HONDURAS
the Island of Roatan
December 2002

walking into town	a LONG LONG way	hence...the ride BACK from town!
LOBSTER BOY
		lunch at Chez Pascal
CHRISTMAS DINNER	MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!!
Miranda and Luna		How do we work this thing?
		Lychee Nut
the pool project (see it finished in our Honduras 2003 pics)		THE END

Saturday, December 21, 2002

We need a vacation from preparing for vacation! Honduras is finally here thank goodness because we are so incredibly worn out from Thanksgiving, Miranda's birthday and Christmas all in under three weeks. Whew!

Today was a very early morning followed by many hours of flying all on about three hours of sleep...OK, maybe two and a half. But hey...we can sleep in every day for two weeks now.

We flew out of Providence at 6:40 a.m. which meant arriving at the airport at 5 because of it being such a heavy travel weekend plus increased security. They have suspended random checks at the gate and instead are doing a more thorough job at the main security checkpoint. Very businesslike and they had it moving as quickly as possible...but after we went through we could see an incredibly long line developing. The inefficiency award goes to the coffee shop though. We waited 25 minutes for coffee and muffins because on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year they had ONE girl working! Hit a little snow in Pittsburgh, but it only delayed our plane an hour and we had such a long layover in Houston that it did not matter. Miranda spent some time on the plane writing thank you notes. Moms always have the best ideas! Collecting our luggage and checking back in again was uneventful. No lines at security although we had to wait twenty minutes to check in with TACA airlines despite the fact that we were next in line the entire time. Too funny...island attitude before we even made it to the island. Much to our amazement, we had time for a sit down hamburger meal at the Texas Lone Star restaurant in the Houston airport. Mmmmmmm. Big plane to the island of Roatan, Honduras...150 passenger plane and every seat taken.

We were met at the tiny airport by someone holding a card with our name on it compliments of the Mayan Princess and he got us through their somewhat crazy, yet lax customs system without too much fanfare. After a wild ride on the narrow island roads (almost ran over at least 5 pedestrians on the way) we made it to our hotel. It made a horrible first impression because the entire rear section is dug up from construction and it was all muddy from a recent rain. Major pool project going on. But, once in our beach front condo away from all the mess, we were so captivated by the proximity of the ocean and the sound of the surf that all was forgotten. We walked down the beach for a wonderful meal at Foster's, sat out on the patio of our room for a bit, and then called it a night.

Sunday, December 22, 2002
A glorious morning. Miranda and I began with an 8 a.m. swim in the mild surf...perhaps forty feet from our condo (if that). The condo is a tasteful two story Mayan design which is hidden in the trees and bushes at the top of the beach. Our one bedroom unit is on the first floor and comes with a kitchenette. Miranda has a cute bed couch (never saw rattan furniture with a pull out bed before) in the living room which gives us all some privacy...the first time we have had separate sleeping quarters on a vacation like this. There is a television, but it will mostly stay off except to look at our digital camera pictures. Gotta love that technology!

After our swim, Stuart got up and we walked next door to the Italian resort called "Captain Morgan's" for a wonderful buffet breakfast. We'll try not to make a habit out of it or they'll have to roll us off the island in two weeks. The construction zone on our property is well out of sight and out of mind. Words just can't describe how gorgeous our beach is. It is amazing to sit on our patio or make the few steps down to sit on chairs in the sand. As I write, Miranda is having fun in the waves on a raft that we brought. We can see the reef off to our left.

This afternoon we walked a couple miles along the beach to West End...sort of a town or the closest thing to a town at any rate. Except for one main thoroughfare that runs most of the length of the island connecting the various towns, there are no paved roads. Pitted, packed sand within each little village/town makes for difficult, slow, and bumpy driving, but that's just the way it is on these small islands.

The walk was lovely, but challenging in parts because we had to climb over rocks where the water came right up to the rocks and there was no beach. It was an experience. We ate at the Argentinean Grill and then bought some provisions at the grocery store. Provisions meaning drinks, cookies, milk & cereal for breakfast of course. After a quick stop for a few Good Humor Ice Cream treats, we took a water taxi back to West Bay.

Stuart looks like a lobster this afternoon because we were sitting under a canvas umbrella and the sun got to him right through it!!! The red is gradually getting more extreme as the day wears on.

Wilfredo in the office let me use his computer today to send a "we arrived safely" e-mail home. They are so friendly and accommodating.

