We made it to Roatan

We made it to Roatan! No issues! No problems!

Jim McMillan came with us to Detroit and then after bidding us farewell, drove our van back to London. We spent Friday night at Westin at the Detroit airport, and at 4:45 in morning we caught the shuttle bus to North Terminal. Our bags were checked right through to Roatan which made the trip easier. The planes were all on time. We heard that American Airlines increased their estimated flight times all by 30 minutes, so even if they are late they are early.

We stepped off the plane in Roatan about 4:30 in the afternoon to a sunny 25 degrees (Celsius). Avis didn’t have our little 4x4 truck available when we arrived, so instead they gave us a minivan. It sounded like an upgrade, but it turned out to more like an old Cheech and Chong Volkswagen Van than a modern minivan. Liz, property manager of our vacation home met us at the airport and we followed her to West End, which is about a 15 minute drive from the airport.

The first thing we noticed while driving down the windy, hilly roads was the poverty. Lots of beat up old cars and trucks filled with passengers in the back. Most buildings were in disrepair. Chickens seemed to be in all roadside ditches, and there were dogs everywhere running freely. The main street of West End is an unpaved stretch of road that runs about two kilometers through the town. It is unbelievably rough with huge potholes that are impossible to avoid. No speed limit required on this street, as driving any faster than a brisk walk would shake your teeth out of your head. We turned off the main street and drove up a steep hill to Sunset Villas, which is a gated community and where we are staying.

Our vacation home is really nice. It is just a few years old and is fitted out with modern furniture and appliances. It has satellite TV, a washer, a dryer, microwave, stove, oven, 2 bathrooms, a spacious deck which often has hummingbirds visit and comfortable king size beds. The deck faces west so we get to see the sun set into the ocean. The only thing our vacation home doesn’t have is Internet access. We hope to able to solve that by renting a USB WAN connector, but the local store is out of stock. They say they should have them in by the end of the week, but until then we will be using the local Internet café.

On Sunday we explored our local town of West End, exchanged the Cheech and Chong van for a little Mazda 4 door 4x4 pickup, and bought some basic groceries. The grocery store had many of the normal staples you would expect in Canada, but all the fruit, vegetables and fresh meat left something to be desired. We have since learned that fresh fruit and vegetables are best bought from street vendors selling produce from the back of their trucks on the main street weekdays. We are still looking for a source for good meat. The island folks clearly are not red wine drinkers. The selection was so bad, Ian couldn’t find a bottle he wanted to buy. The local beer is good, so the wine drinking may have to wait until Argentina.

Yesterday was the first day of schooling for the kids. It went well. The kids were receptive and helped plan out their timetables. We agreed on 3 hours (four periods) a day – Monday to Friday. Chris has agreed to teach two periods of Home Economics a week, and Ian will do the rest. Kate and Ian also started their open water scuba diving certification yesterday afternoon. Their instructor is a young guy who spent some time in London Ontario at UWO. Kate, as expected, had no problems, while Ian had to work hard to stop always floating to the top. We managed to go down about 35 feet or so and the coral and fish were amazing to see. Some coral looks exactly like a big brain. We swam for a bit in a narrow passageway, with coral walls going up 20 feet on both sides. Tom and Chris enjoyed snorkeling on surface while we dived. Our next class is Wednesday afternoon.

Today is another exploring day. Maybe I will even get the Internet sorted out so we can post some pictures. Hope all is well back in Canada.

Roatan