Honduras - 2009

Honduran cigars are world renowned as being amongst the finest available. The Plasencia Tobacco factory is reputed to be the largest factory. Over 2000 people are employed here. The workers here are sorting and grading dried leaves. Some are destined to be exported as-is (i.e. as dried leaves), while the rest are sent to other areas to be hand rolled in to cigars. The dried leaves are amazingly durable, and far less brittle than we imagined. They are very fine, and have a texture not dissimilar to silk. This workplace must take a toll on worker's health, as we found the environment to be quite overwhelming – you can feel the odour in your chest, like fumes. We both had trouble stifling coughs and sneezes.

Cigars go in to storage (environmentally controlled, of course) for quite a few years, depending on the style. Four years was a figure quoted, but many racks we passed were dated 6 or 7 years ago. This was the Puros Aliados factory, rolling some of the finest (and strongest) cigars in the world.

Packaged and ready for export.

The charcoal remnants of an old statue of Christ, after an altar caught fire from a falling candle. We found this to be a particularly evocative image, now housed in the National Gallery of Art, Tegucigalpa.

The parque central (aka Plaza Morazán) of Tegucigalpa, with a statue of Morazán in the middle and the cathedral behind. Clouds add a touch of drama to the picture.

Our "private" jetty, Utila, Bay Islands.

Outside our room.

West Bay, on the island Roatán, Bay Islands.

One of a couple of wrecks in the main harbour of Roatán.