MONDAY - West End

MONDAY 12.13.2004

Well I guess I got behind in my writing. It appears that doing nothing can take more time out of a busy day than even scuba diving can. Since I moved Saturday from CoCo View Resort I have managed to take 4 naps. I have started a new book and I have been caught in the rain. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Friday I called the Posado Arco Iris to confirm my room, I emailed Juan and Alejandra I was coming and then I called again. No reply and no room. The Inn was full. Then minutes before the boat departs CoCo View Saturday, the reservationist told me she did have an apartment available, but only for Saturday. “Then you will have to move.” It’s been fun!
Posado Arco Iris w/ hammocks on the porches.

The front view at Arco Iris.

Saturday night I found Juan and Alejandra and they have moved me into an extra room in their apartment for FREE. I didn’t want to impose but I don’t want to be rude either. They are terrific hosts and have been showing me around the island. As the Chef and Mgr of the Argentine Restaurant at Arco Iris, they work 3pm-10pm each day except Wednesday. Sunday they wanted to show me their favorite beach so we set off into a beautiful morning. We walked about an hour along the beach from one beautiful view to the next, rounding points along the way as they named all the beachfronts to me. Now, Juan and Alejandra are from Argentina and they speak pretty good English. That is for people who don’t speak English. They are terribly cute bantering away together trying to get the correct word – then one of them will attempt to say it – then I try to decipher what was just said. Juan has taken to drawing things in the sand and Alejandra laughs a lot at all of us.

So, we are over an hour up the beach when I starts to ‘drizzle.’ (looks like rain) we decide to have fruit juice on the beach and let it pass over. This about noon Sunday and it’s still raining to different levels Monday night. They say the rainy season has started. Well, duhhhhhhhhhhh. Im so glad we got our diving all done with only 2 short showers before all this gray. My guess is it’s some front that must blow through, as it can’t rain forever can it?
Should we turn back?

We went out to the main road to catch one of the always honking little cabs but ended up walking about a half mile in the pouring rain before someone came along and gave us a ride the 4 kilometers back into town. Each of us was soaked to the skin and laughing like idiots. Fortunately I had planned ahead because I thought it might rain – so I had two plastic bags to tie my camera up in. no, I wasn’t smart enough to take my raincoat.

Today we all wore raincoats and took an ‘autobus’ into the hamlet of Coxen Hole. This was a chance to ‘shop’ as we strolled through the local markets – but there really wasn’t anything except vegetables to buy.

If it stops raining tomorrow I should be able to get some more photos and report on the living conditions. The housing has electricity and appears more ‘complete’ than some of what I saw in Guatemala, but it’s not nearly as nice as the homes in Belize or Mexico. Unfortunately being on the island of roatan instead of the mainland I cant give a true comparison. The standard of living is written to be higher on the island than in the countryside. This would put this as a poor country indeed. Roatan Hospital. I chose to not dive on this side of the island. All my gear is dry and packed away. Im relaxing and watching for the perfect sunset. So, with that said I must run to catch it.

-skip