Eventful Travels

Lightening flashed in the night sky, rain fell against the window as our plane sat on the tarmac of San Salvador, El Salvador. Mom was asleep in the aisle seat, I was in the middle, and Karen next to the window. As we took off, Karen and I watched as we came into multiple lightening flashes, the rain streaming off the wings, and sparks of fire (!!!) igniting the wing. Karen and I were wide eyed, looking at each other speechless, we didn't want to speak of the fire on the wing, didn't want to awaken and alarm Mom. The plane was hushed. My heart stopped as the pilot spoke, first in Spanish, I was waiting to hear the English of an emergency. The English announcement was mundane pilot talk! There was not concern about the "fire" on the wing! Karen and I watched, as we got further from the lightening storm, the fire on the wing lessened. Phew!!!

Turns out this was St. Elmo's Fire, an electrical weather phenomena. A "sparking discharge of static electricity caused by the lightening as the plane transitioned from ground to air."

Face masks were the attire of all airport employees and many passengers on our journey home from Roatan. A gate at San Salvador airport was lined with a gowned, masked, capped and gloved medical team holding test kits, awaiting an incoming flight from Mexico. Going through customs at LAX, the question of the night, over and over was "Did you arrive from Mexico?" I wonder what kind of quarantine we would have endured if we had.

We layover at LAX from midnight until 8am. We find benches to try to get some sleep. Right! Jackhammers, buzz saws and activity of airport renovation and constant announcements bombard our ears. Maxed out air conditioning chills us to the bones. We have survived travel through Central America without contracting Swine Flu, but we may catch cold sitting all night in a freezing airport of our civilized, home country. What a long night! We manage a few winks.

We had all our luggage since we had gone through customs. After sleeping on a bench, Karen got out her cosmetic bag, which ended up in her carry on, with scissors, knife, corkscrew, plus bottles of duty free rum. Karen was so busted going through LAX security. Lucky, she ran it back down to the check-in counter, with just enough time to make her Santa Barbara flight. We part our ways with more laughs of our final hurrahs together. I still have one more long flight to Maui, home sweet home!

Bitter Sweet Last Day....ROATAN

Last full day! Sad!

"Hole In The Wall" dive site is reputed one of the best dives in Roatan. My dive yesterday was preparation to get my comfort level back for today's dive to descend through a hole, come out at 100 feet, and finish the dive ascending up the wall. I didn't have my comfort level up for that intricate dive, and was told Hole In The Wall "Shallow" was a great dive, with multiple "swim throughs" with plenty of beauty.

I give a wave to anyone at my home Land's End as our dive boat zips past. I am surprised as we moor on a buoy right at my favorite backyard swim! We bid fun, beauty and safety to the first dive group descending through the hole, and we descend next. Different from my swims on this reef, now I am up close and personal to my neighborhood nautical friends. I see the young Hawksbill I have followed on other swims.

We do not have the same idea of "swim throughs". On this dive, we merely follow up and "swim through" a sandy canyon, reef walls on each side and into another sandy canyon, reef walls on each side. I have swam over these canyons numerous times. Well, I must say, diving Roatan is only a little bit more exciting than what I have been swimming in the past 2 weeks.

The afternoon with mom and Karen, we make the most of our last day with our favorite Coconut Shrimp lunch at local Half Moon Restaurant deck, get into town for some shopping and remembrances of our special time on Roatan. Mom finds a whimsical magnet gecko, Karen and I find some beautiful earrings. Our last day would not be complete without a margarita at Sundowner's palapa on the beach.

Our last supper choice is the Thai restaurant, and they have a special table for us on the dock over the water. The light attracts rays as they swim under us, and the dark horizon flashes with a distant storm. A bitter sweet send off!

Silver Backs....ROATAN

KABOOM! Shook us awake at dawn, I leap out of bed and on to lanai for front row seat of lightening show over the ocean. Off shore is a dark squall, it let's out a few more bolts of lightening with loud claps of thunder and away it rolls across the ocean and dissipates. Quick show!

