8 Mar, Sat

NEW HOME IN ROATAN

this morning i moved from the Island of Utila to the Island of Roatan.  you can use the map to the right on this page, it's interactive .... zoom in and see Utila and Roatan Islands.    ....it's about 30 miles between the 2 islands.   you can take the ferry back to LaCeiba on the mainland,  and then take another ferry out to Roatan ... which would take most of the day .... or, there are a few captains that wlll make the trip directly between the islands, when they have enough people.
there was a boat going over this morning at 7am ... and i was on it.

my last sunrise on Utila, out of my balcony ...

the house on the left is the one i've been snorkeling from recently ......


it's a rather slow boat, so it took us almost 3 hrs to get there, ...  but the boat had 4 beds and the Capt said we could use them ... i decided to take advantage of that, and woke up in Roatan  :)

i took a taxi to Casa del Sol ... i had wanted to stay 'in' West End, but ended up here, which is just outside the entrance to West End .. and i really like it  :)    it's a garden setting, nice and quiet.

my room ...

...bathroom/shower behind the purple wall

looking out my door ...

my patio and those of my 'neighbors' ...

i'm in #6, and it's an 'end' room .... this is a good thing.  ..... i realized this at my apartment in Utila, where i had the 'middle' room, with no windows ... although i had 2 doors which provided a nice breeze, when you shut the doors, it was DARK! ... it's very light in my new home :)

when i arrived, the power/electricity was out in West End ...  it seems to be a problem here ... here, as in all of West End, not just at Casa del Sol.    .... no power means no fans, ...and no water  :(

Mark is the Manager here and is from Canada.    he is very nice and we walked down the street to the gas station and he helped me get a "TIGO stick" which gives me access to the internet.    the WiFi here isn't that reliable, so this is the alternative.   we'll see how quickly it uploads photos, and how quickly i use up my GBs.

oh, ... the Gas Station, .... it's just down the road, away from West End.  i was shocked when i walked inside !   ... air conditioned, bright, coolers, shelves ... it looked like a gas station / convenience store in the States! ... amazing !


the power was back on when we returned from the gas station.  :)
i unpacked and organized a little, ... it takes awhile to decide how to best set things up .... then i walked into West End, it really is a short walk, less than 300 steps ... closer to the 'town' than where i have stayed in other years, .... but in the other direction.

there used to be sand streets in WestEnd, like in Caye Caulker.  ...but i knew they had paved the main street since i was here 2yrs ago.   and i was 'fearful' that i would be experiencing the same crazy 'road rage' that exists in Utila that i hate so much ... Utila boasts 'no cars', but they do have motorcycles, 4wheel thingys, and crazy TucTuc drivers; with no enforcement of any speed limits, and no sidewalks.      here in Roatan they do have cars, and i'm of the opinion now that 'cars' aren't as bad as it would indicate  ... they really can't tear up and down the road and swerve in and out of people.  :)   ...and they are quieter !

it's fun going to a new place, but it's also a nice feeling to return to somewhere you've been before.    some establishments have changed and some are still the same.   i stopped by my favorite Chicken Rotisserie place for their famous coconut cream pie ... they were out ... but the KeyLime Pie was refreshing ... :)      ....but i'll definitely stop back ...at least once :)    ...also, in the middle of the floor lay the same lazy large white cat that was there 2yrs ago ... he was happy to have some attention, but never moved  :)

there is a new group of restaurants .... they are built on the hillside and have several different 'cuisines', ...you can order from any of them, and sit anywhere ... this picture really doesn't do it justice ... it has kind of an 'oriental' structure ...

and has terraces that go up the hillside ... it's very un-Roatan-like, but kinda cool... i was walking around and one of the bartenders said, 'hey i know you!' .... he was the nice guy that rescued the little kitty and was at the Vet Clinic in Utila !   ... he just moved here!  .... he told me they are just finishing their last building, way at the top, it will be their 'disco' that will hold 800 people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   ...very un-Roatan-like .... i guess they are getting ready for Semana Santa ... Easter Week/Spring Break ... crazy/drunk week!

back home, i took a shower and walked back into West End to watch the sunset at The SunDowner Bar (a tradition).       

here, i was pretty sure that i would see Patricia and Ron, friends from Montreal, that i met 4yrs ago, and who return every year to spend the winter.    ...they were there, ....it was a good reunion  :)     ...i also started a conversation with 2 other guys while i was there ... i'm trying to move 'out of my box'    :)

then i walked down the street to The Splash Inn and ordered a pizza.    while i was waiting, a man with a southern accent asked if he could join me.    Ed is from Texas and is sailing around down here.   ...he just arrived in WestEnd this morning ... from Utila, and .....had been in Caye Caulker, moored just outside Madi's place while i was there   .... is he following me  :)    ...we had a nice visit and walked down the street to another bar where there was a guy playing the guitar.    he offered to pick me up in his dingy tomorrow, and take me out to the Reef where we could snorkel.

the power went out again in the middle of the night ...  = ....no fan  :(  ... ... luckily there was a nice breeze blowing through my window.