Under Water Pictures

We were blessed with several days of extraordinarily beautiful weather after days of rain, wind and clouds.  We were determined to take advantage of these days before the rain returns.  This morning we snorkeled off the rock shelf as the seas were especially calm and visibility better because of the sunshine. It is a great place to snorkel with lots of fish but taking pictures is a challenge because it is so deep. It was also our first try with the water proof case for our digital camera.  That worked well but the pictures weren't the best. We decided to try Half Moon Bay Resort at West End.



 I have included a picture of what it looked like last week during the rain and then today.  Quite a difference!  You wouldn't know it was the same place.

  Getting into the water is easy and the water is much shallower than where we are.  We snorkeled for a long distance and got some neat shots of fish and coral.

We want to plan a trip off of a dive boat.  We have talked to several of them and they are very  positive that they take in places where it is equally fun to snorkel or scuba. 

The reefs close to shore are subjected to so much traffic from cruise ship passengers, run off from the town and rainwater runoff that they suffer some clarity.  We also want to snorkel off the East end of the island where the water is still pristine and breathtakingly beautiful we are told.

Cruise Days on West Bay Beach

It's been raining off and on for several days and yesterday was no different.  We decided to walk into West Bay Beach for lunch and the exercise since it wasn't a good day to snorkel.  We usually avoid cruise ship days but needed to get out and about so off we went.
If you come to Roatan a good pair of walking shoes will come in handy for the pathways and roads we walk are often muddy and slippery. We passed several groups of tourists with their guides who come into our community on the Iron shore for the scenic views and access to the rock outcroppings. They all looked to be enjoying themselves in spite of the cloudy skies.
Michael and I took a different road into West Bay Beach and it was certainly beautiful.  Lush hills covered in tropical plants would give tour groups a pleasant entry to the beach resorts further away from the little village at the bottom of the hill. We stopped at Fosters for a wonderful fresh fish sandwich and enjoyed talking with the server who was convinced the sun would soon come out.  Cruise days are very important for the resorts as business is slow right now.

We took off down the beach after lunch and the sun did indeed come out, the first time for several days.  The beach was like a big party with jet skis, banana float rides, live music and lots of vendors selling everything from DVD's to mahogany ice buckets. It's a carnival.

Besides Foster's we stopped and explored the Mayan Princess which is another large, popular beach resort. Our final stop was Infinity Bay where we often stop for coffee in the morning or lunch in the afternoon.  When I told the servers I was doing a blog on cruise days on the beach they insisted I include their pictures. So here they are:  Kerby and Nigel are funny and sweet.

We finished the circle by climbing back up the hill. We were able to do it with only one stop half way this time! We passed the Meridan development by the lighthouse and noticed there were salesmen on duty and decided to stop and take a look.  This development is just down the street from us and is quite beautiful, but because of the poor economy world wide, they are pretty much at a standstill.  However, they graciously invited Michael and I to make use of their beach and chairs while we are here on the island. We plan on taking advantage of that. This is a link to some additional West End and West Bay Beach pictures taken in the last several days. http://picasaweb.google.com/gallown/20101111West?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ69_rfb487CRg#

The Mud Hole Road Ride and More

 

It’s hard to believe we have been in Roatan for a whole month now.  We have tried to make every day a day to explore or discover something new.  So we created a list of things and places to see and do while on island.  One of the items on the list was to take a trip to to the Palmetto Bay Eco Resort and Complex.  This is one of the places  that had a house we were very interested in renting but we finally decided that it was probably a bit remote, to hard to get to restaurants, grocery stores, and shops without a car. Well that turned out to be an understatement! To get there you must leave the one and only paved road in Roatan and take an aptly named dirt road called “ The Mud Hole Road”.

There is a community named Mud Hole, but the road definitely fits the name as well. Blue Bay Plantation's Hydroponic farm is also along this road and that's where they grow the best lettuces I have ever tasted.  We plan to take a tour here....it's on the list.

We traveled this bumpy coastal road to Palmetto Bay Resort which  is a beautiful ecological destination but the bugs here are enormous! The resort is based on a Balinese style architecture and the area is lush and tropical with a wide flat beach.

It was raining softly when we left and we decided to forge head rather than retrace our rather muddy bumpy ride to this resort.  However this meant we would be climbing over the mountain ridge that runs down the center of Roatan to exit on the South shore near French Harbor. The four wheel drive has been broken for several weeks on the truck and we are waiting on a part from the states, so we would have to accomplish this with just regular two wheel drive. 

