Hanging Out In West End

We are definitely in full cruising mode now.  There is nothing like West End, Roatan, to help get us in the proper frame of mind.  Our days typically include snorkeling, walking on the beach, or both.  We have been trying out the restaurants and, of course, getting together with fellow cruisers.

We had a fun day at Slippery Sues, a sports bar that just opened.  For the football playoff games, a couple of the boats negotiated a super deal on drink prices, and they let us bring in our dishes to pass.  Since we were staying for two games, they let us have supper brought in as well.  We had a good portion of the boats from the mooring field there.  We expect to set up something similar for the Super Bowl.

One evening, we had a dinghy drift.  We all just tied our dinghies together and floated around.  We each brought a dish to pass and our own drinks.  It was fun, but we spent a lot of time passing dishes.

The snorkeling is fantastic, and there are so many places to go that it can be new each time.

Main Street through town

Oh What A Reef

The Wrong Side of this One Would be costly.

Arriving in Roatan's West End, the first requirement is to get through the reef.  It's not difficult once the channel markers are located.  The channel markers are about four inches in diameter and about two feet tall.  One was very clearly red, the other we were uncertain about, even questioning if it was a channel marker.  We just kept hoping that Honduras observed Red Right Return (keep the red marker on your right as you return from the sea).  They do, and coming through turned out to be easy, and it was nice to start breathing again.  Behind the reef is a mooring field.  There is no longer any anchoring allowed.  This is a good thing as it protects the bottom from damage caused by anchors and, more importantly, anchor chains, which drag across the bottom as the boat swings.  West End does not look like a typical place to either moor or anchor a boat, as it is exposed to the sea on about 180 degrees.  The difference is the reef.  It breaks down the waves and makes it a comfortable location, unless there is a strong westerly wind.  With strong winds from any westerly direction, it can get very bouncy, and some boats leave and go around to the southern side of Roatan and then return after the blow.

Mooring Field - Ariel in the Center

Reef Not Apparent in Calm Seas

Reef Knocking Down the Waves in a Blow

The most beautiful part of the reef is below the surface.  The Marine Park has placed many moorings, sized for small boats and dinghies, along the reef, making it very convenient to explore.  Sorry, we do not have pictures yet from below the surface.

Bay Islands

To arrive in Guatemala last spring, we traveled in a south-southwest direction along the coast of Mexico and Belize.  Guatemala has very little coastline on the Caribbean side of the country.

Leaving Guatemala just a few days ago, we set a course to the east along the northern coast of Honduras.  Honduras juts into the Caribbean Sea.  The area of water between Belize and Honduras, with Guatemala tucked in the corner, is known as the Gulf of Honduras.

Traveling along the Honduran coast in an easterly direction is usually challenging.  Honduras is at a latitude that places it in the trade winds.  The trade winds blow from the east, so easterly travel is usually directly into the wind.

We were delayed from our planned departure, which was scheduled for right after Christmas, while waiting for favorable wind and sea conditions.  We finally found a window of light and variable winds, which was about the best we could hope for.  Our trip then from the Rio Dulce was without sails (motorboat), and true to the forecast, we had light winds which over our 24 hours of travel were from just about every point on the compass.  The seas were a foot or less, so we were happy with the conditions all around.

About 20 miles off the coast of Honduras is a string of islands, collectively known as the Bay Islands.  If you are a diver,  you are probably already aware of the Bay Islands, as they are a popular dive destination.  Going from west to east, the islands are Utila, Roatan, and Guanaja.  Roatan is the largest and most popular island for cruising boats.  While the islands are part of Honduras, both English and Spanish are spoken, with English being more predominant. The islands were controlled by the British during the colonial period.

We stopped for a few days in Utila. We had the option to check into Honduras in Utila or Roatan.  Since this is our first time in the Bay Islands, we did not want to pass up Utila.  There were very few cruising boats there.  Utila has a reputation as a party place, and we can attest that the music is loud and lasts late into the night.  We did explore extensively and had a couple of good lunches at a restaurant called Bundo.  It seemed to have the biggest crowd, so using that as the criterion, we were not disappointed.

With heavy winds forecast, we decided to move on to Roatan.  We heard on the morning radio net that there were still three open moorings at West End, so we decided to go for it.  West End is a premier destination for cruisers.  There is no anchoring, so getting a mooring is a must.  The mooring field is in the Roatan Marine Park.  We have paid for 30 days, which is 100 USD.  The daily rate is 10 USD, so you can quickly see our logic.  It is absolutely beautiful here, and we are happy to be here. 

On Our Way To Honduras

Departing Monkey Bay Marina

We are the first boat in the New Year to leave the marina to head out for the cruising season.  It is with mixed emotions that we leave.  The good news is that we will see just about everyone out at the islands this winter.  They had a potluck dinner the night before in our honor since we were leaving.

