Sandy Bay, Roatan, Bananas and Lionfish........

Windy Day on the South Side of Roatan

Rescued Bananas

I wanted to give a banana report! The bananas have safely been harvested, hung, ripened and eaten!  After determining that the bananas were ready, we had one of the locals cut the bunch from the tree and hang it from the deck to ripen further.  To my surprise, once cut, the bunch quickly turned yellowish.  There were way too many just for us; it was mas grande, has our gardener Johnny stated.  I asked him to cut me a hand to keep for myself and to distribute the rest to others in the villas.  You can see many other bananas growing as small fingers on other plants in the yard so we will have additional bunches in the days to come.

Yummy Apple Bananas

Long Docks at Sandy Bay

Sunshine/Hobbies Cafe at Sandy Bay

Sandy Bay

Michael and I visited Sandy Bay this weekend, at the farther end.  It was very nice, the beach there is wide and the water shallow out quite a distance.  They generally construct long docks out to deeper water.  We ate at the Sunshine café/Hobbies and had a wonderful fresh fish sandwich.  We plan to return on another occasion to try snorkeling there.  We have been told the reef is in even prettier condition than West Bay as it doesn’t get any cruise ship traffic stepping on it.  I’ll take my underwater camera.

End of the Dock in Deeper Water with Reef Access

Sandy Bay next to Lawson Rock

Lion fish at Pigeon Key picture taken by Scott

The local dive shops are planning a “lionfish kill” tournament next weekend.  You register and get a kill license from the marine park and then you are allowed to “stick” the lionfish.  It is illegal to use a spear gun here. The lionfish don’t have any natural enemies here, although they are trying to train grouper to eat them.  Apparently the fish have to learn not to eat them tail first because of the spikes….  They are also posting recipes and even recovering the meat to cook.  Lionfish are invasive and hurt the other fish populations on the reefs.

Paddle Boarding comes to West Bay Beach

I think I'll stick to Kayaking...

......and Beach-combing.....

........and sitting!!!

Life is Hard as an Island Kittie

We finally have the 4 wheel drive fixed on our rented truck and we hope to explore some more remote areas now that the rainy season has slowed down.  Tomorrow we hope to explore Turquoise Bay resort toward the East End and do a “Super Bowl” grocery run..unless we decide to head down to West Bay beach and watch it from one of the super bowl parties on the beach! 

Our Latest Adventures in Roatan-the Triathlon 2011 and Banana Thieves

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It’s a rainy morning here in Roatan, and instead of going to visit a new beach spot in Sandy Bay, I am doing laundry and updating my blog.  Yes, there are even chores in paradise!

Last weekend was the Bay Island Triathlon 2011.  It was a beautiful morning and the athletes started off early.  The event was a little late (we are in Roatan after all!) but we were at our posts around 8:30. 

Michael and his Helpers

Michael and I got separated because they needed someone to help capture the numbers off the athletes as they passed the turnaround point for the run and our friend didn’t want the responsibility of seeing the numbers. So my station was about as far away from the action as you could get until there was a runner. 

Michael in Action!

We also had to stay until the very last (slowest) runner made the circuit. It took a few runners to figure out that their numbers could be written on their arms or legs or that they could have been sweated off! In some cases we had to ask because there was no way to be sure. 

Hey, what's your number!

One of the Elite Athletes

They look good coming and going!

Oh and there was no way to communicate with anyone….and we did have a couple of runners needing medical assistance.  Despite some problems in organization and communication, the triathlon was a success and seeing the world class athletes in their running outfits was worth standing in the sun. After the race I met Michael at his station on top of the hill heading into our community (the one with the best view).  By then the luncheon we were invited to attend was well underway as we were the very last to finish.  Michael decided to head home to watch the football playoffs and I went with friends to the Henry Morgan resort to see what was left to eat and catch a glimpse of the tri-athletes. They provided massages on the beach for them and other amenities.  It makes you want to be a tri-athlete…almost.