I thought we had entered the movie set for Jurassic Park.  The jungle palms and trees of various types were towering over the little narrow one lane dirt road.

 Lizards that looked like miniature dragons or velociraptors dinosaurs darted in front of the truck.  They stand up on their legs and their heads are adorned with a crest.  Amazing…I think the locals call them monkey lalas.  The road was steep, slippery and narrow and I was afraid we would have to back down the mountain.  We had to try one spot several times before we were able to make the climb.  The pictures just don’t show the perspective.

At one point we even herded goats with the truck.

We finally arrived at the top of the ridge and were rewarded with a beautiful view

After our drive we stopped for a late lunch on the beach and finally home to watch the nightly cruise ship boat parade passed the house. Another beautiful day on Roatan!!

A Beautiful Week in Roatan

Since the Hurricane came through last weekend, the weather has cleared and been beautiful.  The wind was up at the first of the week blowing out of the southeast steady and strong.  It made the water off our house pretty rough.   We weren't able to get out around the island because our truck seized up.  I don't know why but the emergency break locked and we were unable to get it loose.  The truck owner finally got his mechanic out on Wednesday morning.  I was glad to see them because we needed to do a grocery store run.  You learn that manana doesn't mean tomorrow but sometime in the future.....no hurry. Anyway when we were able to get to the store we stocked up on things and found some surprises like Stoffer's pecan coffee cake.  The box was a bit battered, but the coffee cake was intact. Going to the grocery is like going on a scavenger hunt.  You keep  list and hope to find what you need.  It took us a month to discover the "crema" in a bag (they put everything in bags) was sour cream.  




Before the truck was fixed Michael and I walked down the steep hill to West Bay Beach, and took a water taxi into West End for the day. We stopped at little shops, ate at food stands and watched the cruise ship crowd at an open air restaurant, then took the water taxi back and walked up the hill (going down is a lot easier). 

Wherever you look there are little side roads and resorts. Asking other people about places is helpful because some of the best places are not visible from the road.  We stopped at the Blue Bahia for a snack because of groceries in the car.  We loved the food and friendly people.  They are serving Thanksgiving dinner so we will make our reservations for an afternoon seating. They are providing a traditional American Thanksgiving feast and some other folks we have met will probably be going there as well.

We have been snorkeling off the rock shelf and at West Bay Beach.  The reef can be reached from the beach and it is magnificent.  There are tons of cool tropical fish, coral and sea fans.  We will try to use our digital camera underwater tomorrow. I bought a special case for it to use under water.  Hopefully it will work.

As I mentioned we have met several interesting neighbors.  We all went to dinner in West End the other night.  That was the first time we have been out on the roads after dark.  The road (there is only one) is curvy and dark.   Our neighbor has lived here for 5 years and is used to it. I think we will probably be more confident as there wasn't much if any traffic.  You just need to go slow and watch for people walking in the road, taxis that stop suddenly, fallen trees, dogs, mud slides....no problem.

 

Hurricane Richard and Other Things

Haven't posted in a few days as we have been without power and internet.  Everything is back to normal and the weather has cleared out, sun is shining and the island returns to normal.  Richard came in after the Auburn game on Saturday thank goodness, so Michael had TV and electric.  The game was great....War Eagle. Around 11:30 Saturday the wind and rain hit with a vengeance. Richard blew through Roatan for about twelve hours.  The electric went out almost at once.  I think they turned it off on purpose to save damage at least that is what I heard later.By sunrise we were able to watch the waves hit the iron shore below us.  The waves crashed and blew up through the rocks. The rain came down sideways, poured for hours. By noon on Sunday, the storm moved far enough away from the island for the wind to slack and the rain to stop.  I have included some pictures we took of the waves after the storm already departed.  It is hard to capture the perspective of size but they were crashing twenty feet high. Amazing.  

We still didn't have power. By Sunday afternoon we contacted some neighbors with a generator to see if they could take some of our food, which they graciously did. Darkness comes early on Roatan.  By 5:30 it was pitch black and no sign of power coming back on.  Later that night we could see lights down the island so we know power was being restored to some parts. Monday morning we had the most beautiful sunrise.