Good, I don't want a storm to ruin my scuba dive adventure today. With Roatan being a world class scuba destination, I must to go down under, blow some bubbles and see what all the fuss is about. Buoys line the entire near shore reef, not to designate a no boat zone, but are moorings for dive sites. I join the dive gang at the shop, get geared up, site orientation, jump on the boat, with a quick ride to tie off to an off shore buoy. I put on my BCD with tank and roll off the side of the boat and descend to join the other "silver backs" on the bottom. I enjoy the buoyancy and weightless floatation of scuba diving and to be face to face with all my finned friends, looking into holes and under overhangs on "Planter's Punch" reef. This is the same world I have swam over as an observer, now I feel like a participant of the reef activity.

Back at Land's End, I have to catch up to Mom and Karen's relaxation mode with some hammock, pool float, book and nap time.

After a nice sunset on our lanai, we head into town for some shopping and over water, dock dining. During our stroll comes the squall with a tropical downpour as we take cover under a tree. We are wet, but on this warm, tropical night, we dry off quick. We are on Roatan, and nothing can bother us.

Junlge Book....ROATAN

After an easy Saturday day of rest, reading, bobbing in the pool and dinner at Land's End, come Sunday we are ready for some activity.

The day starts out in Roatan style, with no electricity. The heat of our stifling room awakes us as the light of the dawn appears. With our in-room coffee maker out of business, it is a long wait for that robust, dark, rich Honduras coffee we have become addicted to. When the girls arrive to work at the lounge, I pounce on them to get the gas stove fired up to brew some
Java Jose, which I take back to drooping Mamasita and Seastar Karen.

Josalina and Carla astound us again with a "typicos" breakfast of tortillas, beans, eggs, sausage and yummy salsa. Who needs electricity?

Fueled up we head out for a day of adventuring, with our bags packed for the multi activities to come.

We enter Gumbalimba Park through the fabricated cave and step into a Jurassic Park environment. Iguanas slither through the gardens, "Jesus Christ" Lizards entertain us with their walk on water skills and scurrying on hind legs in a comical way, tortoises line the banks under our swinging bridge crossing, and jungle sounds of birds and monkeys fill the air.

Beautiful red and green Amazon Parrots and Macaws were more than happy to alight on our shoulders, lured by tamers treats. The walk through the park lead us deeper into jungle where the Capuchin and Spider Monkeys were happy to see us as well, smart enough to know if they came out of the trees and onto our shoulders, treats would flow. Scooby has an 11 day old baby on her back. The baby hangs on while sleeping even when Mama-Scooby gets playful with Marcus, the two joust about, jumping tree limb to limb and teasing and screaming at each other..... baby just hangs on and continues his nap. Much too adorable! (this photo is our Mamaista with mama-Scooby with her baby on her back)

After a fill of jungle creatures, we head down to West Bay to mingle with the sea creatures. We have decided West Bay is the best snorkeling we have experienced on the island. It is an easy sandy beach access, healthy large and abundant variety of corals, and the fish are more than happy to entertain us with their beauty, abundance and variety.

The sand on the beach is so powdery white, and despite the intense heat of the day, the white sand is not hot. On any Hawaiian or California beach in this heat, the golden sand would be way too hot to saunter to the water without shoes or a sprint. Interesting that the white, powdery Caribbean sand does not hold the heat.

Sundays on Roatan are the family picnic day. It is great to observe the local families of multiple generations enjoying the beach, the water or the shade of a palm tree for a nap.

We love our mode of transportation... water taxi to putt us a 10 minute dinghy ride from West Bay to West End. We have a late lunch/early dinner at our new favorite restaurant .The rain has driven us off the deck to the inside of the restaurant where we can more enjoy the dual view of one direction of Half Moon Bay, and the other direction of West End Bay, as we are on a spit between the 2 bays.

Our evening entertainment is Mama's new found game "Mexican Dominoes". We three sure do know how to have a raucous evening!

Zippidy Doo Dah....ROATAN

....Zippidy Eh, my oh my what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine heading my way.....

Karen and I begin our zip line adventure on the tip top of the tallest mountain in Gumbalimba Park. What fun! With a bit of fear, adrenaline, excitement, and exhilaration we leap off each platform and zip along cables from tree top to tree top, high in the canopy of the Roatan jungle. "Zip", the sounds on the cables, "whir", the wind rushing past my helmeted head, "scream" as the trees quickly flash by and "laughter" as I safely approach the platform high in the next tree.

