Introduction:
I lived and worked here 6 months. My work was in the morning in an elementry school 'Escuela José Melecio Velasquez' and in the afternoon in an orphanage 'Copprome'.
The people:
The progreseños are very friendly and if you know you're way you'll get around. Speaking spanish and understanding the life is more then handy. The hospitality is very big and a lot of people will be interested in you, trying out everything they know in english or inviting you.
transport:
You can get around in bicycle (very hot), car (leave it to the locals), urban bus (cheep but very dangerous), long distance bus (still dangerous), by feet (be carefull where you go and how you go or just avoid it), taxi collectivo (fixed prince of 9-10 LPS but with a little walk) and taxi directo (straight to where you want for more).
Crime:
Do mind to watch out becaus the crime rates are very high. Don't go (or at least watch out) somewhere alone in an (un-)familiar place and surely avoid the dark. The local people have no difficulties picking out 'extranjeros' and you will always be the 'gringo/a' with money.
Infrastructure:
'Honduras' is the country, 'Yoro' is the district and 'El Progreso' is the name of the city. The city exists mainly out of 'Colonias'; little districsts. Not all the roads are from concrete, those who are are mostly 'calles principales', the most streets in the Colonias are mainly earth and rocks who become 'rivers' when it's raining. There is mostly no streetligtning in the colonias and by six the sun has set, it's dark and you won't see a lot of people anymore.
El centro:
Starting place. You can easily take a taxi and ask him to bring you to 'el parque (en el centro)'. Taxi's drive around everywhere but you'll have to walk to the 'calle principal' becaus they don't go into the 'colonias' if it is not to drop somebody of. El Parque is a big square where people come to sit or walk true, it lies in front of a church.
Shops:
The shops are little and all in a good walking distance. You have to take a good look becaus some places are realy small or seem hidden. Like this you have to go into one shop to find yourself in an dark, hidden fairly big 'market' with all little shops, mostly shoes. You can't see this place from outside. The most famous supermarkets 'supermercados' is the one close to the center and the one in front of the bus stop to Tela. The first is the cheeper one but also darker and sometimes doesn't make a godo impression. They do sell fruitjuice 'jugos' from 'Super Jugo' in there. The second one is a bigger more americanised supermarket. It's very clean and overvieuwable.
Food and drinks:
The most progreseños keep the food very basic for financial reasons. The traditional meal exisit from 'frijoles' (beans) + 'tortillas de harina o maís' + queso (a kind of white cheese) + mantequilla (sour creme). Simple people leave out the last two. A very favourite additional thing (specialy for El Progreso) is 'platanos' (special kind of bananas baked or mostly fried). When you have a little more money the'll eat Pollo (chicken) or 'pescado' (fish). Going to places like Pizza Hut or similar are for special occasions. The tipical birthdaycake 'pastel' has the most artificial colours and seems to exsist of purely sugar. Coca Cola is replaced by Pepsi, Sprite by Seven Up etc.. For less then 25 LPS you can compose your own fresh 'jugo' (fruitjuice) or 'licuado' in various shops in el centro. Another delicious shop is 'Espresso Americano' where they sell 'Granita de café', 'Moccachino',... (a kind of ice-coffees).