Roatan

Finally, for the last week of Erin's family's stay, we took the ferry ride to Roatan...it was HOT when we left La Ceiba.  The ride from La Ceiba to the island was possibly the most barfy ride I have ever seen...luckily, I had taken dramamine, but several other people did not...Erin and I finally played a friendly game of spot the puker...it really was delightful...

As we approached the island, we began getting pelted with rain, but it stopped just as we got to the island, and didn't rain again until the day we left...it was wonderful!

As soon as we arrived, we hopped in the pickup with our hired driver and headed to our vacation house...again, Erin and I were in the back of the truck...Erin's head ran into a large palm leaf before we were out of the drive of the ferry terminal...it was hilarious...I saw it coming, but all I could say was "EEEHHHHH!!"....I knew this would be a fantastic vacation...

Our vacation rental was about 100 feet or less from the beach.  The waves broke about 100 yards from the beach, at the reef, where there was great snorkeling...It was perfect.

the view from the beach

we also got to enjoy absolutely beautiful sunsets from the dock every single night...

a really horrible life...

like really really really horrible....

Everyone enjoyed the dock absolutely every day, for many many hours...it was the most perfect place in the world to hang out...oh, and one night, just after the sun went down, a huge Eagle Ray came swimming by right in front of the deck..it was AWESOME

being picturesque....ish

i had to wrap myself in the hammock so Erin wouldn't dump me out into the ocean...

Also, while in Roatan, we got our Advanced Dive Certification...basically, this just means we can dive to a deeper depth, and it was BEAUTIFUL.  We did 5 dives, each of them along the reefs off the coast of Roatan.  Again, like in Utila, the water was warm and clear. However, in Roatan, everything seemed bigger. The reef and ocean plants and fish were even bigger! We saw several REALLY BIG green eels, and even a couple of pretty big sea horses...I wish I had an underwater camera, but I really don't think the photos would do it justice....We also did a wreck dive, where we got to see both a sunken ship and an airplane.  Apparently these two wrecks had been sunken on purpose, but they were still very cool, but also kind of creepy.  Thanks to my mom, I was able to extend my training--a fantastic gift from home!

I really did go dive...and didn't even get eaten by the eels or sharks!..just kidding, there were no sharks...

One must be very tough, like us, in order to be a successful diver...

While the diving in Roatan was amazing, as was the place we stayed, I don't think Roatan is a place I will return to, unless it is for a family vacation of some kind.  It's a bit too touristy, and not very Honduran.  There are huge expensive houses, owned by Gringos, and restaurants that cater totally toward the tourists and cruise ships.  I was disappointed in the lack of local Honduran culinary affair, and the high American prices, making the restaurants and accommodation out of the question for the majority of native Hondurans. If I go to the islands again, I'll definitely return to Utila.