I am soaring higher than the birds! As I zip, I look down at a massive Turkey Vulture soaring below me. I am free as a bird!... almost... with a helmet, harness, gloves, cables, clips, guides, platforms and mattress covered tree trunks at landings.

The best adrenaline rush comes on one long and high zip line... On the platform, the guide starts behind me and holds my ankles in "wheel barrow" position, I am on my hands on the edge of the platform, and I "dive" off the platform head first. I spread my arms and fly through the jungle like Superman. I am in hysterics with laughter when I land at the next platform. Great adrenaline rush!!!

Karen's Superman comes into the platform screaming, with legitimate fear at flying through the jungle head first!

As we zip into the lower elevation of Gumbalimba Park, colorful red and green parrots are flying about, iguanas are perched in the branches, monkeys screech below, as we fly over a swinging bridge spanning a lagoon. Indiana Jones must be nearby.

Our 13th and final platform ends on the sandy beach on the shore of the blue Caribbean. We have traversed from treetop to treetop from the mountain in the blue sky to the sands of the blue Caribbean.

Swim Up Ceversas And Fish Sandwiches....ROATAN

No in room coffee this morning for our lanai awakening session, since the power is off (again). We await the girls starting their morning shift, they can make coffee and breakfast on the gas stove in the lounge. The power goes out every couple days or nights, reducing the shower to a trickle, or at night turning off the fan or AC to create a sweltering sleep session. Such is Roatan!

Karen, mom and I have a fun snorkel adventure from our Land's End ladder. We swim north to the mouth of the next bay where the coral and fish are most abundant with great varieties of both to entertain us. (I am sure we entertain them as well!) We then head south, past our Land's End point of origin and head toward Half Moon Bay. We encounter an intimidating large barracuda, with his mouth open, baring his sharp teeth. We altar our course to give him plenty of water between us.

We swim into Half Moon Bay and climb out of the water on the dock of Half Moon Cabin Resort. Normally an easy task, yet we had to get mom across the low tide shallows, her fear. Karen and I hold each of her hands as she squeals and skims her way over the coral and rocks inches to inch under our bellies and knees. Once on the dock we giggle and laugh plenty of our "well laid plan" gone awry with the low tide.

Safely on land, out from our rash guards come our shoes, out from Mom's cleavage comes a baggie with wet money. We have created the ultimate swim up bar experience at this restaurant on dock over water! Cervesas and fish sandwiches quench our thirst and hunger after our long snorkel adventure.

Having lunch on a dock over the water is dangerous for the fish below! Karen knocks off the jar of toothpicks into the water and has to climb under the deck to pick up sticks, saving the fish from swallowing them and having eternal smiles. With our shoes on, we can now do the short walk back to our Land's End Resort.

Sunset and margaritas at Land's End Green Flash Bar, still waiting to see that elusive green flash!

Reality Is Over Rated....ROATAN

Amie and Kara are served our favorite "typicos" breakfast for their send off. After breakfast, we have a downpour, good timing for rain, since we are laying low today and many adventures have transpired in the past week in decent weather.

The humidity goes up as the day warms, as sweating Amie, Kara and luggage are loaded in a taxi and airport bound. Via con Dios! Happy and grateful we had the time together, sad we go to our separate lives.

Us remaining 3 die hard vacationers take this day to relax at Land's End, we have a whole week of Roatan ahead of us. We watch the squalls approach from over the Caribbean and test the waterproof capabilities of the palapa during intermittent downpours. We float on rafts in the salt water pool. Swings in the hammock lull us into a nap. Late afternoon pool session on the raft and now comes a downpour. What a titillating sensation to feel the warm rain on my exposed skin.

"Reality is overrated" are the words from Kara upon her return to Santa Barbara. Mom, Karen and I are content with another week of Roatan. To return now to reality would be much too soon.

Complete Circle....ROATAN

We circumnavigated the 28 mile long, 2 mile wide Roatan Island by boat with Tranquil Seas' Captain Chris as our historian. We relived stories by seeing sites of Roatan as scallywag central in the pirate and buccaneer days with attacks on Spanish galleons laden with precious metals, woods and other bounty. The Paya Indian (related to Mayans) sites were still evidenced on the shoreline by mounds they had built. The Garifuna village looked like a step back in time with all the thatched roof structures, wooden fishing boats on shore, and fishermen on the water working hard with oars as propulsion.