 About 24 hours after the storm hit we had lights again.  Internet was another matter.  It took another whole day before we were able to get back online.  Richard left trees down and lots of foliage and debris tossed about.   The local islanders have been busy raking and cleaning the streets and beaches to prepare for the next round of cruise ships.  Today the sun was warm and bright, the cruise ships docked and everyone enjoyed the beauty of this tropical island. 

Snorkeling off the Iron Coast

Today was beautiful.  Blue skies and warm sunshine started the day.  The seas were calm with little breeze.  I headed to the gazebo after breakfast to enjoy some sunshine early.  Our neighbor and his wife were down at the gazebo and out onto the steps getting ready to try out their new hookah rig for diving without air tanks. Ken is from Canada -hey. And he thinks I have an accent..lol.  Their adventure was good news for me as we have wanted to snorkel off the rock shelf but have been reluctant to try without some local knowledge. Ivanka  was too nervous to try the hookah rig as she has just recently certified scuba diving here in Roatan.  She decided to snorkel instead.  It was very cool to watch and they were able to show me how to get in and out of the water at the rock shelf.  Easy and I can't wait to get my gear and try it out myself. Check out some additional photos here .http://picasaweb.google.com/gallown/SnorkelingOffTheIronCoast?authkey=Gv1sRgCK-QybyUopDQ9QE#slideshow/5530648334792262434

It looks like Tropical Storm Richard will be paying us a visit this weekend.  They have issued a tropical storm watch for Northern Honduras and the Bay Islands.  Richard may be upgraded to a hurricane and is expected here Saturday and Sunday.  It's going to be a breezy rainy weekend for sure!

Exploring Roatan on a Rainy Saturday

The sun rises very early here and so do we. We were out of the house by 7:30 and on our way to explore the East End of Roatan. First stop Coffee!! There is a little coffee shop down the hill and we enjoyed cappuccinos and croissants.  Very delicious and so fortified we traveled through the countryside, along the mountain ridge and  to Jonesville. Jonesville was founded in 1812 and it still looks like it.  The road is down the mountain to the shore, unpaved and full of potholes and washouts.  The road through town is unpaved as well and most of the houses seem perched over the water. This is a community devoted to the fishing industry and there is no tourism at all.  The only attraction is a wonderful quirky restaurant we have yet to visit. You can only  go by boat which the restaurant sends over when you bang on a plank.

On Sunday they have an all you can eat special of lobster or shrimp,,BBQ filet mignon and sides like homemade coleslaw, mashed potatoes, and cold beer.

Our next stop after climbing back up the hill road (4x drive) we made our way off the main paved highway to the East end where all the roads are gravel and dirt.  

Punta Gorda was the next stop. Here are a couple of photos taken from the truck. This is a town whose main population are the Garifuna Indians who were abandoned here by the Spanish.

The water here is very clean.

Next stop Paya Bay which has lovely beaches, eco tourism,  a beautiful restaurant and a friendly owner who was born on the island. But before we arrived we picked up some hitchikers quite by accident! Two small boys were trying to thumb a ride, Michael and I shook our heads no and continued on down the bumpy dirt road.  Suddenly Michael started laughing and said "Look in the back of the truck!"

They hopped out as we turned down the drive to Paya Bay. Since it was so rainy and we were the only people at the resort the owner gave a tour of the rooms and visited with us giving me many useful tips on where to get fresh seafood on the island.  She also gave me her phone number and encouraged me to call her if I need any other tips or advise.  Such a darling woman. Follow this link to see more photos of this area and Tropical island Divers.    http://picasaweb.google.com/gallown/20101016EastEndRoatan?authkey=Gv1sRgCIWZzcLP6c2nbQ#slideshow/5529078023883580914

The farthest point you can travel to by car is called Camp Bay where there is a hostel and little beach, restaurant and bar.  We made our bumpy way out to this out of the way spot.  As we entered the property we were met by a young man of high school age who inquired about where we were from. Florida brought the response that he had moved to the island from Florida as well. I continued to ask him questions and found that he uses Florida Virtual School to attend High School but that it is sometimes lonely. He then introduced us to his father and informed him we, too, were from Florida.  And out in the middle of nowhere, we find  Mike and his family are from  Hudson, Florida!!! It is truly a small world! 

Here is a more detailed map of Roatan with many of the places we have mentioned.