ROATAN, HONDURAS - 2012
"Far Tortuga" villa
Sunday, March 4th
This morning we went to church, then out to lunch with Richard and Evelyn. By 1400, we were finally on our way to Portland! The past few months had been very stressful. We were relieved to have that all behind us, and excited about starting our vacation.
As we drove along, every now and then I heard HT cough. At first I thought he'd just irritated his throat singing in church - but, by the time we got to Corvallis it was pretty obvious he was coming down with something - ARRRGH!!!
We arrived at the Portland Ramada - where we were going to leave our truck in the "Park and Fly" area - by around 1800. We had planned to go out for a nice dinner but, by then, HT was really feeling crummy, so I got a BLT in the dining room at the hotel; all HT could manage was a small cup of fruit.
The shuttle got us to the airport by 2030, and we made it through the lines without a hitch. They didn't even question the bag of medical supplies we'd brought for the Roatan Clinic! Our plane left on-time at 2330.
Monday, March 5
We catnapped during the four hour flight to Houston, but HT was becoming more and more congested. Oh my, this was not how I'd antipated our vacation starting off! We had a five hour layover in Houston, where we managed to nap a bit before having breakfast at Wendy's. We had all three seats in our row to ourselves for the flight from Houston to Roatan, so we actually managed to get a decent nap. As we began our descent, at first we couldn't see anything beneathe us but clouds - uh oh ... And then, there was Roatan!
WEST END, ROATAN
We disembarked about 1300 and, as we'd feared, it was cloudy with intermmitant rain showers. The airport was a "zoo", but at least all our luggage arrived (though our Sea bag had been left open somewhere along the line, and the contents were spilling out. Fortunately we didn't lose anything.) Kevin and Claire (managers of our villa Far Tortuga) were there to meet us, as promised - as was Josh with our rental Xterra. We followed Kevin and Claire to the house, where they gave us a "walk through", and then we drove back to French Harbor to get our groceries at Eldons.
The house is lovely, and well appointed; the decor an airy arrangement of rattan and tropical colors, with samplings of the local art. Windows dominate the far walls. The true beauty lies beyond the windows in the lush green foliage and the stretch of aqua Carribean sea beyond; a spectacular view!
We both felt like zombies after our all-night flight - HT especially, though he was being a real trooper - not complaining, staying positive. I, on the other hand, was stressing about him getting sicker - as well as the distinct possibility of me coming down with "it" too in the next couple of days!
The electricity went out about 1600 but, fortunately, came back on in less than an hour. Even though it was stormy, it was still "muggy", and we would need those fans on in our bedroom.
IRON SHORE (Fossilized coral) from back deck
Tuesday, March 6
We were SO tired that we were asleep within minutes of climbing onto the oh-so-comfy bed. Our sleep was interrupted a few times by HT's sneezing and coughing, but we were soon lulled back to sleep by the soothing sound of the waves crashing onto the shore, and the wind blowing through the palm fronds.
We woke at 0730 to the loud crowing of our resident rooster beneath our bedroom window. (We instantly dubbed him "Dinner".)
It was really windy - in fact the deck chairs had been blown across the deck and against the far wall. Grey clouds loomed over the water. We were both stuffy now - HT very much so!
Since the weather was yukky, and we weren't feeling up to par, we opted to take a road trip and explore the island. Down our little road we bounced, then turned left onto the main road. From French Harbor, we looped through Sandy Bay, West End, Flower Bay and Coxen Hole.
Even though it poured off and on, there were still LOTS of people out and about. From laughing/frolicking school children - to the older porch sitters and hammock rockers. From camera and/or beer carrying tourists - to loud, colorful hawkers and vendors.
Selling bread and water in the middle of main street
"SMILEY"
AND armed guards at many locations - OH MY!We had a picnic (in the car; didn't want to take a chance with the noseeums) on the beach at Sandy Bay. Yes, we actually drove on the beach.
Back at French Harbor, after purchasing some shrimp and lobster tails at Hybur Fish Market, we picked up two kids - an 8 year old boy and his 12 year old sister - who were hitchhiking. Though taboo in the U.S., hitchhiking is common here - the only alternative for the kids is a taxi as there are no school buses. It's not uncommon to see the bed of pickup trucks loaded with school children or men going to and from work.