We stopped along the way at 5 glorious snorkel spots. First stop had Mom a bit concerned as she viewed the ladder into the water and contemplated hoisting her legs over to get wet. I suggested she could sit on the railing of the boat and roll backward into the water, then I tuned away to get my gear together. I turn around and there is Mom, masked and finned, sitting on the railing and back she goes, somersaulting into the water with a splash! I am sure this was scary for her, but less physically demanding than the ladder, so she did not want to think or discuss it, and over she went. This was her water access each snorkel stop! What a classic memory of my 82 year old Mermaid Mamasita, back somersaulting off the boat!

Sea Star Garden was a classic Caribbean venue, crystal water, white sand bottom littered with Sea Stars, surrounded by dark barrier reef. We cruised around to back side of reef to view more unusual corals than we've been seeing in our backyard snorkels.

We putted our boat through a passage cut in the thick Mangrove jungle which saved the Spanish galleons 5-6 days of sail travel time. This got us out into channel at end of the island, then we cruised to next Barretta Island for a snorkel at Jade Beach. Yes, we found nice jade pieces in the rolling surf as treasure.

As we rounded the Eastern end of the islands and saw Guanaja Island beyond blanketed in grey rain, we knew we were in for some weather. We attempted to get to tiny Pigeon Cays, off the end of the island, but the pelting rain headed us south toward the sunshine. We caught a glimpse of these classic Caribbean tiny cay islands with the mandatory 2 palm trees each. We will visit them next time....

We did a "drift snorkel" allowing the current to take us along Long Reef and the gigantic Gregorian Fan garden.

Our lunch stop was at favorite Hole In The Wall (see At It's Best posting) and we were greeted like old friends from the salty dog owners. Scene was laid back compared to the prior Sunday scene. Unemployed Amie "interviewed" for job to be the "gofer" as they are tired of store runs, fixing Bloody Mary's and cleaning up. She may just have to come back for the job and use a putt putt dinghy as transportation!

Back on the boat, Chris served us yummy juicy cantaloupe for dessert at a gorgeous secluded bay. If only it were warmer, I would have jumped into the crystal waters! Again, next time....

We jumped into the water again to see shipwreck Prince Albert. It was shallow enough to view the cabin and see corals growing on deck. Interesting view for those who have never seen a shipwreck before.

Cordilla Banks was a snorkel stop to see a large Staghorn coral garden intermixed with pencil coral, thought to be the spawning grounds for most of the Staghorn in the Caribbean. Great, this will keep it protected and pristine as it is now.

As we came around the west point of island and into familiar territory, we knew our boat adventure was coming to a close. We drifted close into Land's End Resort to give Adi a shout and invite him to join us for dinner at Tranquil Seas, as Monica was cooking up some Ahi steaks!

Tranquil Seas Resort welcomed us sea weary boaters with a refreshing dip in the mosaic pool, rinse under shell water spout shower and the signature drink "Tranquil Sea Breeze." We dressed for the occasion in only dry clothes we had with us, our long sarongs, island style.

We felt like family, with dad, Paul mixing our drinks, Monica getting special requests for dinner and all joining us for recounting of the days adventure stories. We coined a new drink for Tranquil Seas bar, "Let It Go" Be sure to request it when you are there. Yummy.

"Estamos En El Caribe ... Relax!"....ROATAN

Fresh mango, cantaloupe, apple bananas and kiwi fruitas for mornings on our deck with coffee comes from the fruit/vegetable truck which stops at our Land's End home a couple days a week. Times like these are our opportunity to speak Spanish with the local people. We are finding the need to speak Spanish with about 1/2 the people we come in contact with. Restaurant owners, hoteliers and bartenders tend to be English speaking expats; teinda (small store) workers, street vendors, taxi and boat taxi drivers speak only Spanish. As Southern California gals, we all grew up with school Spanish and restaurant jobs with Spanish speaking immigrants, so we are getting by easily. Amie's year abroad in Italy and travel in Costa Rica gives her the gold star as communicator in our group.