Ate at the hotel bar tonight. Pretty tasty homemade tortilla chips with our order of chips and salsa. Bartender had been drinking though...moved like molasses and was acting very odd bringing mew meaning to the term "island time."

How convenient that one of the three channels that we get in the room is ESPN. Stuart doesn't even have to miss the Patriots game. Now to relax for the rest of the night and have a nice early bedtime.

Monday, December 23, 2002
Got a great long sleep last night. Stuart had a tough time with his burn, but it is doing OK this morning. His feet are swollen as are his shins. While Dora braided Miranda's hair out on the patio, I walked down the beach to the very end where I met a wall of coral. People were already starting to snorkel and it was only 8:30 a.m.

We just love our hotel and its location after seeing our other choices in person. The Mayan Princess is simply wonderful! Another glorious day as Miranda and I sit at the "bar" for breakfast. Actually, she had milk and cereal earlier so today it's just me sampling our hotel's french toast and some Honduran pineapple juice with yummy thick pulp.

A relaxing morning and then lunch at Chez Pascal, a French restaurant at the next hotel down the beach. One selection for lunch - paté, salad, cantaloupe and french bread. Like it or lump it! It was expensive, but a fun experience. For dinner they offer a couple of choices. Wow! We each got a chocolate croissant to go and ate them later in the afternoon after Miranda and I rented a kayak for an hour. Boy, we aren't very good at kayaking, but we managed to paddle back and forth past the nearby hotels a few times. Not many waves now that the water is calmer after a Saturday afternoon rainstorm before our arrival. This is a dream Caribbean location.

Back to Foster's for dinner tonight and we even met Mr. Foster. Also met some newly arrived vacationers from Canada (who we would see on a few different occasions during our stay). They were staying in a giant A-frame at Foster's for two weeks. An early night - all asleep before 9 p.m. A full day of fun in the sun tires you out quite nicely.

Tuesday, December 24, 2003
Stuart's burn is a bit better today...only looks bad as opposed to horrifying. Slept in and then decided on a snorkel adventure down the beach. Miranda to go alone to the hotel bar for breakfast all on her own while we were still sleeping.

The snorkeling was quite good but we are having a fogging problem with one of our masks. I bought some anti-fog stuff this afternoon and we'll test it out tomorrow or sometime before we go out on an official snorkel. If it doesn't work, we are going to rent a mask to use for the duration. Miranda needs to rent a life vest anyway to keep her afloat while snorkeling. She worries about hitting the coral when treading water and I can understand her concern since she is not a very experienced snorkeler. She had to go sans snorkel today because it was not working with her palate expander.

Our beach was very busy today as a Norwegian Cruise ship left hordes of passengers on West Bay beach for the day. It wasn't all that bad - just way busier than usual. I guess Roatan isn't the secluded getaway spot it once was. Too much publicity and an amazing real estate boom are to blame.

We had quite the dinner adventure tonight. Went to West End to Hot Chili Restaurant after a water taxi ride into town - not realizing that they stop running at dusk. Had to schlep up and down the main dirt road in search of a car taxi and finally managed to get one with the help of a friendly scuba shop man who negotiated a price of $10 for us (water taxis are only $1.25 per person). Anyway, this taxi was on its last leg and we thought that we might be getting out to push on a couple of the big hills. Stuart ended up with a wad of grease on his hand from the door and the shocks were non-existent. But we made it back in one piece - what Christmas Eve was ever so exciting??? Down in West End everyone had been in party mode at the bars and they were lighting off salutes and sparklers as well as cherry bombs. We were only solicited for "smokes" once...and he wasn't talkin' about cigarettes.

Miranda got a hackie sack tonight at a road side tourist trap stand. Stuart doesn't want me to forget to mention the interesting local meal called Baleadas. On a whim he ordered them and they were pancake like things with beans and cheese (and maybe a little finely ground beef?).

Wednesday, December 25, 2002 CHRISTMAS
We surprised Miranda with a few presents when she awoke (ones that could be easily stored in the bottom of a suitcase) - a wide selection of books tied with Christmas colored ribbons along with a couple other wrapped, flat items. It's actually a good thing we saved the books for a treat today because not only did she read all of the ones that she brought, but all of the books that we gave her today and one from the guest selection in the hotel office. Had to pick another one up at the bookstore in the Houston airport to last her the plane ride home. I think she must have gone through almost twenty...and no...that's not a type-o.