And they just kept coming!

Here is a link to another site that also has many photo's of the entire event :http://roatanvortex.com/

For those of you who caught my Facebook comment on my bananas….here is an update. 

Our Banana Crop

We did have a bunch of bananas disappear while Dave and Eileen were here.  They were ripening and we were going to pick them the next day but when we awoke, the stalk was gone.  I just figured it was one of the local guys who work around here.  However, late Sunday afternoon the real culprits showed up to steal even more bananas! A family (mom, dad and little boy) drove by the villa, stopped, dad and son got off their motor scooter, came into the yard and examined the bananas.  I was on the top deck and got their attention. The little boy hollers up to me that they were checking on the bananas, and his dad explained they weren’t quite ready yet!  The little boy then explained that they had been taking the bananas here for twelve years!!!! (He couldn’t have been more than eight).  Oh, and they were not locals but French Canadian.  After thinking about this for awhile, we decided it was a little cheeky even for Roatan!  We have lassoed our stock and raised it up away from the walkway closer to the deck and I printed a sign in Spanish and English asking that they don’t take the bananas.  

That should slow them down!! Well Maybe not.

We have a local coming to check on their ripeness and cut them down for us. They're better with a machete than I am. I’ll let you know what happens next!

I mentioned in my last blog about going treasure hunting…sorry it was not for pirate gold, but geochaching. That is a sport of finding caches of treasures left by other people from around the world by locating the spot using gps coordinates. (A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (tupperware or similar) or ammo boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. From Wikipedia) We decided one of the locations was at a local resort, the Bananarama, at their ice cream parlor.  Michael and I went out for breakfast and decided to see what fare Bananarama had to offer.  While we were enjoying our coffee and juice, I reminded Michael that there was supposed to be a cache here.  The ice cream shop was just opening so I went over to speak to the senora opening the shop.  She spoke no English but finally realized what I was looking for and handed over the cache behind the counter!

Bananarama's Geocache

We enjoyed looking through the trinkets and writing in the log.  There were also several “travel bugs” in the cache that we could have taken and carried to a new cache or gone to the web site to find out the different locations (by serial number) the "travel bug"  had been to. 

Hope you enjoy the pictures. There is always another adventure, something to explore or discover on Roatan!

Follow this link for my additional pictures from last week's triathlon.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gallown/20110123Triathalon2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCMSj5YiG4Kb26QE#slideshow/5567308418903433474

January Already in Roatan...

Sunset in Roatan

It has been a busy two weeks with our friends David and Eileen.

  We have done some snorkeling and beach going as well as eating out.



 There were several cloudy days followed by very windy days.  But overall, the weather has improved and we think the last two months will be the best yet.  David and Eileen saw many pretty days.  I think David enjoyed the snorkeling the best while Eileen liked people watching at West Bay Beach!

We tried to find a tarantula for her to see but no luck…you have to go wandering out at night. I don’t think she liked the fruit bats very much either but the hummingbirds were always around and we now have a little sparrow bird type with a bright yellow breast  that comes in the house and eats crumbs off the floor. I may give up sweeping altogether.

The New Vacuum Cleaner

Lobster at Casa Galloway

We've cooked lobster and shrimp here....very yummy and I even made Roatan Pizza. 

This weekend there will be a triathlon on the island.  I was told that there will be world class athletes from different countries participating. They are busy repairing pot holes and many runners are out practicing....the guys don't wear shirts....:-).  Michael and I will be participating as well….but not as athletes!  We are volunteering at one of the water stations.  The running part of the race will be right in front of the house.( That's how I know they don't wear shirts.)   We even get the T-shirt and I don’t have to swim, run or bicycle!  It is followed by a dinner on the beach.  It should be a great day and a way to meet new people. I will be sure to take plenty of pictures.

