Roatan, Honduras

We began the day by viewing the sunrise from the top deck. By this point, Roatan was in view nearby. Contrary to Belize, the island features hilly terrain and I found it to be the most beautiful destination on our cruise. Unlike in Cozumel, which had seven ships in port, and Belize City, where we were one of several, ours was the only ship docked in this quaint part of Roatan. Naturally there were shops on shore, but on a much smaller scale and making a much more scenic setting than the ports of the previous two days. 

The port at Coxen Hole.

Barry and I boarded a bus which took us over the hills from Coxen Hole to West Bay, where we were finally shielded from the persistent stiff winds and could enjoy a soft Caribbean breeze. Although it turned out to be a very sad day due to events at home, we did our best to enjoy our time in Honduras. Our first activity was a Suba adventure, led by a great, friendly guide. This is like scuba diving, but there's no certification required. The oxygen tanks float on the surface on a small inflatable raft, and we divers are connected with breathing tubes. Barry and I shared our tanks with a nice teacher form Toronto. 

The reefs were beautiful, and it was enjoyable to have calmer water and better visibility than we did for snorkeling in Belize. We saw some beautiful fish, including some pretty large blue ones and a flounder hidden on the sandy sea floor. The guide picked up a sea cucumber and let me hold it. It was interesting, but I didn't even know what it was! Unfortunately, the oxygen tanks don't last forever so our dive came to an end before we were ready. We went back to shore, where I called Barry's sister and we sat for a while on the beach, taking in the warm sun, breeze, and scenery, but we couldn't take too much sitting. 

We walked around the grounds for a few minutes before deciding to go in the self-guided walk through the park to see animals. Aside from the tropical flora, we got to see hummingbirds, a lizard, quite a few iguana, some Guinea fowl, toucans, parrots, Macaws, and spider monkeys. We got to have the macaws and spider monkeys sit on our shoulders for photo opportunities which was fun, except the macaw immediately ate the button off the top of my cap.

As soon as we finished our walk we took a bus back to the ship, but we still had time in port so we walked around the area, bought coffee drinks (Honduran!) and chocolate (Honduran!) before sitting down at an outdoor bar in the shadow of the ship for a small bite to eat and some local beer. Our new friends Danny and Nicholas joined us which made for an enjoyable afternoon before we had to get back on board and leave Roatan.

Barry, Nicholas, and Danny.