The wind kicked up overnight last night and the sea is giving us some huge waves beneath a mix of clouds and sun. The ocean is pretty, but wild. Spent the morning reading quietly on the patio and looking out over the water.

Before lunch Stuart and I went on a walk down the beach and saw a cruise ship floating past on its way to dock in Coxen Hole and also a small sailing cruise ship which would appear to hold perhaps 100 passengers or so. The wind is still wild and the locals with their children are having a fun day at the beach - the kids riding the waves like experts!

Ate lunch at the Paradise Villas Restaurant. My "Island Dish" was better than Stuart's chicken thing since mine was some tasty marinated beef with tortillas as well as rice and beans and fried plantains. I shared!

This afternoon we all read and Miranda played in the surf a bit and then after the sun went down some Stuart joined her. For supper we had intended on either Bite on the Beach or Las Rocas. But Bite on the Beach was closed and the chef at Las Rocas was sick and the waitresses only knew how to cook two things - neither of which we wanted. So...back to Foster's again. We didn't mind at all because the people that we meet are always friendly and Marc, the bartender/waiter/manager from Oregon, is great. We'll end up back there again I'm sure. Saw some Canadians again that we had met last time and talked with them for a while.

After a nice walk back to our hotel with a little star gazing on the way - looking at the sky is incredible at night with the lack of light pollution - Stuart headed inside while Miranda and I tried to get dessert at the place we ate lunch. No luck. While brownie, ice cream and apple pie were all on the menu, those were only theoretical choices. What they actually had was pumpkin pie. The only option and it was not even on the menu. No dice! We came back to the room and snacked on some cookies we had bought in town the other day.

Thursday, December 26
A little bit of rough surf still, but things are almost back to normal. Aside from some waves hitting the beach, the water itself is calm. Might not be bad snorkeling later on. Stuart's feet continue to improve and today we'll venture back to West End for lunch and another grocery run. Our air conditioning in the condo isn't working properly so supposedly they are coming to look at it later on.

This morning I called home to say a belated Merry Christmas, but no one was around. Our plans to call home in the evening on Christmas were foiled by the office closing early. While the hotels up and down the beach have services, everything shuts down at a certain time each night. Unless there is an emergency, there are no food, drinks, or phones at that point. You're on your own! Our hotel does have security people who walk around at night so it isn't as if you are stranded with no help if something happens, we just couldn't ask him to make a personal call (plus only the office staff speaks English). One of the perks that comes with staying in a fancier place is knowing that there is someone there in case of an emergency. Some of the other places we had considered on the island were just a cottage on the beach with sheets and towels twice weekly.

This afternoon we took a water taxi to town as planned and got lunch and groceries and were also able to check e-mail for the first time. It cost 4 Limperas per minute which translates to about twenty-five cents. Not too bad although the digital satellite service is painfully slow. Tick...tick...tick... Anyway, we ate at Hot Chilies Restaurant again. This time Miranda and I both had Baleadas and Stuart had chicken tacos...again. While we waited for our meal, the fruit and vegetable truck came by and so I picked up a pineapple, apples and some oranges. They tried to get away with taking me for an extra 30 Limperas (about $2) - for their effort I let them get away with an extra 10 (only about sixty cents).

Earlier on the way into town we learned just how dangerous the water taxis can be. The water was a bit wavy and the boat operator wasn't so great at keeping the boat steady at the dock. By the way, in case you are thinking that a water taxi is a nice little ferry...it is NOT. It is a personally owned and operated boat (could be anything from a glorified rowboat to something larger and speedier...most being the former which need bailing during rough weather) that the locals use to make a living. The take passengers back and forth between West End and West Bay as needed...not on a schedule or anything like that. So, when you need a ride, you wait out on one of the hotel docks...most of which are on their last legs - swaying every time a boat bumps up against it upon loading and unloading passengers. Ok, so today was one young woman was getting out of the boat, the waves took it and it moved away from the pier. She fell in, but luckily managed to throw her backpack up onto the dock before it happened. I think she was going snorkeling anyway, so she just got into the water a little earlier than planned...with her shoes on...and we weren't more than a few yards from the shore so it wasn't all that big of a deal. Her friend got off the boat a few minutes later once the "captain" had steadied it again. As she put her flip-flopped foot on the edge of the boat to hoist herself up to the dock, the waves surged again. She has no idea how close she came to losing her toes because less than a split second after her foot moved with her up onto the dock, the edge of the boat became wedged under the dock. I sat frozen in horror as I watched it all unfolding and I still can't believe that her foot made it to safety. Even now I get sick to my stomach as I visualize the scene. I thought for sure that the top of her foot was going to be completely crushed. This boat was on the big side and not the light fiberglass kind, but made of something which made it heavy and clunky in the water. Even a small boat hits a dock with some force when the waves come and this one probably sat at least 15 if you squeezed in. It was an excellent lesson for the three of us...and not that we were being careless or cavalier...to be vigilant about not placing hands and feet on the edge/lip of a boat at any time when it is near the dock.

