December 26- Roatan

Roatán is the most developed of the Bay Islands chain located 40 miles northeast of mainland Honduras. We   docked this morning, December 26, 2012, at about 7:00 AM. This Caribbean secret is steeped in culture and history. The friendly English-speaking population offers a unique blend of African. Spanish, Paya Indian, and British cultures. The island itself is a mere 28 miles long and an average of 4 miles wide creating easy navigation of tis one major paved road.

We are docked at Mahogany Bay, a spot owned by the Carnival Corporation so only ships in that family of cruise lines come here. We were along side the Carnival Dream- a huge ship. The day is bright and sunny and the air is very warm- you might say hot!!!!

Last evening we had the same difficulty getting a table for 6 until Jim talked with the Dining Room Manager. Now we are set with a table for each night we have left aboard. We had a great dinner. The children were tired so we returned to the cabins and Kathryn put Ella to sleep. Christopher stayed up a bit more and then he was off to sleep.

Who Has the Biggest Feet

You can see that Jim and Will entertained themselves trying to see who had the biggest feet. Nothing like a family for fun entertainment!!!! Kathryn and Will went to the Crow’s Nest but returned quickly because it was Karaoke night. We had a great visit.. The clocks were moved back an hour last evening. We had a big debate about how far west or east we were. It dawned on me that it makes perfectly good sense for Central America to be in the Central Time Zone…..and it is.

The view from our balcony of the ferry terminal, some beautiful catamarans , and a large house on the hill. Was a peaceful place to sit, relax and read!

We got off the ship about 9:00 and headed to meet our tour. The walk was long and uphill. We finally decided not to try to go the entire distance. We chatted with other cruisers and returned to the ship. Holland America would do well to have a shuttle to make it easier for people to get to taxis.

We had planned to have a short tour visiting a couple of furniture making shops but the walk was too long, the hill too steep and the weather too hot.  Oh well!! No doubt saved us some money! There were lots of shops and beautiful plants and flowers in what looks to be a shopping/tropical paradise. 

Be interesting to hear the tales Kathryn and her family have to tell about their activities today!