7 Local Staff Operate A Rare And Boutique Jungle Lodge In Honduras.
How the coronavirus has impacted their lives in a country wrought by previous challenges.
Mayra Francisca Lopez Chavez, 41 years old, has worked at Las Cascadas Lodge, a jungle resort in the mountains of Honduras, for the past 14 years.
The Lodge and village where she lives are located in between two National Parks: Nombre de Dios and Pico Bonito (beautiful peak).
Mayra lives at home with her aging mother, father, and three younger sisters. She is the only member of her household with a job and therefore responsible for all of her families' expenses.
Mayra works hard and enjoys nature
Honduras is an incredible place!
The landscape is mountains, jungle, and beautiful coastline. The weather is warm for the majority of the year with a long growing season. Tourists visit Honduras to see Mayan ruins in the town of Copan, dive in the Bay Islands (Roatan, Utila, Guanaja) and enjoy ecotourism in the jungle.
Mayra's commute to work is down an unpaved road in the Cangrejal River Valley. She can 'jalong' or hitch a ride with a passing vehicle or pay 20 Lempiras (the equivalent of 80 cents) to take a local bus to work. She also has a Chinese made motorcycle ($1300) for sunny days and when the road is in good condition.
Mayra is the exception in Honduras with the amount of time she has spent at one job. Most locals bounce around in various lines of business to survive the countries' ever changing economic climate.
She is fortunate as all 7 of the local employees at the Las Cascadas Lodge are paid legal wages and benefits. The benefits include an extra payout in June (Catorceavo) and an even larger one before the holidays in December (Prestaciones). Legal employees also receive 10 days of paid vacation a year and a government mandated yearly wage increase. The owners of Las Cascadas Lodge have prioritized staff care in a place where the decline in tourist numbers have caused many lost jobs.
Mayra's guests are mainly from The United States, Canada, and the Cayman Islands. She often hosts solo female travelers seeking to engage in self discovery and groups of traveling women looking for a private and authentic experience.
The Coronavirus hits Honduras
The first cases of the Coronavirus in Honduras were reported on March 10th, the day Prince Harry and Megan Markle officially renounced their royal duties, and Italy went into a Nationwide lockdown.
By the 19th of March the confirmed cases were up to 27 with more suspected and the government put the country into a complete lockdown.
What martial law looks like in Honduras.
'Toque de queda absoluto' means nobody can leave their place of residence unless permitted by the system in place except in the case of a health emergency or with a special permit. The sale of alcohol has been prohibited in Honduras since the 14th of March. No travel into or between the Bay Islands is permitted.
How the system works there…
From Monday through Friday if the last number on your identity card matches the allowed number(s) out for that day you may leave your home during the daytime to procure food, gasoline, medical supplies, pickup orders, and hardware supplies.
On April 24th, the reported cases of Coronavirus in Honduras was listed at 562 confirmed, 47 deaths, and 50 recovered. worldometers.info
As of today, June 14th, the reported cases in Honduras are 8,455 with 310 deaths and 894 recovered. worldometers.info
Moving Forward…
Mayra can travel to work for light duties after an arrangement with the local police. She still has her job and staff have received their normal salary during quarantine. Mayra is hopeful that things will get better soon.
With the future of tourism on their minds Mayra and the staff remain hopefully positive. They've already faced lots of challenges in the Central American country such as Hurricane Mitch (1996) and a coup d'état (2009).
They choose to look forward in preparation of hosting local guests from within Honduras and the Bay Islands when travel restrictions are relaxed.
President Juan Orlando Hernandez is expected to announce a phased opening later today. With strict biosecurity measures in place Las Cascadas Lodge and other local businesses will soon have the chance to reopen and maintaining a future in Honduras.