attentive without being overbearing, friendly in a sincere sort of way. They even walk differently from waiters in other Honduran restaurants, not the typical slouchy walk that connotes 'I'll eventually get to your order, but don't bother me too much'. Instead, its a determined gait that makes you know they are ready to serve and are good at what they do.
As an aside, my wife commented that it's impossible to find waiters like this in Honduras, and she was skeptical as to whether they were actually Honduran or not. So I told her to ask, and sure enough, all the waiters are from Guatemala. They come here for rotating three month stints. While I feel bad that the management does not feel that they can find competent locals to do the job, I also feel reassured that they are so quality conscious as to their product, that they make sure every detail is just perfect, even down to importing the wait staff.
I'm sure diners will notice the difference in the level of service, and maybe, just maybe, they will start to expect the same level at other establishments. If so, other restaurants will feel the pressure and be forced to actually 'train' their staff. Imagine that...going to restaurants in Honduras where the staff is competent, knowledgeable, and make you feel welcome.
New standards have been set for Tegucigalpa dining, and I highly recommend 'Hacienda Real' to all (even non-carnivores as the salads will most certainly please).
'Hacienda Real' is one of Don Godo's favorites.
Why do I like 'Hacienda Real' so much? For all the reasons that make a restaurant a great dining experience...
First, the food is amazingly good. All the steaks are grilled on an open bbq pit in the middle of the restaurant, the portions are generous and the meals are consistently good- consisting of quality meats, cooked to the specified temperature, tender and juicy. (Obviously, I'm not a vegetarian). The meals are always introduced with a cup of complimentary broth served as soon as you are seated.
Secondly, the ambiance is informal yet elegant, decorated in a colonial Spanish style. You can eat inside or on the terrace. There is even a rooftop terrace here in Tegucigalpa offering cozy, romantic dining in the evening.
Third, you receive real value for the price. While 'Hacienda Real' is not cheap, it is not overly expensive. Most items cost less or the same as other similar restaurants in town.
Finally, 'Hacienda Real' raises the bar on the level of service if offers its patrons. The wait staff actually knows what they are doing and are eager to please...attentive without being overbearing, friendly in a sincere sort of way. They even walk differently from waiters in other Honduran restaurants, not the typical slouchy walk that connotes 'I'll eventually get to your order, but don't bother me too much'. Instead, its a determined gait that makes you know they are ready to serve and are good at what they do.
As an aside, my wife commented that it's impossible to find waiters like this in Honduras, and she was skeptical as to whether they were actually Honduran or not. So I told her to ask, and sure enough, all the waiters are from Guatemala. They come here for rotating three month stints. While I feel bad that the management does not feel that they can find competent locals to do the job, I also feel reassured that they are so quality conscious as to their product, that they make sure every detail is just perfect, even down to importing the wait staff.
I'm sure diners will notice the difference in the level of service, and maybe, just maybe, they will start to expect the same level at other establishments. If so, other restaurants will feel the pressure and be forced to actually 'train' their staff. Imagine that...going to restaurants in Honduras where the staff is competent, knowledgeable, and make you feel welcome.
New standards have been set for Tegucigalpa dining, and I highly recommend 'Hacienda Real' to all (even non-carnivores as the salads will most certainly please).
'Hacienda Real' is one of Don Godo's favorites.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Driving in Honduras 1.01
While I've always known driving in Honduras to be a somewhat dangerous activity, I've still presumed that the rules of the road are somewhat universal...but, boy am I wrong on that!!
Driving Tip #1 When turning to the left on a country road, put on your left turn signal, pull to the right, look for cars coming from the opposite direction and look for cars coming behind you, if no cars are coming then turn left. If cars are coming from either direction, wait for them to pass, then turn left. Reason: Cars will try to pass you on the left, even though they 'know' you are turning left.
My wife has long told me to do this, but in my stubbornness, I believed that if you are turning left, that if no cars are coming from the opposite direction, then just go on and turn and the cars behind would slow down or stop...But no. They will pass on the left, even though on the surface that seems suicidal.
I learned the hard way. Not too long ago, I was turning left, I put my blinker on, slowed down to turn and started turning. At that point I saw the car spending up behind me to pass on the left-hand side, so I immediately slammed on my brakes in order to let him pass. At the same time the driver behind evidently realized I was going to turn so he slammed on his brakes too, and a third car coming from behind plowed into the car behind me. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, and I didn't get hit.
I bet the other two drivers will be more careful in the future.
Driving Tip #1 When turning to the left on a country road, put on your left turn signal, pull to the right, look for cars coming from the opposite direction and look for cars coming behind you, if no cars are coming then turn left. If cars are coming from either direction, wait for them to pass, then turn left. Reason: Cars will try to pass you on the left, even though they 'know' you are turning left.
My wife has long told me to do this, but in my stubbornness, I believed that if you are turning left, that if no cars are coming from the opposite direction, then just go on and turn and the cars behind would slow down or stop...But no. They will pass on the left, even though on the surface that seems suicidal.
I learned the hard way. Not too long ago, I was turning left, I put my blinker on, slowed down to turn and started turning. At that point I saw the car spending up behind me to pass on the left-hand side, so I immediately slammed on my brakes in order to let him pass. At the same time the driver behind evidently realized I was going to turn so he slammed on his brakes too, and a third car coming from behind plowed into the car behind me. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, and I didn't get hit.
I bet the other two drivers will be more careful in the future.
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