Even the Roatan wildlife is happy. The 5 deer on the property get frisky with each other and frolic around the property. They tease each other, then lope away, hiding under the cabin buildings, or jumping rock wall into palapa area! Small black and yellow fish on my backyard reef do a frisky frolic thing as well. First they are all spread out over their coral head, then they come together in a vertical column then sprint out in different directions. Too cute and entertaining these deer and fish!

"Estamos en el Caribe... Relax" reminds the chalk sign hanging in Land's End open air breakfast lounge area. Today is the day for just that, all day long! Relaxation at is best is lounging in the hammock under the palapa overlooking the Caribe with a great book, Loving Frank; bobbing in the saltwater pool on a raft; snorkel in the backyard waters; escape the afternoon heat in AC room; sunset happy hour on our lanai. Dinner is one of the best yet at our closest neighborhood restaurant with an over the water deck, view into Half Moon Bay and out to sunset, with yum yum yummy crispy coconut shrimp, fish, and lobster meals for us.

At It's Best....ROATAN

Road Trip! We piled into Adi's van and head out for island exploration. Roatan is 28 miles long and 2 miles wide. We covered all of the paved road on 3/4 of island and I lost count on the number of bumps we covered on dirt roads. Plenty! It was Sunday, church day. Locals were all dressed in their Sunday best, villages were quiet and tiendas were closed.

Marivilla Beach was a local family picnic scene, with children splashing in the water wearing street clothes, adults lazing and eating in shade of coconut trees, two men walking a laid out net through the water, swooping up everything in it's trap (ouch!).

Local long line fishing and lobster boats filled the docks of the harbor towns.

We slithered with iguanas at refuge where a Welsh couple rescue the iguana from being a locals scrambled eggs or dinner. What curious creatures! Biggest is about 3 foot long, very pre-historic looking with spikes along spine, under jaw, wattle under neck, long tail and very leathery skin. It was mating season, so lots of activity to attract the female, hisses and jostling to ward off other males, until the final act, which is very motionless.

Dirt road to Punta Gorda lead us to a step back into past in a laid back native Garifuna Village with locals living a simple life of fishing, farming, harvesting coconut for oils. Many homes and beach huts are thatch roof, with more boats on the shore than cars in village. Streets were quiet, yet church was full.

My journaling of Hole In The Wall will not do it justice.... We await on a dock surrounded by fishing boats for our dinghy taxi, driven by a young local boy of about 10, to Hole In The Wall. Putt putt deep into a lush, quiet Mangrove lined bay, past colorful fishing shack homes that are accessible only by boat. We pull up to dock with cantina shack built over a sunken boat. The owners greet us with cheers as if we are long time friends, as they hoist us up out of the dinghy. These 3 Salty Dog men have each sailed around the world and set anchor at this back bay to now let the world come to them. What characters Bob, Dwayne and Harry are! What a fun scene they have created! Sundays are the day to visit, with the local expats, boaters and drinkers gathering for floating party and an all-you-can-eat lobster, meat, mashed potatoes, and cole slaw feast. Tequila Mary's are a specialty, and I would agree! We practice our cigar aficionado skills, share juicy stories with expats who make Roatan home, as "story shared at Hole In The Wall stay at Hole In The Wall", and "no judgments made!" The bathroom has a shower overhead for boaters with holes in the floor to drain into water (we are on a dock) The walls and ceilings are decorated with lost and found objects, tee shirt and bras (stories left there) and graffiti is welcomed. Kara walked out of the stall with bathing suit bottoms in hand and hoots and cajoling lead her to staple them on the wall and sign a message. What a hoot! Fun! Fun! Beyond fun!


































Adi's buddy's boutique hotel was hosting a dinner that evening, so after quick showers we headed to Tranquil Seas. WOW! Chris has built a true island escape with cabanas on hillside, thatch roof restaurant and cantina overlooking ocean and sunsets, hand crafted Balinese root furniture, with no details skipped. Tranquil it was not. A talented musician played guitar, harmonica and sang, while expats, hotel guests and friends all had a fun evening. Monica cooked up her native specialty, a Spanish paella with abundant local fresh fish. Fun fun fun!