We went to a BBQ the other night at a house up the hill (mountain) in the turrets.  They are beautiful with a view to die for. It is a nice rental with four bedrooms.  I met a woman who is a retired teacher and when she found out my background, wants me to volunteer at the new Tech school on the island.  I may look into it and if we come back again next year, I might want to participate. Oh, and public schools on the island are still on break.  They have there large break from December to February 15th.  Just talking to some kids and just like in the states, they are missing their friends and ready to start back to school. They also go to school in shifts....elementary in the AM, Middle School in the afternoon and High School in the Evening because many of the High School age students work daytime jobs.

The four of us

There is always something new to explore.  David came up with the idea to see if there were any geocaching sites on the island.  We think we have located two of them and will try this evening to find the treasure!  We think one is in Bananarama’s ice cream shop…go figure. We have tried fishing again with no luck but I refuse to give up. With all this water, I have got to be able to catch a fish! 

Relaxing at the Beach

Will be missing Christopher's birthday on Sunday...but all is well at home. Look for some new posts after this week end.

Roatan Days

We have been so busy these past weeks.  We had to say good by to our sons visiting for the holidays but welcomed friends who are staying for a couple of weeks.  I haven't had much time to write but have been thinking of things to share.

Christmas Eve's at Tong's in West End, Roatan
Yummy!

The weather is changing.  We are seeing less rain..
 ( I am afraid to say it in case it makes it rain!)...the wind is blowing at night and making a mess of my hummingbird feeders...sloshing the sugar water onto the decks. Yuck!

 Lots of friends we have met during the holidays have left and it is quieter again in the community.  We enjoyed meeting folks from Canada, Denmark, South Carolina as well as the Western US.





This is high season and many cruise ships will be visiting the island. I am amazed that so many people can be accommodated on this small island.  The people here work so hard to make sure every visitor enjoys their stay, smiling and sharing their beautiful home with all of us.

Geo's Seafood Restaurant in French Harbor

A Beautiful Sunset at West Bay Beach on Christopher's Last Day in Roatan

Happy 2011 from Roatan

Happy New Year!  We welcomed 2011 in with friends we have made here on Roatan.  One of our neighbors hosted a party here in the Turtle Crossing community and we were able to walk there and avoid the tourist filled areas of West Bay and West End. It was great fun and we met many people who are also just visiting for a few weeks or months to people who live here full time.  There was even live music from a guy here with his family visiting for the holiday season.  He was the guitarist for KD Lang at one time.  He was wonderful, also had a vocalist and keyboard player and his two sons who play bass and rhythm guitar.  They played just for the party, it was great! Then the big resort on the other side of the point, Infinity Bay, had fireworks at midnight which we could see..  My best New Years Eve with my family.

Crusise ships in the distance

Roatan Snowman: Cruise ship day

The holiday season has seen a dramatic increase in tourism and road traffic, which means even crazier driving and more accidents.  We try to avoid it as much as we can. The beach has been packed with cruise ship visitors as every day brings 2 to 4 cruise ships into Coxen Hole or Mahogany Bay. If they all left the cruise ships I think Roatan might sink!



The weather has been a mixed bag with clouds and rain since Christmas Day to winds from 20 to 30mph blowing constantly from the southeast.  The winds were up so much that yesterday, 2 carnival cruise ships had to turn around and skip landing in Mahogany Bay and go back out to sea.  I was told by someone who lives here that the winds can be like this through March.  It blows the salt spray on everything, glasses, clothes, hair, just by going outside!

A calm day on the south side

When the wind blows from the Southeast

No snorkeling here today!

While the south side is crazy wild with the wind all you need to do is cross over to the North side and it is calm and mild...sunshine and white sand.  If the wind blows in from out of the North, the South side of the island is calm.....so no problem mon!

Moray eels at evening: some new critters added to the mix!

Our trip is just about half over and I am trying to take everything in and appreciate all the wonderful people and places we are are enjoying on Roatan. We miss all our friends and family at home. Wishing you all a very wonderful 2011!  Happy New Year!!