Once back at the hotel, we read and relaxed and Stuart and Miranda swam a bit. It was a nice mix of clouds and sun for those of us inclined to burn. Maybe we'll have a sunny snorkeling day tomorrow. And speaking of snorkeling, I tested the bad mask which I had treated with the fog-stopper stuff and it appears to be much better! I stayed in the water with it a while before there was any sign of fog. A little can be expected though.

Dinner at Bite on the Beach finally! The place is never open it seems, but they were tonight. I had an excellent Thai Curry Chicken and Key Lime pie for dessert. Mmmmmm. The air is not so hot this evening and the sea lapping at our ankles on the walk back was like bath water. It's lovely to walk along the beach at night. More great star gazing.

Friday, December 27, 2002
Cloudy this morning after a quick moving rainstorm around dawn. Who knows what the day will bring - the weather changes awfully fast down here.

Our air conditioning was not working to it's potential the night before last. Supposedly the guy who was here during the evening fixed it, but it was a bit clammy sleeping last night. He's going to have to come back for another go at it today. If the clouds clear out we'll head down the beach to snorkel.

Lunch at the hotel "bar." They managed to fix our air conditioning this afternoon by unfreezing the unit and recharging the freon. The unit is housed in the bedroom closet. Would you believe that the return is in there too? So you have to keep the closet door open. When it finally melted, it dripped all over our shoes - luckily just our ones for the beach. The sun is only making an appearance in little bits here and there. Nice to sit out, but not good for snorkeling. By 5 p.m. the sky finally cleared, but of course it's too late to snorkel. Tomorrow is another day. We hd fun watching movies from the hotel's movie library. Saw "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," the only two that were suitable for Miranda. She loved "Mr. Holland's Opus." Our room's small TV has a built in VCR; just our dreary day luck!

Before dinner at Chez Pascal, Stuart enjoyed a twilight swim. Miranda is having leftover pasta from Foster's.

Chez Pascal was great...if not a bit LONG for a dining experience even on the islands. Ended up being about two and a half hours. Miranda was SO glad that she opted for leftovers back in the room and to stay behind and watch even more television. Chez Pascal is just the next hotel on the beach and we were able to walk back a few times between courses to check on her. The meal was fabulous. Stuart had lobster tail and I had filet mignon - both cooked to perfection. Finally, a chef who can properly address the saltiness of Caribbean lobster

Saturday, December 28, 2002
My stomach has been off since yesterday afternoon. Thought it would improve with a little dinner last night, but NO. Looks like a mild case of La Tourista or Montezuma's Revenge, however you prefer to call it. A bit of a headache too. Will wait and see how it manifests itself because it's pretty mild as far as these sorts of things go.

I sat out from snorkeling this morning as Stuart ventured out right off of our beach. I was the life guard since I didn't want to push my luck with the stomach thing. It was a longer swim than it looked, but he said that the fish were a bit bigger than down on the other end of the beach where we snorkeled on Monday. It is not as safe to snorkel in front of the hotels as it is at the end of the beach because of the water taxis and scuba/fishing boats that come and go. But as long as you are mindful of their presence and keep an ear open, it's OK.

Stuart and Miranda worked on her butterfly stroke for a while this afternoon, but now it is reading time on the patio for everyone. Later, a casual lunch for all of us from things we have in the kitchen.

Met our neighbors upstairs who will be staying through the end of the week. They flew in on a small 8 passenger plane with relatives from CA, stopping in Mexico along the way for an overnight. Even from CA, the trip is quite long on a small plane like that which cannot travel at jet speeds.

Stuart and Miranda went to Foster's for dinner and brought me back rice and beans - good solid food for an upset stomach. Tonight before bed Miranda and I took out her braids. It took just as long as it took Dora to put them in...and this was with two of us working! Her hair was so disgusting from 6 days in braids that she had to then shower despite it being late. Her poor itchy head felt much better for it though.

