Roatan, Honduras: My Favorite Port of Call

After eating a hearty breakfast I walked onto the outdoor deck and took a look at our new port of call: Roaton. I was excited to see the sun shining and hear local music playing on the dock. It was a beautiful island and the water was so clear that I could see all the way to the bottom. My excitement was building for the day ahead, because I had planned a scuba diving excursion with my sister and I was really looking forward to shopping. I enjoy walking in and out of small stalls that are filled with local products. I like to find the cute knick knacks (pots, wall hangings, candle holders, well you get the point!). So when my friends ask, "that is so cute, where did you get that?" it will be a fun to say, "when I was traveling to ______!" Plus I collect nativity sets from around the world and I knew it would be easy to find something in December (can you imagine what it is like when I'm searching in the summer?).

After changing into our bathing suits, my sister and I headed to the meeting stop for scuba diving. I was really excited to dive, but a bit nervous because it had been a year and a half since I have dived. I was really hoping I would remember all the rules. Actually I wasn't terribly nervous, because my past experiences had been very reassuring. In Hawaii the dive guides were super helpful and worked really well with the newbies. Unfortunately to my surprise, it is a little different in Honduras. I should have known! The guides expected us to know everything. And it seemed like all the other divers to know everything. Most of them brought their own equipment. Even though others helped us I was still anxious.

Unfortunately my worries grew because the dive company was having problems with their equipment. It should have only taken about a half hour to set up and leave the docks, but we were there for at least two hours. You don't go under water, unless you know your gear is working properly. So it took a few tests to make sure it was all safe. The guides apologized about the equipment problems, but it didn't matter because we were already running late.

Eventually the boat let for the coral wall. It is always interesting to dive with my little sister, because I think she looks to me for support. She gets nervous about going low, (she doesn't want to touch the bottom) which makes things difficult since she floats right above me. Since she is my buddy I want to keep her within eye sight, but how do I do that when she gets right in the wrong spot (like when you have an itch on your back that you just can't reach)? Luckily though, we made a smooth transition into the water. I'm always afraid I'm going to ruin my ears, but I was able to descend very easily. That actually calmed my nerves a lot.

Once the guide was ready we followed him to "The Wall." Basically my only experience with diving has been in Hawaii, where there are thousands of different fish. I was expecting the same, but when you dive in Honduras, you aren't there for the fish, but instead for the landscape. Structurally the coral was amazing, because there were so many types. I have added some pictures to give you an idea. Just as I was swimming along looking at the many different types of coral I was blown away by the location. I swam right to the edge of a two hundred foot drop. When I swam over the edge I looked down to what seemed like an endless drop (but I think it is only about 200 feet). There were so many varieties. I loved the dive.

We went about eighty feet and after about a half hour we started back for the boat. I thought my sister was telling me that she was out of air, but actually I think she was just checking her air, but we headed up to the boat. We really should have stayed down as long as possible, because some people were underwater for about twenty more minutes. Once we emerged, we decided to get on the boat. This was the BIGGEST MISTAKE. The boat was rocking really hard. I couldn't stand the motion and almost immediately started to get motion sickness. I jumped back into the water, to relax, but right when I got back on the boat I felt nauseous again. I hate that feeling. In fact, I wasn't the only one. There were about five of us that got sick. Since we had to go back to the dock to fill the tanks with air, I questioned whether I wanted to dive again. I really wasn't feeling well and I was upset because it was already three in the afternoon. We were supposed to be done with two dives at that point. My sister was a bit upset as well, because she wanted to go shopping. I didn't know if we should do the second dive. We had already paid $100 dollars to make two dives and I knew I probably won't be back in Honduras for a while, but I really wanted to find a local nativity set. What to do? I finally decided that I didn't want to take the chance and get sick again. So my sister, one other sick diver, and I paid for a cab back to the dock. From there my sister and I walked around and had a great time.

We walked amongst lots of little tourist shacks. I loved it. I was practicing my Spanish and looking at the cool trinkets. My sister was shopping like crazy (spending my parents money) while I tried to find the perfect mementos. Of course I bought a few postcards for the scrapbook. I also found some interesting nativity sets, but they seemed over priced and every shack had them. I wasn't so excited about any of them. I decided that I would keep looking and if there wasn't anything better, then I would just have to buy one of the plain ones. Then I went into a little store and started talking with the lady in Spanish. I found out that they just got some nativity sets and they looked a lot different then the rest. They were made out of clay and it was shaped like a pot with the nativity scenes carved in the inside. She was willing to bargain, so I agreed to buy one. I had made my important purchase for the day.

Then my sister and I continued down the street a bit further. I usually prefer to go off the beaten path. Sometimes that is where the best store is located. As we continued walking, my sister continued buying. The further down the street the less tourists we passed. It was great. Soon we heard Latin music blaring for an open window. Kids were riding bikes down the street and women were coming out of a local market with their hands full of groceries. I took a picture of an old man who just seemed to be hanging out.

I even bought some lichee fruit at a stand. A little boy showed me how to open it by squeezing the peel and then ripping it in half. The inside almost looks like a peeled grape. The fruit was yummy! At that point my sister and I headed back to the boat. Right before I got back on the boat I decided to take a short video on my camera. I don't know how to attach a video clip, but if someone can tell me how, then I will do it!

So the start of the day was a bit lame, and it really stinks that we didn't finish our dive, but I'm glad we got to walk around. Honestly out of all the stops, it was my favorite. Not because the activity was amazing, or because I bought really cool stuff, but mostly because it feel real. I felt a local flare as I was walking around. I would recommend this place to anyone.