Feb 6, 2020 - Gumbalimba Preservation Park

Roatan is a small island about 36 miles from mainland Honduras. It attracts many tourists, as it did us today, for its varied wildlife. The captain was able to dock without issues next to one other MSC ship. Near the dock was a collection of retail shops, but our eyes were drawn to the thick jungle vegetation behind them, even greener and thicker than what we had left in Florida. We took a tour to the Gumbalimba resort at the tip of the island to see it all. When you are on a big ship, you always hope that you and your fellow passengers...

Jan 21, 2020 - Copan

I didn't mention that Gord and I spent Sun. a.m. lost in Antigua's mercado. A fun experience. Yesterday we were up at 2.45a for a 4a shuttle to Copan, Honduras. Traffico was heavy and the going slow through Guatemala City. Once past the city, we travelled along a mountainous valley to the border with Honduras. The border was a snap. Once through it was a mere 12k to Copan. We were dropped at Hostel Berakah. Copan Ruinas has a large central plaza, Central America. There are gadrdens and walkways through it. Some of the Mayan stele are here....

Jan 17, 2020 - Roatan, Honduras

We finally got off the boat today!!!! Temperatures in the 80's, overcast, windy, humid; not bad. This is what the tour book says: Honduras, so often hurried through or avoided entirely due to its dangerous image, is actually a vibrant and fascinating place with enormous amount to offer intrepid travelers. After a decade in which the country spiraled into a whirlwind of terrible violence, Honduras has very definitely begun the journey back from the abyss, and while the challenges ahead are still significant, things haven't looked this...

Feb 27, 2019 - Roatan, Honduras

Roatán (Spanish pronunciation: [ro.a.ˈtan]) is an island in the Caribbean, about 65 kilometres (40 mi) off the northern coast of Honduras. It is located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, and is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan.[citation needed] It is approximately 77 kilometres (48 mi) long, and less than 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) across at its widest point. The island consists of two municipalities: José Santos Guardiola in the east and Roatán, including the Cayos Cochinos,...

Oct 26, 2018 - Roatan Honduras

Our next stop was Roatán, an island in the Caribbean, 36 miles off the northern coast of Honduras. It is located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, and is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan. It is approximately 40 miles long and less than 5 miles across at its widest point. The island consists of two municipalities: José Santos Guardiola in the east and Roatán, including the Cayos Cochinos, further south in the west. NOTE: This is mentioned later in my story, but bears...

Feb 28, 2018 - The idyllic charm of Cayos Cochinos

We saved the best for last. After the disappointing news about my damaged ear and inability to dive, Fran suggested that we make lemons out of lemonade by using our time in the Bay Islands to visit the very undeveloped national park of Cayos Cochinos. Last year, our Indy friends, the Peckinpaughs, invited us on a day trip from Roatan but unfortunately it was out of our budget. Instead, Fran found two places to stay on the islands, so we decided to spend the money and effort to get there for a two week stint. Way to go, Fran! I cannot say...

Feb 20, 2018 - Day trip to Pigeon Cay with Blue Island Resort

We reluctantly left George's cabana (darn those other tenants!) and headed up the street to an inexpensive airbnb apartment near Sandy Bay. Fran suggested we check out some other options along the coast, and he found a place called the Blue Island Dive Resort, with the adjacent Salty Mango restaurant. Snorkeling off their pier to an area called Jaeger Bomi revealed a lovely wall of coral and loads of fun fishes. We enjoyed the area so much we made several trips out and took fish counts, where we counted various species of fish and entered...

Feb 12, 2018 - Have you hugged your sloth today? Daniel Johnson's Monkey and Sloth Hangout on Roatan

To hug or not to hug? Our Indy chums told us that they wanted to go interact with the animals at Daniel Johnson's Monkey and Sloth Hangout. The weather was lousy, and I was a bit hesitant. Are these animals indigenous to the island? Were they brought here just as a tourist gimmick? After being so vocal about not feeding the fish, I needed to do more research to feel good about patronizing this place. And now, I can honestly say that I am happy to have done it! The "hangout" began when Daniel Johnson, whose family was originally from Great...

Jan 20, 2018 - Roatan Redo! Snorkeling, steel drums, and Garifuna dancing!

I remember the first night we arrived in Roatan. We took a quick snorkel in Half Moon Bay, had dinner and ended up at the Sundowner (a bar where everyone goes). While chatting with someone in the bar, Erin Peckinpaugh came up to me and said that she overheard me say we came from Indiana. Soon we had four new friends from the same flight! The Peckinpaughs and Roylances turned out to be wonderful connections for us in Indy. But that night in the Sundowner, I snobbily told Erin that it wasn't nearly as nice as places in SE Asia. Wow, was I...

Jan 8, 2018 - Villas Pico Bonito!

Last year many travelers recommended the splendors of Pico Bonito National Park to us, so because we flew into La Ceiba we decided to spend a week on the mainland to check it out. Our host at Villas Pico Bonito, Richard, upgraded us to a beautiful apartment right on the water. What a treat! Richard has created a fantasy world that rivals something made by Frank Lloyd Wright. How he managed to build such a beautiful property in such a wet and undeveloped place I will never figure out. From our very modern and spacious apartment we were able...

Dec 10, 2017 - Western Caribbean Cruise

We caught the 12:35 ferry on November 24 to Horseshoe Bay and headed for the airport. Larry dropped Maureen and the bags at the YVR Fairmont Hotel (our favourite) and went and parked in the Park n Fly. Maureen checked in and they brought the bags up to the room. The service is great at this hotel – foam pillows and close to the elevator as requested. We went to Hanami Japanese Restaurant for dinner. It wasn’t as good as it used to be. When we came back from dinner the hotel staff remembered our names! We went to bed early because we had an...

Nov 5, 2017 - Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

Our flight to the island of Roatan in Honduras was really good on the smallest plane we have been on. 12 seater, no separate cockpit, we could see the all the instruments. The views of the Mesoamerican Reef were beautiful. We had a good week scuba diving at Bananarama Dive Resort on West Bay. We had some really good dives and saw loads of sea life; green turtles, hawksbill turtles, green and spotted moray eels, lots of fish, and even had a eagle ray to wave us goodbye on our last dive. The most interesting dive site was Mary’s Place where...