Sunday, December 29, 2002
A busy day at the resort. The crowds here are rolling in for the week after Christmas. The bar is overwhelmed with breakfast...Stuart will eventually get his omelet.

Wilfredo in the office is working on getting us a rental car for tomorrow, but they are in high demand because of the influx of tourists. We'll see. Well, it only took 45 minutes for Stuart to get the omelet. The girl made a joke about having to chase down the chickens...

We went right out to snorkel as soon as he was done with breakfast. The reef is not as exciting or colorful as the fish. I think it is still making a comeback after Hurricane Mitch which struck in 1998. But the fish are certainly there! Had to come in a bit early because Stuart forgot to shave and believe it or not the small whiskers make it difficult for the mask to adhere to the face and gives an inroad to water droplets. We might go out again this afternoon if there is still sun. Afternoons seem to bring rainstorms and clouds...briefly...so we'll see.

Back to the fish. There were very colorful schools of angelfish and almost neon parrot fish. But my favorite are these fat black angelfish type with neon blue around their edges. Saw a huge school of those today.

This afternoon the power went out over the entire island for a few hours. No one really knew why at the time...maybe they ran out...maybe it was a generator?? No one seemed to care too much either. It was back on about 5 in the afternoon, just in time to recharge my camera battery.

For dinner we took a water taxi ride to town. Antonio in the office was kind enough to write out the Spanish words for us to ask the taxi drive to bring us back again after dark. Worked out very well and after a tasty meal at the Uruguayan Café (Miranda opted for an earlier slice pizza from a street vendor and therefore just watched while we ate) we were on our way back to West Bay via water taxi. We couldn't bear another harrowing car taxi ride that was twice the price anyway. We'll go this route again.

Forgot to mention that we did in fact snorkel for a second time this afternoon around 3. The sun was still bright in the sky so off we went. This time we enjoyed some cool fish more along the edges of the reef where you might find scuba divers lurking. On one of our passes over the reef though, we got to see a white, spotted eel sliding about along the ocean floor and feeding. He was about 2 1/2 feet long and fat and round. His main color was tan, but he had lots of white spots all over which made him camouflage well with the sand and coral. We were certainly not alone on the beach today with lots of local families having fun on the beach this Sunday.

Monday, December 30, 2002
A big rainstorm in the wee hours of the morning brought another power outage, but services were restored before dawn. This morning the sky is all overcast...maybe it will improve as things suddenly do on the island. But, if not, we are glad we got two snorkels in yesterday!

Our neighbors were a bit noisy last night...they are traveling with extended family and the cousins were having a grand old time at our quiet evening's expense. It was only about 10:30 when things quieted down, but on a section of the island were the day is pretty much over after dinner and things get very quiet, the noise was not welcome. Maybe the novelty will wear off today and the kids will be quieter tonight.

Well, Wilfredo came through with an expensive rental car option that we opted not to take...an $80 Dodge Ram truck for the day. We thought that it was too extravagant just to do a boring loop around the island and peek at some of the villages. Instead we decided to take a water taxi to Sandy Bay and see what that town is like. Where West End is home to tourists, and those who work in the industry, Sandy Bay is where the locals live.

OK, we found out that water taxis don't go to Sandy Bay. As it turns out, the town is more spread out than we thought and we couldn't find a ride there for the price they should have been charging. Got soaked for the tourist price of $5 and had a car taxi drop us off at the Botanical Garden across from Anthony's Key Resort. This was after taking the water taxi to West End. The Botanical Gardens cost us $10 and they should have paid us! The view at the top and along the way was spectacular, but the climb was quite a challenge. The narrow path (12" -18" across in most places) wound steeply around a mountain toward the summit and was incredibly muddy. It was a dangerous climb that really called for footwear with grabbing cleats on the bottom, but alas we had on slippery flip-flops. Miranda was better prepared than us with her Lands' End kids beach flops, but despite that the three of us still slid both up and down the path...the down being more difficult. By the time we finished the hike, our legs were all covered with mud since none of us managed to stay entirely on our feet during the long ordeal. So the piéce de resistance was the view of Anthony's Key Resort located out on an amazing reef off the coast. We think that it was worth our sweat-drenched, biting ant climb (oh, had i forgotten to mention the biting ants?)

