We arrived on Roatan with only 2 days to take in as much as the
island as possible, having just spent 5 days on the sister island
of Utila. We came by ferry from La Cieba, passing an interesting
sunken ship on our way to port. The diver in me wanted to grab my
snorkel and fins and jump off the ferry right there.
After grabbing a taxi at port we were rushed off to our resort.
I couldn't book my first two choices for only a 2 night stay, so
my third choice was the Bay Island Beach Resort. Overall it was
a nice resort, but I don't see myself staying there again if I return
to Roatan. Nevertheless, the view from our balcony was a welcome
sight.
To see this view in video format follow
this link.
We came for the diving, and that small blurry red flag in the above
photo means we weren't far away now. A quick walk through the resort
and to the edge of the dock and we were one step away from absorbing
nitrogen into our bloodstream.
After a quick warm-up dive, it was time to see what the West End
of Roatan was all about. It doesn't disappoint. I could post any
number of beach photos here. The beach was fantastic. Not quite
as beautiful as the eastside of Cozumel, but better than Negril
in my humble opinion. Where Cozumel the beach was mostly uninhabited
and you can claim your view own plot for yourself, and Negril the
beach is overrun with resorts and drug dealers, the West End was
a nice mix of bars, resorts, and open swimming areas.
Mile after mile, bar after bar, the beach continued. I didn't get
to see it all because the old man couldn't hack the walk in the
heat, but after several miles you get the gist anyway. With a few
days to relax and party, no doubt Roatan would be a fun place to
be.
I kinda like this pic of the old man...
Here's a view looking across the bay from the vantage point of
an unknown bar. The beach extends for as far as you can see green,
but the bars, I'm told, do not extend all the way down. It seems
like several resorts were down at the far end, and even though the
road disappeared with the bars, the cars then took to driving on
the beach.
As with any tropical island the exotic birds were abound. We had
the opportunity to pose with several different birds in just the
two days. And yeah, it's a bit warm down there.
Friday night were the crab races and on-the-beach hog roast. I
was more interested in the hog roast for obvious reasons, but after
a number of Mia Tias and a few shots of Tequila the crab races suddenly
took on an interesting importance to me. Of course the two easily
excitable yet adorable blondes at the table next to me who seemed
to have great interest in the races may have assisted in perking
my interest. In the end our crab, named George by my father, won
his first heat but lost in the finals. Below is the race track for
the hermits, and if you'd like to get a feel for the action you
can watch
George win his first race at this link. Obviously I wasn't the
only person who had consumed a fair amount of rum that evening.
After two days on Roatan the island proved its worth and it was
obvious a more extensive vacation would be required in the future
~ if not a job in the SCUBA industry down the road. It was quite
the contrast to its sister island of Utila, however. With its countless
taxis, resorts abound, and idyllic beaches, Roatan is your typical
Caribbean getaway. Utila, on the other hand, from the friendly locals
to getting anywhere on the island in 5 minutes with a bicycle, felt
like home away from home.
To view the rest of the top-side photo please
view this link.
To view the story and photos from underwater in Roatan please
view this link.
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