We are on our way to the island of Utila, Honduras.  It will be an overnight trip, so we will need to sharpen our skills quickly.  We will leave Livingston, Guatemala, on Thursday morning and plan to arrive in Utila, Honduras, the following day.

Christmas At Casa Guatemala

Some of you may be wondering why we are not out sailing.  For those not keeping track, we returned to the Rio Dulce in mid-October, and now it is almost the end of the year.  Actually, it is quite simple.  We stayed to get involved with the Casa Guatemala Christmas.  Casa Guatemala is an orphanage downriver, two or three miles from Monkey Bay.  Over the years, the cruising community here has done a lot to support the orphanage, especially at Christmas.  The orphanage provided us with a list of needs, so this year we did our Christmas shopping in Fronteras.  It was just as hectic as going to one of the malls back in the US, but it was a totally different experience and really rewarding as we were thinking about the kids that would be getting the presents.  Kitty (Dreamaway) offered her husband Jim to be Santa for this year's Christmas Eve celebration at the orphanage, which led to a closer relationship between us at Monkey Bay and the staff at Casa Guatemala.  We learned of a special need for girls' undergarments, so some of the Monkey Bay women spent a long afternoon on a special shopping trip after getting specific needs and sizes.  We also learned they could use some help preparing the dinner, which is served Christmas Eve, so Pat, Linda, and Jan (Jocks Lodge, staying at Catamarans) went to Backpackers Hotel and Restaurante on Christmas Eve morning to help prepare the dressing and stuff the turkeys.

Linda and Pat

Linda, Pat (s/v Mobetah), Jan (s/v Jocks Lodge), and Heather (Casa Guatemala)

Backpackers is owned by Casa Guatemala and provides employment opportunities for the older children.  Christmas Eve, Santa arrives at Casa Guatemala on a large launcha brightly decorated with lights and outfitted with reindeer and sleigh.  We arrived in the Monkey Bay launch to a large group of excited children on the piers waiting for Santa.

It is the tradition at Casa Guatemala that Santa first visits the children living at the orphanage.  He did this in one of the dormitories.  Santa handed out the gifts to each child as their name was called.

Santa delivering gifts

 After this, Santa moved on to an area where the local children and their families were waiting for his arrival.  There were literally hundreds of waiting children.   When Santa arrived, the children rushed to greet him, but they soon organized themselves into a single-file line, beginning with the youngest and ending with the older children, to match the way the gifts were arranged.

Waiting to see Santa

We wanted to do more than just be spectators, so we went to the kitchen to help out.  They serve turkey dinners to the children and staff at Casa Guatemala, but they also serve a hot tamale to each and every neighborhood child or parent who comes.  Boy, did we get busy, and it was gratifying to see they really needed our help.  Once Santa had handed out all the gifts, the masses descended upon us.  We had already prepared about 200 plates before they arrived, and then prepared more as fast as we could and handed them out at a blistering pace.  Tamales are cooked in a leaf wrap, which needs to be discarded before serving.  We had to keep bringing bowls of ice water to cool the ladies' hands as they unwrapped the tamales.  Soon the meals were eaten, and the crowd dispersed, so we cleaned up and went inside, where just about all the turkey dinners with the traditional fixings had been served.

Children of Casa Guatemala are enjoying a turkey dinner.

They had the settings ready for us, so we enjoyed some really good food with the orphanage's children.  We contributed to the cost of our meals, helped clean up, and then climbed into our launch to head back to Monkey Bay with memories we will never forget.

We plan to depart Monkey Bay Marina as soon as we can get some favorable winds.  The winds are generally from the east, and we need to go east, so it may take a little while.

A Monkey Bay Christmas

As the holiday season approached, Pat (Mobetah) suggested, and we collectively decided to buy Christmas gifts for the family who live here at the marina and look after the owner's property.  We are all close with the family, especially the children, so we really looked forward to Christmas morning.  We all delighted in watching the family open their gifts and then playing with the children for a while.

In the afternoon, we had reservations at Kangaroo Las Mexicanas Restaurante, and everyone at Monkey Bay went.  They were overwhelmed at the restaurant with the number of guests.  While they had taken reservations so they knew how much food to prepare, but in the end, they had 60-some guests to feed at once, so our scheduled 2 o'clock Christmas dinner of turkey, roast pork, and prawns was served at about 4 o'clock.  Other than the delay, we had a relaxing time in a beautiful setting.

Terry and Sandy (Gambit II)

Art, Linda, Norm

Santa (Jim) with Marina Family

Monkey Bay John

Jim and Kitty (Dreamaway)

Arriving at Kangaroo Las Mexicanas Restaurante for Christmas Dinner

Sandy and Linda

Kitty jumped in to help at Kangaroo Las Mexicanas Restaurante.