Once back on flat ground, our muddy bodies were able to flag down a minibus (12 person van) back to town for only 15 Limperas each (95 cents total!) which made up for us getting taken advantage of on the way there. We came to the conclusion that there is no "town" to Sandy Bay...it is just the occasional house dotting the main, paved road that winds its way across the island.

Also forgot to mention that we ate lunch at Cannibal Café...Mexican food. Not bad. Their motto is aptly called "where we'd love to have you for dinner." They also had a sign hung inside the restaurant...an all time favorite of ours..."NO SHOES, NO SHIRT...FULL SERVICE."

So after lunch and the Botanical Garden we picked up some groceries, had some ice cream and then headed back to West Bay. We arrived just in time to suit up for an afternoon snorkel as the sun was setting...our most enjoyable snorkel so far! The water below was very clear and still and the clarity more than made up for it not being as bright as a high-noon snorkel. So many fish were out...saw a fabulous school of SQUID and thoroughly enjoyed venturing out to snorkel in deeper water. Miranda, despite her initial protest, met a couple of other kids and had a great time playing with them in the shallow water by the shore and jumping off the dilapidated dock. We were a bit uncomfortable with her swimming without us right there, but there were quite a few families on the beach at that time and so we let her have fun.

After a nice hot shower, we settled into our PJs for a long relaxing night. Leftovers for supper. For a day that started out cloudy and overcast, it turned into a spectacular one for us. What a day!

Tuesday, December 31, 2002 NEW YEAR'S EVE
Wow...what a blue sky! Went snorkeling around 10:30 for about an hour or so. Not as good as the crystal waters yesterday afternoon, but still saw lots of fish. Saw a really big fish hiding in the coral recesses which was very well camouflaged. It didn't appreciate us trying to get a better look and went deeper out to sea. My legs and arms are burnt out (not sun burnt though), but will hopefully make a recovery for another trip out this afternoon...if the sun lasts.

For lunch we treated ourselves to the Italian buffet next door. The resort can only be compared to a cruise ship on land complete with activities directors, karaoke and the usual shenanigans. Too funny! Anyway, the buffet was a welcome reprise from the usual fare and we tried some fun Italian specialties as well as a local fruit (pronounced "leesha") which was the consistency of kiwi, but the flavor of a tart grape. It had the strangest exterior to pull off before eating. Now we are on the patio for some reading while Miranda builds a sandcastle on the beach.

Well, with our bellies full and legs sore from yesterday's climb and two snorkels, we are calling it a day with no afternoon snorkel. New Year's Eve celebrations are almost upon us.

This afternoon at sunset there were more wild happenings at the Italian resort next door. There was a huge group of guests chanting and yelling while holding hands on the beach and then the entire lot ran and jumped in the water amid cheers. Apparently it is their tradition to celebrate from sunset to sunset over New Year's Eve. Should be an interesting night.

Aye carumba. Boom boom music blaring...beach fire blazing...turkey dinners beach side...must be New Year's. Miranda is watching a Disney Channel marathon to stay awake until midnight. Stuart and I had a romantic stroll down the beach. Fireworks just before the countdown.

12:38 a.m. Happy New Year. Just about to crawl into bed. A fun time watching all the revelers and counting down. Only had fireworks go into the crowd three times and only saw one guy with an ice pack on his head afterwards. The night isn't over yet, but so far it's not a bad casualty rate for an island celebration. Stuart and Miranda had one fly just over their heads, but that was only vaguely a close call...comparatively!

Wednesday, January 1, 2003 NEW YEAR'S DAY
We all slept in some this morning. The sky is a hazy blue, but the surf is really up. No storm though so we are thinking it must just be the wind creating the waves. We're off to another wonderfully lazy day with reading on the patio. The Windjammer sailing cruise ship is back again. It's an amazing sight to see the tall ship so close to shore.

4 o'clock...time for a snorkel.
The snorkel was great! Not quite as clear as our other late afternoon snorkel, but close. Lots of schools of fish once again because it must have been feeding time. Saw the coolest huge school of my favorite black with blue trim fish. Swam all the way back to the hotel along the beach. Tired legs!

Romeo's, a restaurant from the town of French Harbor, set up big speakers, tents, disco lights, and cooking apparatus in the vacant lot next door to serve food and Stuart got chicken wings and a chicken sandwich for dinner. Even still, he accompanied me and Miranda down to Foster's so that we could have our fill of rice and beans. Miranda likes to climb the tree next to the bar while waiting for dinner. Now we are settled in for the rest of our evening and can't help but listen to the Boom Chica Boom music still blaring from the Romeo's set up.

