ROATAN

Well, I just got back from my first vacation; I went with Annemarie to Roatan, which is one of the Bay Islands in the Caribbean Sea. It was an amazing place...very different from where I live in Honduras. English is the primary language, they use American dollars, and everything is super-expensive (comparatively speaking). We stayed at the Mariposa Lodge (http://www.mariposa-lodge.com/), which is owned by a Canadian couple who decided to retire early and move to the island. Sue, the wife, is also a massage therapist so she does that on the side. There were many people to be found like that....some came to the island to visit and never left, others retired early, and others are avid scuba divers who came to see the coral reefs. I am surprised that this is not a more well-known destination; it is absolutely wonderful and beautiful, and cheap (if you're used to American prices). Anna and Justin: I am seriously thinking about taking you guys here when you visit in December; there are beautiful, crystal clear beaches, snorkeling, great restaurants, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, canopy tours, horseback riding, souvenir shops; a tropical paradise. You definitely won't feel like you're in a third world country while in Roatan (although there are reminders that you're still in Honduras).
Annemarie and I arrived via a six-hour long bus ride from Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba. From there we took an hour-long yachte to the island. We settled in our hotel and went to the Lighthouse for dinner. Wow -- that's all I can say. It was amazing. We received wonderful service, ate coconut prawns, island beans, and key lime pie for dessert. It was so nice to eat food with real flavor! We pretty much crashed after that.
Woke up early on Friday to crowing roosters and went to Rudy's for breakfast. They're well-known for their licuados and banana pancakes. I just couldn't believe how beautiful everything was. It is out of a movie. I've been to tropical places before (Oahu, Bahamas, Cancun, Cozumel, Key West, Miami), but Roatan has a rugged charm about it that is different from the rest. We then walked to Half Moon Bay and did some snorkeling. No tour guides needed. You just put on your mask and anywhere you go, you'll see some great sites. It was Annemarie's first time snorkeling, so she was extra impressed. We then laid out on the beach for a few hours, got bit by no-see-ums, had a drink at Sundowners bar right on the beach, and shopped our way back to the hotel. We showered up, lathered ourselves in aloe and headed out to watch the sunset at Eagle Ray's. Afterwards we went to the Twisted Toucan, which is definitely the happening place to be on any night. They played lots of reggaeton. The people here are so diverse. Every age, every color, every nationality. And everyone's sooo nice; how can you not be when you're living on a Caribbean island!
Saturday morning we decided to rent bikes and explore the island. The bikes were a little rusty, but we muscled our way up and down the hills. We ended up in Sandy Bay where you can go swimming with the dolphins. Well, with our snorkel gear in hand we decided we would just snorkel past the dolphins without entering and paying the steep tour prices. One of the employees, Errol, jumped in with us and actually took us up to the dolphins where we were able to pet them, feed them, and play with them from the outside of the net. That was cool for sure. Afterwards, we biked back to West End and had lunch at the Purple Turtle. I took a mega siesta that day while Annemarie headed back to the beach. There was Carnaval on the island that night for Independence Day, and the dirt strip was hoppin! We had a pizza dinner at La Pura Vida and then headed out on the town. There was music everywhere, people in the streets dancing, and people cooking up chicken on both sides of the road. The majority of the population of Roatan is Garifuno, who are of African descent. It's strange to hear them talk because many of them speak Spanish and English, but with an island flair/dialect.
On Sunday we went to Rudy's...again and indulged in guayaba/guava licuados and banana pancakes. Then we caught a water taxi and headed to West Bay. West Bay is a large beach with resorts. The water is amazing...no matter how far out you go, you can see perfectly down to the ground. When we arrived, before we even set our towels on our beach chairs, we were attacked by 2 hair braiding women. They started braiding my hair saying they were going to "regalarme" una/give me a free one. Well, they didn't stop and I ended up paying a lot of American dollars to get my whole head braided! Hey, at least I'm giving back to the local culture! We spent the entire day on the beach. By the end of the day we were tired and burnt, but felt real good. That night we laid low, grabbed some snacks from the pulperia/mini drug store/bar and watched Capote on DVD.
All in all, it was a great vacation. The terrain and climate is so different from the ranch. Here on the ranch there are pinos/pine trees, mountains, and a comfortable temperature. On the bus ride you could see the difference change to tropical palm trees, colorful flowers, and increasing heat. My recommendation: forget Cancun, head to Roatan!