Touristas!

Our morning started out a little rocky with our second power outage.  Not really a big deal, except for the fact that today was the one day this whole trip that we had someplace to be at a designated time, and also because the water comes from a well that requires a pump.  This meant no showers - thank goodness we always travel with a good stash of Burt's Bees wipes!  After our sponge baths,  we were picked up by William, from Victor Boden Tours.  Because our VRBO is "out of town", we thought this would help us get the lay of the land early in our stay.  

First stop was Mayan Jungle Canopy for zip lines and monkeys.  We were geared up in harnesses and helmet (more about the helmets later), and followed our guide up, up, up a series of steps and steep paths to the first platform.  He gave us a minute to catch our breath, a very quick series of instructions (don't touch the zip line while you're moving, don't go until I say ready - ok?), and we were off.  The first platform is always a little tricky for me.  My brain doesn't really agree that my body should hurl itself off a platform into the tree canopy, even when it knows full-well that we're attached to a rope.  I also wonder a lot about the point of a helmet in such a scenario.  I do suspect that, if I am to plummet 100 feet (or more) to the jungle floor, a head injury may be the least of my concerns.  I expressed this sentiment to the guide who informed me that it was in case a tree branch falls on your head.  I am skeptical that has happened enough times to warrant a helmet but, in fairness, I descend from a long line of helmet-adverse people.  For me, helmet + heat + humidity = a very, very bad hair day, as is evidenced in subsequent photos.  On the upside, the lack of a shower is now moot. 

Whee! 

Rockin' the pointless helmets

After we finished the series of zip lines, we headed over to the Jungle portion of the site to see the monkeys.  I was very surprised when the guide opened the door to the first cage and had us follow him inside.  I was even more surprised when, almost instantaneously, a spider monkey was draped across my head.  Now, don't get me wrong, I like monkeys.  I think they are adorable.  When they are not touching me.  The thought of their yucky little monkey hands touching me causes me to conjure up all sorts of thoughts of soon-to-be illnesses I am surely contracting.  I do, after all, work in an infectious disease clinic so I am relatively well-versed in what can happen when you (or a monkey) doesn't have proper hand hygiene.  It's not pretty, I assure you. 

Andrew was in heaven.  He now wants a monkey.  Let's hope he forgets that by the time we get home.

Oh - and they wrap that creepy tail around your neck.  Just like a boa constrictor - another animal fave of mine.  

Threesome!

When we finally free ourselves of the monkeys (there were multiple cages, and many, many monkeys), we move on to birds.  Awesome.  I hate birds more than monkeys, for sure.  They have dead eyes and sharp beaks and claws.  And they are dirty and poop on everything.  Again with the disease worries, but bird flu got it's name somehow.   

Andrew loves birds.  He also loves monkeys and snakes, making him completely untrustworthy.  

I almost didn't go in to the bird cage.  Note to self, always go with your first instinct.  Within a moment of entering, this damn bird was on my head.  It stayed there a really, really long time.  

Seems to me that damn helmet may have been more useful in this potion of the tour, no?  

After we freed ourselves from the birds (including the small green parrot that tried to permanently attach itself to Andrew's Keen), we were led out of the zoo area and back to the parking lot.  I rushed to wash my hands before we were back in the van for the tour of the island.  

As we drove, we learned that Roatan is about 35 miles long, and varies in width up to about 3.5 miles across at the widest point.  The population is about 100,000 (they do a door-to-door census every other year) and is made up of a good mix of locals and ex-pats from Canada and the US.  The major industry used to be fishing, but is now tourism.  Roatan continues to export seafood products to the US & Canada (shrimp, grouper, snapper, etc.).   There is some agriculture (cattle, bananas, mangoes, citrus, sugar cane) but those products are all used on the island.   

We always ask about the cost of living when we travel.  William told us that a day laborer makes about $15/day.  Someone working in a hotel or restaurant would make about $500/month.  Rent in the areas where the locals live varies, up to about $200/month.  Those same houses could be purchased for about $20-30,000.  Obviously, the beachfront homes and condos are much more expensive, but William tells us they are "cheap" compared to other Caribbean islands.  We did see a few really lovely homes looking over the water for about $350,000.   Health care is free, but there is a second system of private facilities that you can upgrade to, if you have the money to do so.  Kids go to public (free) school for about 4-hours/day until about grade 6.  After that, families have to pay out of pocket for "high school".  University/college costs are not subsidized by the government, so a post-secondary is considered a luxury.  

The West Bay Beach - the largest public beach on Roatan & very full of tourists.  Much nicer sand and water than we have at our rental, so makes sense.  

View of the ocean from a road-side lookout.  

Beautiful! 

We spent about 4 hours driving all over the island.  Like most places in Latin America/Caribbean, areas range from brand new condo/resort developments, to 8x8 homes with only shutters for windows and rusty corrugated tin roofs.  Overall, the island is beautiful, however, and the people are very friendly.  At our request, William took us to a fish monger in one of the local shopping areas and we bought 5 pounds of jumbo shrimp and a large fillet of grouper for about $45 US.  All of the seafood here is flash-frozen upon catch, so we will be able to keep it frozen until we want to eat it.  

Last thing on the list was lunch.  William offered to take us to one of the fancy resorts but we asked him to please take us to someplace he would eat, instead.  We ended up at a little place very close to our VRBO.  A  very friendly woman in her 60's (I would guess) came out to and told us we could have rice, beans, and stewed chicken.  The only choices we were offered were between fried plantains or potato salad, and either fresh orange or tamarind juice.   It was all amazing, and cost us a whopping $14 US, plus a $2 tip.  When I asked the woman the name of her place so we could have a cab bring us back there, she looked confused.  William said it didn't have a name, but that we could ask any cabbie to take us to the car wash, which we hadn't noticed was attached to the kitchen.  Makes perfect sense.  What a great day! 

Stewed chicken, rice, beans and friend plantains - which are amazing with hot sauce and washed down with fresh tamarind juice!