Today was a holiday and the beach was filled with local families having fun just like on Christmas Day. The big waves made it great for the kids in the water as they jumped and rode them onto the beach. The music at Romeo's finally shut off about 9:30. Everything was nice and quiet after that.

Thursday, January 2, 2003
While yesterday we awoke to a surf with crashing waves, today all is calm. Should be a fairly quiet day on the beach since the cruise and sailing ships are gone and New Year's celebrations are over.

We are definitely the top choice for mosquitoes and sand flies with our soft, tasty skin. To combat both, we have bug spray and also a sun lotion combined with some bug repellent. The little "buggers" are insidious and unrelenting though. We'll still be scratching next week I'm sure. Of course, this isn't a big problem only here, it was similar in Belize and heck...even down at the beach at home we have to wear repellent to keep away the monster mosquitoes.

The other day when we ended up at the Botanical Gardens it had been our intent to check out Sandy Bay. Since we were just too worn out by the whole taxi thing and then our exhausting, muddy climb, we didn't explore to see if there was a village area beyond what we had already seen driving along. Today I am going to ask and see if there is anything left of an old path to another nearby village called Flowers Bay. That's where the lady who braided Miranda's hair lives.

No luck on the Flowers Bay thing. Any trail has been long covered by various construction projects and it's a long walk along the road.

Lunch today at the Italian resort...another splurge and it was worth it! Of course what huge lunch time meal would be complete without a nice snooze afterwards. What are vacations for?

Stuart and Miranda went for a sunset swim and I continued with my reading marathon. Five books so far, but still a nice big stockpile on the night stand. Probably went overboard with the books, but didn't want to get stuck without.

Low key dinner from the hotel bar while in the room watching more Disney with Miranda.

When I described the Italian resort next door the earlier, I meant to say how we heard they "treat" their sand. Apparently there is a rule against spraying for mosquitoes and sand flies, but they secretly spray after hours...beach rumor mill is active.

Friday, January 3, 2003
Got up in time for breakfast at the Italian resort...just me and Miranda for one last hurrah...Stuart was sleeping in. They have tasty crépes.

Wilfredo confirmed our return flight to Houston with Taca Air so aside from packing and the usual checking out stuff, we're all set to depart on the van at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. Honduras charges $27 per person for departure tax...payable in full and in cash at the airport. Hey...it only cost $2 to enter. I guess they want us to stay.

Today there is a bit of surf with a cloudy sky. Who can tell what to expect for the afternoon though, with the weather changing as fast as it does around here. It is actually the coolest temperature day we have had here and it reminded me of Belize last year where it was warm, but not scorchingly hot the week we were there.

Wow, did the waves ever get big this afternoon! Stuart and Miranda must have spent a couple of hours wave riding and jumping and getting knocked all over. They both had really sandy swimsuits and sand scratches from getting dragged into shore wave surfing.

At the end of the beach where the reef meets the shore at a peninsula, the waves were crashing and spraying water 50 feet into the air! What a show. Tried to capture it with pictures, but couldn't really do nature's display any justice.

Packed on and off today to spread out the chore and now it's mostly done. Our flight leaves at 10:45 in the morning so we won't have to get up at the crack of dawn. Things are usually pretty laid back at these small island airports.

Dinner tonight at Bite on the Beach. I had a very tasty lobster pineapple dish. Couldn't really figure out where the pineapple came into the recipe because I couldn't taste it, but it was very good anyway. Stuart had Curry Wahoo (wahoo is a fish) and it was OK. He definitely liked my lobster better. While we were waiting for our dinner, the skies opened up on us and as our table was out in the open, we scurried for cover at the bar. Ended up waiting and then eating in our new spot (sans stools). By the time we were done (dinner took forever to arrive I might add) the rain had blown through and we could walk back to our room without getting wet. The waves were still kicking up a storm though and the surge has brought the water up about an extra ten feet onto the beach. Now the water is only about thirty feet from our door. Imagine it during a hurricane! Time to relax for what's left of our final evening. We'll be heading home to very cold weather and snow...lots of it too. And the east coast is expecting another six inches of snow inland which will be turning to an icy mess before it's all over...supposedly. Further north though they are expecting a foot or more. Hopefully we won't have trouble with our flights, but it is on our minds as we head into a long travel day.