We'd assumed we'd only be driving them a short distance when, instead, we ended up taking them up-island - almost to Oak Ridge. We practiced our Spanish on them while they practiced their English on us... as well as some other skills! Long after we had dropped them off, we discovered one of them had stolen HT's watch that had been buckled onto the handle of our cooler (which, conveniently - for them - was in the back seat).
Later, we enjoyed a lovely (albeit cloudy) evening on the deck - reading.
Wednesday, March 7
Sometime during the night, HT spiked a fever of, at least, 102. By morning it had broken, but he was still feeling pretty puny. Having a "villa day" seemed like the wise thing to do; perhaps some rest would help him to recoup. Turns out that was a good decision as he spent the entire day in the hammock - reading and napping.
We've just abut concluded that this new onset of fever was not a continuation of his "cold". Instead we think it might have been a reaction to a bite - perhaps a spider bite (though we haven't seen any)?? We're quite familiar with the noseeum and mosquito bites, and this was something different. He had some very questionable, angry, inflammed "lumps" on his back and upper thigh???
Thursday, March 8
"Dinner" woke us around 0800 to blue skies - though it was still windy. HT felt almost back to "normal" but we thought we should give him one more day before we "hit" the water. We were sitting out on the deck enjoying a cup of coffee when dark clouds started moving in. HT had no more voiced the words, "Looks like we're going to get a little rain", when the skies "opened up", and it just flat out poured! We barely had time to get out a moan; within 15 minutes it had blown over and there was beautiful blue sky once again - YAY!
We packed a picnic lunch and headed up over the ridge - going East this time.
At the top of the hill, we stopped to see "The View" - which included a little craft market.
PUNTA GORDA
Further East, we turned onto a dirt road, where we came across this great sign.
Past Camp Bay, we came to La Serena - a cute little "restaurant" situated in a palapa set on stilts out over the water.
We bought a couple of cold beers and sat down at the outside table to eat our lunch while talking with an interesting group from a dive boat.
Heading back West, we detoured off the main road to drive through Oakridge - a little fishing village dubbed Roatan's "Little Venice". Houses on stilts line the water way. Evidently, the village was completely destroyed by hurrican Mitch in 1998.
The very narrow road through the village seemed more like a sidewalk! Our vehicle barely fit between some of the buildings, and lazy dogs lay just barely out of reach of our tires - not blinking an eye as we rolled by.
Friday, March 9 - First Roatan Snorkle Day - YAY!!!
We started our day with a yummy, hardy breakfast of bacon, eggs and hashbrowns - packed up our gear, and were on our way by 1000. (OK, not exactly the crack of dawn - but, hey, we were out of practice!)
We decided to start from the beach west of Infinity Bay Resort in West Bay because so many people on the Roatan Trip Advisor forum recommend it - even though it's frequented by cruise shippers.
beach and in the water - not really our usual "cup of tea", but we were anxious to see what all the "hoopla" was about.
We paddled out along "the wall" and soon came to the shallow reef.
It wasn't exactly "teeming" with fish, but there were still plenty to watch, and there were some lovely coral out croppings - some healthier than others.
SCHOOL OF BLUE TANG
SQUIRRELFISH
Saturday, March 10 - Snorkeling at Half Moon Bay
As we were swimming out towards the reef, we passed a pier where HT spotted two Carribean Reef Squid.
We were disappointed when we reached the reef. Most of the coral was bleached out, silted over, and/or dead. It might have gotten better if we'd gone further out, but the water was pretty rough around the point and we didn't want to chance it.
On our way back in - towards the middle of the bay (in the boat traffic lane - yikes!), we found a Green Sea Turtle - YAY!!! I happily snapped picture after picture while HT went in search of a Green Moray Eel a fellow snorkeler had told him about. He found it peeking out from the hatch of a sunken home-made submarine, and he was huge; his razor-sharp teeth visible from his big, gaping mouth!
SUBMERGED HOMEMADE SUBMARINE
GREEN MORAY EEL
Though the reef had been a disappointment, we were VERY happy with the special "critters" we'd seen - especially since this was only the 2nd snorkle of our vacation.
Sunday, March 11
We woke at 0700. We were back on "Island Time" again - and, best of all, both of us were finally feeling healthy!
