A taste of the Caribbean in Roatan, Honduras

                                                Little French Cay in Roatan

                   After a 3 night sail north along the coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras,
                 Espiritu arrived at the French Harbor anchorage in Roatan, Honduras
                                           in the middle of a raging squall.

                       We enjoyed a bit of good, downwind sailing during our passage.
                   Chris had the opportunity to fly both the jib and the staysail at once!

                                  We picked up a stow-away during the passage

         We were charmed by the old-fashioned manual typewriter in the Port Captain's office

                                And look at the cute, antiquated Port Captain first aid station!


                    Once we were all checked in, we were free to roam and explore the island.

                                                       Beautiful West Bay, Roatan

                                 We enjoyed a cup of coffee at this waterfront West Bay eatery

                            A tourist examines the conch shells sold by a young local girl

             A dive boat at West Bay rests before taking divers out to the world famous reefs

                                                      My pink squeakers rest in the sun

       This scene amused me. These tourists were waiting in front of their hotel for the van to take them to the sea to snorkel.  They wouldn't see the water for quite awhile, yet they've got their life vests on way ahead of time. They look like bibs! LOL...


   We finally pulled ourselves away from lovely but pricey West Bay to explore the other parts of the island. Let's meet some of the locals, shall we?

                       This little one didn't quite know what to make of me, but she dutifully
                                          posed for the shot. Note the Las Vegas t-shirt.

This photo epitomizes what I love about Latin America. We had lunch at this family owned roadside eatery. The friendly young daughter lovingly made our entire lunch with fresh ingredients from scratch over an open fire. These meals are very inexpensive, yet they taste better than filet mignon at a 5 star restaurant. Note her dad planting a banana tree in the background.     :-)

                       This little piece of work rides shotgun with her dad in his taxi cab.
              She does not remove her shades, and she does not acknowledge your presence,
                        as befits a pint sized young princess. She also does
                  NOT wear a seat belt, nor does she sit in a car seat. Welcome to Honduras!

                                                 Little princess as seen from the back.
                                              Note how she rocks the bunny backpack!

     I found this DVD for sale in a local tienda. It's a "special 25th anniversary edition" tribute DVD of the Nicaraguan Sandanista communist revolution. Toto, we're not in Walmart anymore...

      Although we've finally escaped the overwhelming rain and lightning of the Costa Rica/Panama rainy season, it still rains alot here in Roatan. This photo shows the lack of consistent drainage.

                                 We climbed a hill and enjoyed this view of lush, vibrant Roatan

       This is the view from the same spot looking north. Far below is the one golf course on the island.

    Check out the headgear of this little guy we tripped upon. He's about 3 inches from stem to stern.

                                            Cows in the front yard? Welcome to Honduras!

  While there is alot of money on this exotic island, the majority live simply in dwellings like these.

                                                 Dock and mangroves

                                                      Boardwalk to the beach

        Our French Harbor anchorage is right next to Little French Key, seen above.
 Cruisers can visit this gorgeous little island for free, as long as we buy food and/or drinks. Sweet!

                     Wall decoration at the local shrimp fisherman's dock. Well, alrighty then!

                                                       Lush scene typical of Roatan

                             The roadside fruit/veggie stand is always our favorite stop

            White picket fences are a charming trademark of the island of Roatan

                                                  Local children cross a wooden bridge

                                                                Tropical cat nap


   As has been true throughout Latin America, the locals and expats have been incredibly gracious. Our new friend Ed, an American who has lived here for 30 years, invited us to his waterfront home for a dinner of freshly caught Honduran shrimp.

                  Ed's living room. There's no fighting it. Fox News is everywhere.


           Ed and his family have a large yard overlooking the water. But instead of a dog, which might grace the yard of the typical American home, meet Ed's pet:

                                                          Bruno the squirrel monkey!

                                           Bruno took a liking to Captain Chris...

                           Well. After a welcoming like this, how can we even THINK
                 about leaving Roatan anytime soon? We'll be here through the holidays.


                 Wishing you the Merriest of Christmasses, wherever you find yourself  on our small, blue planet this year. Thinking of you with love and a tinge of longing.  But we are happy, and so very grateful to be here.

     XOXOXOXOXOXOXO