Waiting on Dinner

Marina Bahia Mono Fiesta de Flatulence

You can tell we are all getting pretty close here at Monkey Bay.  We have a little social get-together every day around 4:30. That may seem a little early, but once it gets dark, the mosquitoes start biting.  One evening, the conversation turned to pressure cookers.  Almost all cruising boats have pressure cookers aboard, but most, like us, keep theirs in deep storage.  Jim, off Dreamaway, uses his pressure cooker frequently.  He offered to give us some tips on cooking with a pressure cooker.  Anyway, our plan quickly evolved into cooking beans, and then to a bean cook-off, and then we initiated the first annual Marina Bahia Mono, Fiesta de Flatulence.  We allowed a couple of days for the teams to decide and register their entries, so we decided to meet in the marina kitchen on Sunday at three with our pressure cookers and ingredients. The guys did the pressure cooking, and the spouses prepared rice and other sides, set the tables, and did all the other things that go into getting a meal ready.

The Four Cooks

 

Just Waiting On The Beans

All of the dishes tasted great, so we made no attempt to pick a winner.  We just had great meals with good company.  We had planned to watch "Blazing Saddles", but started watching "From The Big Apple To The Big Easy - The Concert For New Orleans", a two-disc DVD, and never got to "Blazing Saddles".  We all had a great time.

We are getting ready to leave Monkey Bay soon, and it will be really hard.  We know we will see everyone out at the islands, but we will miss the camaraderie we enjoy here.

Footnote:  Most of us soaked our beans overnight, so our little Fiesta did not live up to its name.

Frutas del Mundo

Not far outside Rio Dulce is a very special fruit farm - Frutas del Mundo.  The owner, Dwight Carter, grew up on a farm in Minnesota and came to Central America in the mid-80s with the Peace Corps to work with livestock.  He developed an interest in indigenous fruits and in 1987 bought 20 acres, which became Frutas del Mundo.  He is experimenting with different fruit types, grafting methods, selection, and other techniques.  His primary product is seedlings for other farmers in the area.  In addition to promoting indigenous species, he has also introduced fruits from all around the world.  The tour includes sampling fruits right off the trees and a luncheon of tilapia caught from his fish and irrigation pond.

Our group included most of us from Monkey Bay Marina and two French-Canadian couples from Ram Marina.

 Rambutan

Our favorite new fruit is the Rambutan.  Unfortunately, it is now just at the end of the harvest season.  When ready to eat, they are bright red.  We have seen them in town but didn't know what they were or how good they are.  We look forward to seeing them in the market next year.

 Dwight Carter 

Copan - Part 6 - Zip Line Canopy Tour

A really fun opportunity in Copan Ruinas is the Zip Line Canopy Tour. The zip line is just outside of town. It is four kilometers in total length, and the longest segment is one kilometer. Most descriptions say there are sixteen zip segments, but our guides told us there are fourteen. The last zip line crosses the Copan River at a bend in the river, which was a pretty cool way to end. If zip-lining is on your bucket list, this is a good one.

Pickup Service at Our Hotel (get it)

Equipped and Ready
Terry
Pat
Linda
Norm

Time to Apply Brakes (Norm)

Always a Smile (Pat)

Good Form (Linda)

Showing Off  (Terry)

Copan - Part 5 - Copan Ruinas

Copan Ruinas is a very small town.  It is typical of towns in Central America to have a central square.  Copan Ruinas is very hilly, but since the town is so small, the hills do not become onerous.  The narrow streets are cobblestone but quite dusty.  There are several hotels in all price ranges and plenty of good places to eat.  Our hotel was on the inexpensive (cheap) end of the scale, and we will not mention the name nor recommend it.  The rooms were clean, which was our main selection criterion.  None of the staff spoke any English, so it was very difficult to communicate.  Luckily, Terry can speak Spanish very well, so as long as we had Terry around, we could get by.  We had to change rooms because the hot water in our shower did not work.  Our biggest complaint was the noise.  The floors are tile, and very typically, the windows open into the central hallway, so late-night guests returning could be very annoying.

We had a couple of experiences with total power outages in the town.  We are accustomed to power outages on the Rio Dulce, so it was not a total surprise.  One evening, we were returning from dinner, and suddenly the town went dark.  Walking on the sidewalks and the cobblestone streets is a challenge when lighted, but downright treacherous in total darkness.  Sandy had a small flashlight, so we were able to make our way to our hotel.  The power was restored soon after we returned to our rooms.  One morning, we awoke to another power outage, which lasted much longer, but we were able to find a restaurant with a generator, so it really didn't inconvenience us.

We felt very comfortable in town.  One evening was especially festive. Two of the Honduran soccer teams were playing.  All day long, we saw flags and banners and other signs of support for the teams.  They set up a movie screen in the square and televised the game to a sizable crowd, and, of course, every television in town was tuned in.  Everyone was in great spirits, and with each score, the entire town would erupt with cheer.

Scenes from our time in Copan Ruinas

One of many wonderful meals.  The Honduran cervasa (beer) we are drinking is Salva Vida (lifesaver).

Tuc-tuc Ride

Good security.  Now, if we could just get these guys to spread out around town.

Wonderful Markets

Happy Hour

View from our hotel