Hoping to find some better coral, we decided to try Sandy Bay - the next community east from where we snorkeled yesterday. We stopped in at two different dive shops in an attempt to gleen information but, by far, the best advice we were given was from the third person we talked to - an ex pat. who now lives in Sandy Bay with her husband and their 6 year old son. She said the reef was "gorgeous" straight out across the bay from where we were standing, so we decided to give it a try. Admittedly though, I was feeling somewhat trepidatious: the reef was a good 400 yards from shore!
We took our time and, as it turned out, it was a fairly easy swim.
At first we thought the reef to be "just ok" - but then HT ventured out further (of course). For once, I was glad he did because on the other side of the reef - past where the waves were breaking, it was absolutely beautiful! The undulating swells made it a bit difficult to take pictures, but what a sight: A virtual undersea garden with vibrantly colored fish swimming around the swaying purple fans and coral of all shapes and sizes.
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STOPLIGHT PARROT FISH (approx. 20")
CHECK OUT THOSE CORAL-CHOMPIN' TEETH
QUEEN PARROTFISH (approx 20")
QUEEN ANGELFISH (approx. 18")
FRENCH ANGELFISH
SHRIMP ON PIER PILING
Monday, March 12
After HT showered this AM, he began to develop a raised "rash" on his left hand and lower arm. Before long large, burning blisters began to form. He remembered that, while snorkling yesterday, he was going through a narrow gap when a surge caused him to accidently brush against the coral. Evidently, during his shower this morning, the hot water activated the toxins. If we'd have realized yesterday that he'd been in contact with fire coral, we could have neutralized it with vinegar. Unfortunately, it's just going to have to run its course now.
Today we visited Fantasy Island - a rustic, though lovely, resort on the south shore. Weather permitting, we'll try snorkeling there tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 13
HT had a restless night due to his burning/itching hand/arm. Poor guy, he's just had one thing after another going on since our vacation started. Enough is enough! While he slept in a little, I made coffee and started breakfast.
We arrived at Fantasy Island around 1100.
From an easy beach entry, we swam across the sandy-bottomed cove out to the reef. The coral was scattered here and there, but there were some nice formations that hosted some interesting, colorful fish.
WATUSI
From an easy beach entry, we swam across the sandy-bottomed cove out to the reef. The coral was scattered here and there, but there were some nice formations that hosted some interesting, colorful fish.
I spotted FOUR Lionfish - Yikes! They're quite beautiful, but those delicate, feathery fins are very toxic (Beside the fact that these non-indiginous fish are taking over the Carribean reefs!)
LIONFISH (approx. 6")
SPINY LOBSTER (hiding under rock)
We got back to the villa about 1500 and the waves seemed more calm than usual, so we decided to snorkle from the little First Bight community pier - a short walk from the house.
We got as far as the reef behind Far Tortuga, but the waves and surge were bouncing us around like corks and we didn't know if it would get even rougher - so we thought we'd better head in. It was difficult swimming against the current, but we were concerned about following the waves in and risking getting tossed onto the Iron Shore (fossilized coral that is VERY sharp)
Iron Shore (note the 2 "camouflaged" iguanas)
I sure hope we can get a calmer day so we can go back out though because it's absolutely beautiful - lots of healthy coral and huge, purple sea fans.
Wednesday, March 14
Today we woke, around 0700, to rain. We had coffee and then breakfast out on the deck. By 1000, it was still cloudy and breezy so we decided to go into town and restock our "lair". At Bulk Gormet, we had a nice visit with owners Butch and Sherrie. By the time we got back to the villa, the clouds were gone. There were still waves out back though so we chose to go kayaking. We lugged the two-man, sit-on-top kayak down to the tiny beach next to the pier and were soon gliding across the fairly calm water of First Bight.
We kept mostly to the edge so we could observe the birds in the mangroves, and the big villas next to the shore. It was a nice, peaceful paddle.
After we returned, we walked down our road a bit to find the beach we thought might be an easier entry/exit for snorkeling - when/IF it ever calmed down enough. Down the path through the sea grapes, we discovered the beach - AND a man and woman! Oops - we hoped we weren't trespassing.
Susan and Frank (who live in a yurt up the hill) assured us that we were not trespassing - saying that "any land up to the high water mark is public".
