Try Doing Something Different-Roatan Style
News from the Honduras Bay Islands and North Coast
19 January 2001
By Pierre Renaldo, The Coastwatcher©

Roatan is probably one of the most talked about diving and snorkeling destinations in the Western Hemisphere. But what if you're dived and snorkeled out? And what if you are not a diver or snorkeler and you wish there was something else to do, because if the truth be known you are not really into the water stuff anyway. So what else is there to do on Roatan?

I am a very curious person by nature, so with the least provocation I love to go exploring places. They do not have to be exotic or ever mentioned on a map, but I enjoy discovery. Not like Christopher Columbus, mind you, but in my own little way I like to wander the earth, except maybe more localized if you get my meaning.

When I first arrived here I got in my car and snooped. I went to some of the places hardly anyone ever goes to, and I had a blast. The east end of this island is very undeveloped, and native. By native I mean it is just the way it was a hundred and fifty years ago, when Henry Morgan, Pierre le Fete and William Walker and all those other swash-bucklers were hanging around Roatan.

Some of the little settlements capture the imagination. The people have never had electricity, indoor plumbing, running water, air conditioning or fans and all the other luxuries we take for granted.

Camp Bay boasts one of the most beautiful and pristine beaches I have ever encountered, anywhere. You may have to look past the fallen palm fronds and flotsam that washed up on the beach if it hasn't been cleaned up on the day your arrive there. It is isolated and quiet. You can just sit and wonder about the people who walked here long ago, and let your imagination run wild.

I had that kind of experience when I threw caution to the wind, put my jeep into four wheel and headed for Port Royal. 'What the hey' I sez to me-self, doing my best imitation of Robert Newton when he played the part of Blackbeard the Pirate. 'I'll be takin' meself off the beaten track' sez I, 'go see if thar be a wench or two in that infamous place I used to see in all the pirate movies. Ay, and drink me a flagon o' rum whilst I'm about it.'

It was nothing like I had envisioned, in fact there was nothing there but an old furniture factory, but I stood on an old boat dock that was so rickety I thought I would plunge through it ,into the water below. It creaked and moaned under my feet. 'Steady thar matey. It's only me from over the sea, comin' ta look yea over.'

The water was so crystal clear that it looked like air.

My next stop was in Punta Gorda and the Garifuna settlement there. They are a mystifying people, steeped in ancient traditions of deepest dark Africa, meshed with the life they have come to know in the Bay Islands and along the North Coast of Honduras.

They are descendants of slaves of the Caribbean islands who were given their freedom, then sailed to the Bay Islands and The North Coast of Honduras to begin a new life. They speak a dialect peculiar unto themselves, but have no written language. The spoken word has been handed down to succeeding generations.

They have many convictions and superstitions among which is the belief in 'duppies' (ghosts). Take them seriously because they are convinced that such things exist. They will, with a little prompting, tell you stories that will make your hair stand on end. You can have your future recited to you there. That is nothing new but these people do it much differently.

My friend Sue Porubek suggested that the Seaview Restaurant may be worth a stop. They will prepare native seafood for you and they have some very unique hand painted shirts for sale. The lady who operates the place is named Elena. If you don't find it easily, just ask somebody. It's over on the side near Ben's Diveshop.

And yet another suggestion which I really like. Sailing.

Sue mentioned Captain Alex over in West End Village. You can usually find him around Ocean Diver's or Tyll's Dive, or a least someone there can tell you where to find him. He will take you on a day cruise, in his sailboat and even prepare a shore dinner for you if you like. The island is most fascinating when viewed from the sea.

If you are really adventuresome you can put on your hiking boots, get your backpack loaded with insect repellant and sunscreen (pack some snacks too) and take a tuk-tuk (dory) ride from French Harbour to the North Coast, between Trujillo and La Ceiba. Some of the villages there are only accessible from the sea. You can stroll an ancient cobbled road where Christopher Columbus himself once walked when he landed on the North Coast, on one of his trips to the New World.

Take the new by-pass road by turning left at the Hondutel Building in French Harbour. It will take you to la punta (the point) where you can arrange a trip and a guide across the Bay of Honduras. Nada Perales is an excellent guide and knows the settlements of the North Coast very well. She often takes the missionary people on the crossings. It's a real adventure.

If you feel more demure, just come to the end of the road in Flowers Bay, lock your car up, don't leave anything valuable in it and head west along the jungle trail that parallels the ironshore. Explore Pyrate's Cove, the Keyhole and walk the trail all the way to West Bay Beach for a nice lunch. You can take a van, out to Flowers Bay if you don't want to drive. It only costs ten Lempiras from Coxen Hole. They leave frequently from the end of Thicket Mouth Road where you ordinarily turn left to go into town, but you will turn right (west) and wait on that corner.

Of course there are many of the usual tourist things, and you should do some of those. They will give you a good idea of what Roatan is all about and you will meet interesting people.

Remember I am always delighted to hear from you, so pop an e-mail with comments or suggestions elouis@globalnet.hn

Thanks for joining us. More next week.

Ciao, Pierre

By Pierre Renaldo, Mountain Coastal S.A,. General Contractors, Construction Management and Construction Consultants.