A capuchin monkey making me laugh on Fantasy Island
What is it about monkeys? Apes, chimps -- monkeys of all kinds, really. We human being can't get enough of 'em.
I was really knocked out by "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." After seeing the movie 3 times, I still can't tell you why I was so moved by it. I can't put a finger on it. I guess it's a primal thing.
Who didn't love the Curious George books as a child?
Curious George seemed to embody all of the best human traits: curiosity, compassion, intelligence and a grand sense of adventure. You have to wonder, though, if the stories would have been half as popular if the "George" in Curious George was simply a curious little boy.
I think not.
Anyway, a week ago a large storm was predicted to arrive at French Harbor here in Roatan, Honduras. Chris and I decided this would be a good time to leave the anchorage, splurge and tie up to the dock at the Fantasy Island Resort while the storm rumbled past. Fortunately we had 48 hours of gorgeous weather to enjoy the amenities there before the storm blew through...
Welcome to Fantasy Island. And yes, this is the actual ocean -- not a swimming pool.
Captain Chris at rest
Trees sway on Fantasy Island
A peek across the bay to CocoView Dive Resort
This was Espiritu's parking spot on the dock
We were very glad to be lashed to the dock when the big storm blew through. Several boats' anchors dragged during the worst of the storm, and one even ended up on the rocks.
It was a real sweet spot...
We had a jam under the Fantasy Island palm trees with the crews of Passport and Nauti-Nauti.
They say that primates share more than 90% of the DNA of homo sapiens -- which, if true, would mean that monkeys really love music. And almost on queue, after we started playing "Whiskey Before Breakfast," we heard a visitor rustling in the trees:
He was checking us out big time!
And he wasn't the only one...
Look! A baby!
Wow. We were witness to a happy capuchin monkey family unit
But then, in the blink of an eye, dad slinked down a tree to get a closer
look at the jam. "He must really like our music," we said with a smile.
At lightning speed, he nabbed Rebecca's gin and tonic and shimmied up the tree.
Another example of how monkeys are just like humans. They really like gin and tonics.
These monkeys on the island are a hoot. One evening Chris and I were playing pool on a patio at the resort. I looked away for a mere second, and a monkey nabbed our cue ball and took off into the lobby of the hotel! I chased him past the reception area and up the stairs. Finally, he dropped the ball down to me once it was clear that he had "won" the game.
Ya gotta love the monkeys! Especially when they do "human-esque" things like run off with gin and tonics or dress in office clothes.
And few things inspire more simple, old fashioned joy for Southern Californians
than the sight of our own Los Angeles Angels Rally Monkey jumping up and
down on the Jumbotron, 100 feet tall!
Alas, after the storm blew through, the mini-vacation in monkeyland was over. It was time to return to the anchorage, since we're "Economy Cruisers," and the anchorage is where we belong. Truly, we're happiest out there anyway. There's a breeze, there's privacy, and you can take a swim whenever you want.
On a serious note, there is a sailboat called Charter II which left the Cayman Islands for Roatan before the storm. They were supposed to have arrived here in French Harbor several days ago, and noone has heard a word from them.
We will all nervously keep our eyes on the horizon until we hear from "Charter II." Scary stuff.
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