We talked with them for about an hour - very nice couple. When we told them we'd just kayaked the Bight, Susan asked if we'd seen any Crocodiles - HUH? Well, evidently - according to them - "a whole passle of them live in the lagoon. One even regularly suns himself on the of the local's dock". GULP! She went on to say that the adults are between 10 and 14 feet long OH MY!
Thursday, March 15
We slept in this morning until after 0800. We had breakfast, showered, then drove East, up and over the ridge, to Marble Hill Farms - a lovely area with a restaurant, cabanas and a dive shop with a pier. Per Susan's recommendation, we talked to a young man by the name of Bryan about one day going out snorkeling on one of their dive boats.
From there, we drove further east on the rough, dirt road to Camp Bay. At La Serena, we enjoyed an ice-cold beer while talking with owner, Jimmy, who told us about their efforts to save the sea turtles, young conch, and young and/or female lobster from being slaughtered by the locals.
On the way back to the villa, we had a scrumptious lunch at Cal's Cantina - a cute little place on a hill overlooking First Bight. I had the Island Burger, and HT had Mahi Mahi with garlic mashed potatoes. Both meals were incredible - wonderfully seasoned.
MAHI MAHI WITH GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
ISLAND BURGER (SO juicy and tasty!)
After we finished our meals, we hung around for awhile talking with the very-friendly staff. The owner, Carl, is an interesting fellow - as well as a VERY talented chef! He attended culinary school in New York, and does a great impersonation of Julia Childs - who spoke at his graduation ceremony.
Back at our villa, we spent the remainder of the afternoon lazing about and reading.
Friday, March 16
Up at 0700 - wondering if we should drive to the north side again since the wind had let up some - or stay and try the snorkling behind Far Tortuga again. Ahh, decisions, decisions! As it turned out, the clouds moved in and the wind picked up, so we just "hung out" for the remainder of the morning. (We could get used to this.) We'd just finished an early lunch when next-door neighbor, Henrietta, stopped by to invite us to join her at Cal's openhouse tomorrow. We visited with her for a while and, by the time she left, we had blue skies and the wind had died back down to a gentle breeze.
Not wasting a moment - we jumped into our shorty wetsuits, grabbed our gear, and walked down the road to the house with the windmill: our entry/exit marker. The water there is only about mid-calf deep and the sandy bottom is studded with sea urchins hidden among the turtle grass. So, following Frank and Susan's instructions, we walked out to "the pipe" in our reef shoes. Then, we hung them on the pipe, put on our fins and glided out across the clear, turquoise water.
Soon we found ourselves floating above an undersea wonderland - big, beautiful, healthy coral formations with fish of all hues darting to and fro.
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BLUE TRUMPET FISH
REDBAND PARROTFISH - initial stage
We agreed that this was the healthiest coral we'd seen on island so far, and we saw some fish we hadn't seen before too - like a beautiful 2-3 foot long Scrawled File Fish (Unfortunately, he was too quick for us to take his picture).
Satuday, March 17
Today was "chore day": laundrey plus a trip to French Harbor to restock groceries from Eldon's. After one stop, the Xterra wouldn't start - again. (This was the third time this had happened.)
So far, HT had always been able to get it to start up after he jiggled the battery connections, but we didn't want to take any chances so he called Josh at the car rental. Josh asked us to bring the vehicle by the airport so he could get it looked at - which we did.
On the way home, we stopped to visit with Susan and Frank and got a tour of their yurt - very cute, and what a view!
Back at the villa, we showered and got ready to go to the openhouse at Cal's.
VIEW OF FIRST BIGHT FROM CAL'S
(You can see Susan and Frank's yurt in the upper right corner.)
We had a really nice time at the openhouse. We sat with Henrietta and met several of her friends - mostly ex. pats. who now live on the eastern part of the island. There was lots of yummy food served buffet style - including grilled coconut wedges which were really good. A live band featured Bobby Rieman (whose CD we'd been listening to at the villa a couple of days ago).
Sunday, March 18
Monkey La La (These lizards run upright, on their hind legs)
Monday, March 19
MS. PEGGY'S HOUSE TO THE RIGHT - BEHIND THE FENCE
MS. PEGGY'S PIER
Oh my, what an awesome snorkel we had. At one point, we were startled when a humongous barracuda darted out from under a ledge (Well ok, at least I was startled; HT though it was cool!) It was at least five foot long and, at first, I thought it was a shark!