Roatan Christmas 2010 with My Guys

Scott and Christopher going through Immigration at the Airport

They made it!

Saturday Scott and Christopher arrived on Roatan!  Christmas is here for me.  It was so exciting to see them after three months away and of course they looked wonderful.  The trip through the airport was uneventful if somewhat long as they waited for luggage.  The weather was great and we took a quick tour of the island from the airport to West End our first stop.

Michael and Christopher

Lighthouse Restaurant in West End

We wanted to feed them and get Christopher his snorkel gear....his Christmas present.  We ate at the Lighthouse Resturant in West End as it gives a lovely view of the town and water as well as serving a great lunch.  

After a relaxing a bit Christopher and I hopped into a water taxi as Michael and Scott took the truck back to West Bay Beach. We strolled along the beach enjoying the sunshine and people enjoying their day. The guys finally arrived here at Island Breeze, took  a little walk around the community, settled in and then back to the beach for sundown and dinner at Bananarama....a great start to their vacation.

West Bay Beach

Scott wears good sunscreen!

Sunday morning breakfast...pancakes of course...then down to West Bay Beach and our first snorkel trip. It was a little windy, the waves were up and the water lacked some clarity but it was still beautiful. Nobody sunburned and they were both glad to get out of the cold snap in Florida!

Carambola Botanical Garden

Anthony's Key Resort

On Monday we explored Anthony's Key Resort and the Carambola Botanical Garden.  We climbed a mountain and were rewarded with a beautiful view of the reef around Anthony's Key Resort. It was a great hike and we enjoyed the rich foliage in the garden

View from the top at Carambola Garden

The weather has been improving as rainy season winds down.  We made plans to visit Pigeon Keys again and this time I was going to get a chance to visit Anne Jennings Brown's homestead in Port Royal.. It was a beautiful morning and we made the trip with all four of us stuffed into the truck...We climbed the hill to Anne's homestead through the bush being instructed by Walter on what plants to avoid touching.

Anne Jennings Brown Old Home

 I was even able to find a few pieces of glass that had melted in the fire to remind me of our visit.  It is hard to imagine a woman alone in this spot totally isolated and on her own.  Fascinating.

Terry from Mangrove Creek Lodge

Our trip out to Pigeon Cay through the mangroves was interesting and we spotted two salt water crocodiles! A big storm blew up and we had to take shelter in Santa Elena in a little island bar over the water.  The lodge had packed us more lunch than we could possible eat so we shared it with two island guys manning the place.  I went to find a restroom only to find that the baño was a room with a hole over the water!  Needless to say, I decided to pass up the facilities.  I know this used to be common practice in all the islands and is still in use on the East End but I couldn't pollute such a beautiful place.

Venomous LionFish

We made our way to Pigeon key where we snorkeled. shelled, and helped pick up trash that washes ashore.  The weather looked threatening again so we made our way back to Mango Creek Lodge, then back to Oak Ridge.....another wonderful day on Roatan.

Pigeon Cay Dive

We visited Mahogany Bay today to show the guys the contrast between the Roatan we see and enjoy and what the cruise ship experience would be like if you didn't leave their controlled environment.  It was fun to see the shops all decorated for Christmas although the weather has been cloudy and rainy today.

We took the time to visit Sun Market (Eldon's) and stocked up on a few items....they still eat like they did when they were in their teens! Out to eat on the beach tonight and want to see the eels at Bite on the Beach.  Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we hope the weather is better so we can get another day of snorkeling in at Half Moon Bay followed by dinner at Tong's.....as close as I can get to our tradition of Chinese food on Christmas Eve.

We've had a great time and tried to cram as much as possible in this week before Scott heads back to Florida  on Christmas Day.  It has been the best present I have ever had....to be able to share this beautiful island with my three guys.  Merry Christmas!!

Additional Pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/gallown/20101220Christimas?authkey=Gv1sRgCOe14vTLhKvGPg#slideshow/5554016583623186754

My Three Guys