Friday, January 15, 2021
Day Two- Brick Bay
Good Morning, Roatan!
Sunrise on our first morning was at 6:18 AM. I'm glad we were out taking photos before 6:00 because the sun was quickly hidden by heavy clouds. We were in awe of the beauty.
We had to go to the telephone store for a new phone with a number we could share with family and our petsitter, for emergencies. Our cab driver was awesome. This trip to the phone and grocery stores took nearly four hours. Island time is a real thing. Our driver got out of the cab and sat outside the phone store waiting (they only allowed Mike in so I also waited outside). then he waited right outside the grocery store for us. All that, $20.
You can see Mike (yellow shirt, seated) inside the Claro phone store. Our cab driver is standing behind the truck, white shirt.
Never seen a lizard quite like this one!
For all this beauty and peacefulness of nature, we've been met with a huge challenge here at Brick Bay: Constant attacks of the noseeums. If you've never dealt with them, read THIS. While we have these nasty biters in Florida, at least there is the air-conditioned refuge of a home to escape to. Here in Bamboo Cottage, there is no A/C so the windows have to remain open (yes, there are screens but noseeums are smaller). We were in bed at 6:00 last evening to escape these vicious beasts!
But first, we caught the sunset!
End of Day Two
Thursday, January 14, 2021
Day One- Florida to Roatán, Honduras
Yesterday began smoothly. We were up at 4:30 AM, double-checked those four big suitcases to be sure nothing was missing that we just couldn't live without for two weeks, said goodbye to Rocco, Leo, and Gizmo, and hit the road with our Driver at 6:30.
Starting us off on the right foot at American Airlines was Fernando. He cheerfully met us at the car and took over all that crazy 200+ lbs. of luggage. Three hours early to check-in at the airport seemed like a lot of time but we were surprised by how fast it went.
About an hour before the scheduled take-off they started calling us to the counter to confirm our negative COVID-19 tests and our boarding passes. We departed right on time and arrived on Roatán early.
Roatán Airport
Roatán customs had to inspect one of those darned suitcases! That one was full of door handles for a friend, and flashcards for the island children. At first, they wanted to see the Amazon receipt for the handles (which our friend had ordered and shipped to our house) but they eventually stopped asking for things we didn't have and allowed us to pass.
We were met outside the airport by Will and Tina, who graciously gave us a tour of some of the island and took us grocery shopping at Eldon's. I was amazed how much it looked like Publix; however, on Roatán you do tip the packer!
Tina guarding the roadway so we could take our first photos of the Caribbean Sea.
Eventually, when we were so tired we could hardly stand up, we arrived at our home for the next two days, the Bamboo Cottage.
After dealing with SIM card issues, a down internet, and no
way to let our family know we'd arrived safely, we took a quick dip in that
beautiful Sea to cool off and revive! Then we promptly slept from 8:30 PM until
4:00 AM.
Friday, January 8, 2021
T Minus Five
We have been planning our first trip to Roatán since August 2020. Almost six months. And today, nearly all of the boxes are checked.
Mostly what is left to do is The Packing. There will be four suitcases, each with a weight limit of 70#, plus a backpack apiece. Are we really taking 300# of stuff to another country to haul around for two weeks?
We have a Google Sheet with 12 tabs, housing everything related to this trip and the future May trip. It might seem a little overboard, but it is loaded with information! Just look at this:
During this process, we've slapped everything you can imagine upon those sheets. Images of items we were searching for. Restaurants we've read people recommend on the Roatán Group Facebook pages, people we've met online, places we want to visit, what to do, and what to take with us.
Roatán in 7,369 Minutes! |
Well, that was a sneak-peak at our pre-journey mess! Look for Wednesday's post which will be written from the air as we make our way to what might be our new island home, three hundred pounds of stuff in tow.
Monday, December 21, 2020
Itinerary
Wednesday, January 13: American Flight 4738 from MIA @ 10:38 EST, Arrives RTB @ 11:44 CST
Wednesday, January 27: American Flight 4738 from RTB @ 12:38 CST, Arrives MIA @ 3:55 EST
Click on each of the lodging links!
#1 Jan. 13 - 16: Brick Bay - Bamboo Cottage
#2 Jan. 16 - 19: Punta Blanco - Casita Iguana Verde
#3 Jan. 19 - 23: St. Helene - Wine Down Beach
#4 Jan. 23 - 27: West Bay Turtle Beach - Turtle Studio
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
We are moving! The Blog, that is! Given the formatting issues I've had in Blogger and the fact that they are terminating the feature th...
-
MOVING DAY Last look at our cottage in Brick Bay on this rainy Saturday morning. We loved our time here, though we didn't love doing ...
-
Do you have trouble reading this blog? I've learned that some are having difficulty reading our stories due to the formatting. That sur...
-
Excursion. Orlando can be seen on some early morning beach walks. We'll notice him first by the cage-type structure floating a little wa...