But the very neatest creature we saw was this guy:
COMMON OCTOPUS
We stalked him, both of us taking pictures, until finally he'd had enough of us.
HT CLIMBING STAIRS TO MS. PEGGY'S HOUSE
Tuesday, March 20
Today we were splurging - we were going out on a dive boat! We left the villa by 0730 to assure we had enough time to drive clear out to Marble Hills Farm.
TROPICAL ISLAND DIVERS
We got there a little early and ended up having to wait over an hour for two newby divers to practice in the shallow water by the dock. We didn't really mind the wait - but, as time wore on, the wind was picking up...
Finally we were on our way out to the reef, but by then it was pretty windy. A pod of dolphin swam along with the boat for a while - playing in its wake.
When the boat captain stopped the engine and said he was dropping anchor, HT and I looked at each other - puzzled. The boat was pitching and rolling in the big swells; surely they weren't planning for us to snorkle there! But yep, that was indeed their intention. The Dive Master told us she was going down with the two newbies and, pointing towards the rather distant reef said, "You guys are on your own". I really didn't even want to get into the water but HT went first and motioned to me that it was "ok", so in I went.
It was deep, and the visibility was terrible. HT and I held hands to keep together in the rough conditions. We finally got to the reef where the visibility was a little better - but not much. The only really good thing about our snorkle was that a dolphin swam past HT - within about 10 feet - on his way to join his distant pod.
After about an hour (more than enough time for us), we made our way back to the boat just as the divers were coming up. It was no easy feat climbing up the ladder of the undulating boat but we all managed to secure ourselves on board and were soon heading back to the dock where we'd have coffee and cookies before boating to a second site.
When the Boat Master, Paul, returned from town and learned about our less than desirable experience, he made the decision to take the two of us out for an hour by ourselves. He chose a reef he referred to as Mongoose - just out from Punta Gorda, and what a great choice it was!
The water was calm, clear, and shallow; the pristine reef an enchanting undersea garden of beautiful soft and hard coral. The visibility was great, and I followed Paul around as he pointed out various fish and critters he thought I'd like to take pictures of.
BOAT MASTER, PAUL
ANENOME
OUR ENCHANTING CORAL GARDEN
GIANT BARRACUDA (only about 1/3 the size of the one we saw at Ms. Peggy's)
This "worm" was approx. 16 inches long
BLUE FISH
PURPLE SEA FAN
FOUREYE BUTTERFLY FISH
BRAIN CORAL
SPOTFIN BUTTERFLY FISH
BRITTLE STAR
We could have stayed out there forever. As it was, it was 1330 by the time we got back to our car!
Wednesday, March 21
The last time we were at La Serena's, Jimmy had talked about how great the reef was out from their restaurant. It was a long way from shore, but we are pretty strong swimmers/snorkelers so we decided to try it.
We did find some good reef, but the wind had really picked up by the time we reached it, and it was difficult to keep from being tossed against the coral. We saw some nice formations, and some pretty fish but it wasn't that enjoyable due to the heavy surge, so we didn't stay out too long.
CONCH SHELL
INDIGO HAMLET
FLAMINGO TONGUE
STARFISH
STOPLIGHT PARROT FISH - INITIAL STAGE
Thursday, March 22
We spent the day doing laundrey and packing. Sadly, the time had come to turn our thoughts to tomorrow's departure. We'd had a wonderful vacation - a time to heal, a time to regroup, a time to spend together, a time for fun and laughter.
IGUANA
Friday, March 23
Well "fate" just couldn't resist throwing one more little "monkey wrench" our way! We got up early, had a good breakfast of leftovers, packed up the car and were ready to leave at the alloted time - except that the car wouldn't start, and this time no jiggling or jostling made a difference! Josh came out (a half hour drive from the airport), switched our battery for his, and we were on our way. WA LA!
We made it to the airport and through the maze of lines with time to spare. Our flight left Roatan at 1300, and we arrived in Portland around midnight - where we spent the night at the Ramada! Though dog tired, we were happy, at peace, and filled with wonderful memories of Roatan.