Saturday, January 4, 2003
Ah...the best laid plans...up on time...nice breakfast while looking out upon wild wind and waves. Got to the airport (while having to listen to the most annoying woman on the van complain about the staff at the hotel because they thought we were late) with plenty of "island time" but the airport was closed to flights in and out. They still went through the entire check-in process, but finally around 11:30 our flight was canceled. It was coming from the states, but got diverted to an airport in San Salvador because of fog and wind shears. Neither airport seemed to be able to stay open long enough (they kept opening and closing) to have our flight come to Roatan. So, back in line with Taca Air and they were able to change our Houston to Providence flight until Sunday, when hopefully the Taca flight will depart at about the same time.

We were able to call home for $5 (only 1 minute for that price) to warn Dad that we couldn't get home. Then we settled in to finding a room. Spending another night or two back at the Mayan Princess at $150 a night in crummy weather did not seem like a great deal...beachfront is only wonderful in sunny, swimming weather...not gale force winds accompanied by a driving rain.

OK, so here we are in French Harbor at Romeo's (we had no idea what foreshadowing Stuart's chicken sandwich was a few nights ago) in a cute little room for three at only $55 a night including breakfast! Romeo's is also a restaurant and we enjoyed the most amazing seafood feast...you can't imagine what Stuart's crab plate was like! Lookout Alaskan King Crab...this thing he had was like a sea monster! After dinner Stuart and I donned a couple of layers of dirty clothes and set off for a walk in the rain (we did not pack rain slickers). We had wanted to get a feel for a town and now we had our chance. What's that old adage...be careful what you wish for because you just might get it! We strolled for about forty-five minutes and took it all in. French Harbor is a fishing village/port and is definitely a working man's village. The walk was marred only by my falling down 5 steps going back to our hotel room. Being the aging old maid that I am, my entire left hip and butt is now seizing up and promising to be a real barrel of laughs for the long plane ride home. I'm sure the cuts and bruises all over my ankle will only add to the fun.

All three of us have now slipped on wet tiles here in Honduras. Miranda went flying the first day and really slammed her elbow hard. Stuart did a nice split the other day in almost the same spot on our patio where Miranda wiped out...and now me. I'm not sure what this means other than look out on wet tile! We'll have to get up early in the morning to see if there is any news from the airport.

Sunday, January 5, 2003
6:10...I'm up with the birds and going no place fast. A nice young woman waiting with her family for an early morning cab told me how to make local calls from the room and so began my torture of the Taca Airline staff. To make a long story short, I called the airport every half hour until our flight was officially canceled about 1 p.m. I don't believe that the airport ever did open and the rain didn't let up all day long. About 8 p.m. tonight it looked like the storm was passing because the rain had stopped. Now at 9 it is still clearing and my fingers are crossed to see some stars out. Since the airport has been closed for 2 1/2 days, it's going to be an absolute madhouse tomorrow (more than the normal island airport chaos I'm sure). We will have to be there at 5:30 a.m. to be there when it opens. None of us are looking forward to the long day which will hopefully await us for our trip home. Stranded in paradise during a three day rainstorm is not a fun time...stressful actually. Not a nice way to end two weeks of R&R. On a pleasant note though, we have really enjoyed our stay in French Harbor and meeting the owner of Casa Romeo's was the highlight of our day today. We talked with him for a long time...he is half Italian and half Honduran...and his ambition and education have earned him an amazing life on the island. He will leave quite a legacy for future generations of his family and actually for the entire island.

Another tasty meal tonight and an early bedtime! Had to call the sick line at school to say that I couldn't work on Monday because I was stuck in Honduras.

Monday, January 6, 2003
5:30 a.m. and the taxi we ordered the night before was right on time. We were at the airport before they even opened and second in line at the Taca counter. The rain was coming down in buckets and it is disappointing to think that we might be spending another day at the airport and another night stranded in paradise.

Finally about 7:30 the sun began to peek through the clouds and everyone at the airport is given a glimmer of hope that the planes might fly.

12:45 p.m. our flight to Houston takes off. I have never been on a plane before when people clapped and cheered upon takeoff, but today it happened. Made our connecting flight with only minor trouble (seems that the Taca people didn't change our flight correctly), but the US Air counter staff was very helpful. We were relieved when the plane landed in Providence, even if it was after 1 a.m. by the time we got into bed.