Day Eleven - Calm Before The Storm

 TURTLE BEACH RESORT

This, our last full day on Roatán, was filled with sunshine and water. We aren't going to worry about the trip home (yet). There is still time to savor the Caribbean. Let's take a look around Turtle Beach Resort.

This is a Scarlet Macaw in the wild- Mike shot this one.

Down the stairs to our digs.

The painted wall murals and the carvings are so beautiful. 

Staying at this resort has been refreshing. It gave us some uninterrupted time to think and rejuvenate. We will eventually need to make a life-altering decision and we need some time to process it all. We also look to our own elders, family, and friends for thoughts, ideas, support, opinions, and good, helpful conversation.

Another miracle occurred on this day. Her name is Ms. Peggy and she appeared to us at exactly the time we were relaxing in the pool.

Here is some background to explain: 

One of the initial reactions people have when we explain our draw to Roatán and specifically, St. Helene, is: 

But what about medical??

And rightly so. In 2017 Mike was diagnosed with a heart condition called non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. His doc did some electrical work (electrophysiology) on his heart and eventually pronounced him fit to return to full-time police work! He has regular check-ups and will take certain medications for life. But he feels great and I'll be honest- I got tired way before he did on many of the past two week's excursions.

So, the availability of medical care is a serious consideration. During the months leading up to this trip, we researched the available clinics. Ms. Peggy's Clinica Esperanza won the search, hands down. One of the important "To-Do's" for this trip was to make a stop in Sandy Bay, meet Ms. Peggy, explain Mike's condition, and get her thoughts. Unfortunately, that never happened as our time here grew short.

Until she appeared in the very pool where we were relaxing! Ms. Peggy is charming. We bonded a bit over our familiar Ohio roots and Mike was able to tell her about his heart condition. She explained how the clinic works and what she would like to see in preparation for our landing, should we decide to make St. Helene our retirement home. 

That event was nothing short of miraculous! We've read so much about the Clinica Esperanza and Ms. Peggy that she has celebrity status in our eyes. 

Eventually, we got out of the pool and left Ms. Peggy, her friend, and our host, Paul, to their conversations. Later that day Mike handed me a card, "Look what I found stuck in the doorway."

Some things just Are.

Time to rest. Tomorrow we'll deal with All That Luggage, Honduran customs, the little puddle-jumper, and re-entry to our Florida Life.

Thank you to all those who have followed our journey. We will continue to add to this Blog, filling in the cracks and crevices of the past two weeks, answering your questions, and preparation for the month-long visit that begins April 28, 2021.

Day Ten - Peace

 No drama to report for Day Ten! Nothing was difficult, or scary, or dangerous. Calm, relaxing day.

We woke up to a beautiful morning in West Bay, enjoying daybreak from the west side of the island. 

Breakfast was a walk down the beach to the Ibagari Hotel Restaurant. Mike had Lobster Benedict and I had the Smoothie Fruit Bowl. We were both impressed!

We snorkeled. Mike got some cool GoPro footage that he put on his YouTube channel. 

For a few food supplies, we made a "quick trip to Eldon's" (one-half hour each way on death-defying roads. Well, one road only, but still . . ). We sat around trying to connect to the internet ← of course, isn't that part of the tour package?

Another day for the books. This was the day before our last full day here. So many mixed emotions, so much to process. Stay tuned!

Our Neighbors taking a sunset Kayak trip.

Day Nine- Out With The Old, In With The New

Time to move again. We will leave Wine Down Beach in St. Helene for the last leg of this journey to be spent at Turtle Beach Resort in the touristy West Bay. We are tired and muscle-sore so we feel pretty happy at the moment that we chose this venue to close out our trip. But before we leave:

Following sunrise and our breakfast of yogurt with bananas and pineapple, and home-baked muffins, we decided we just had to have one more look at "The Property" (called Harper's Place herein). So, another mile and a half roundtrip + 93 steps up and 93 steps down, we were met by Lorenzo, the watchie. I was impressed with Mike's and Lorzeno's ability to communicate with each other, even though one is a solid English speaker and the other, Spanish.

We dreamed out loud of how we'd gut the inside of the tiny house and set it up. We talked about the outdoor kitchen and bathroom we'd build. The guys discussed the feasibility of building a pulley system to haul groceries and drinking water up the hill (and in about twenty years, me!).

A few photos I took on the walk to Harper's Place

Probably the main detractor for us is the abundance of trash. Everywhere. There is nowhere for the islanders to put their trash and so they've never been taught any differently. On our first day in St. Helene, I felt horribly discouraged looking at all the trash. Today, as I've gained more understanding and hopefully more compassion, I do not feel so defeated. This is Bentley Bay. Harper's Place is just beyond the bend.

The Channel Bar & Grille is the next pier to the left of Harper's Place. It has been closed for a long time but now in the process of being fixed up for a re-open. Nice to have a restaurant right at the foot of the property! We could have all the privacy we want up on the mountain, and yet an easy walk down for some socialization. I like knowing there would be less of a feeling of isolation than I originally thought.

Harper's Place Revisited

NOTE: It is a Most Terrible Internet Connection Day so I will probably have to end this before getting all the Harper's Place pictures uploaded! They'll keep.

We made the trip back to Wine Down Beach just in time for our farewell lunch of shrimp and pasta. We packed up and loaded All That Luggage back on the boat for a 30-minute ride to BJ's where our SUV was parked ($8 for parking. And the keys were right on the bar where Mike had left them four days earlier!) Our hosts were meeting up with other Ex-pats at BJ's as they do most Friday afternoons.

This goodbye was hard. We spent a lot of time getting to know Candy and Robert during our stay at Wine Down and in just a few days they were old friends. They shared their stories of leaving Chicago two years ago for the tiny island of St. Helene. When I asked, “Regrets?” Both immediately shook their heads and answered, “None.” Two more lifelong friendships were made.

We trusted that old SUV once again to the Roatán roads and, after huge hills pitted with deep potholes, we found our last temporary home of this trip- Turtle Beach Resort in West Bay. Mike stuck the GoPro to the windshield and will post a YouTube link in case you are interested in see just how kidney-crushing driving these roads can be!

After quickly unloading All That Luggage, we took a walk down this beautiful beach and had dinner at the Ibagari Restaurant.

 Good Night from Turtle Beach Resort

Day Eight - Caved

 Today was all about climbing the mountain to see two caves. One is called the Hurricane Cave which historically offered protection from storms.

This tree has thorns that are filled with biting ants.

Note the barbed wire growing through the tree

Our guides, Denissia and Doral

This tour through the jungle to the caves cost $15 each.

Coming to the cave, note all of the iron rock. 

This is treacherous- you'd be shredded if you slip and fall on it.

One of the most unflattering photos of me, but it shows how truly exhausted I was after the climb.

Worth the long, hard climb! Totally!

We survived. Barely.

But look at the Sea right in front of us!

I'll always remember this day.

To end the trip properly, we visited the pier of the property we fell in love with!

Now you might think today's story ended here; however, the afternoon included: 

our host having to break up a dog fight and being pretty severely bitten 

a long boat ride and a walk through parts of St. Helene, 

meeting with a missionary and learning some island history; 

our host being harassed by a drugged up islander. 

A beautiful, full day. Exhausted but still smiling.