Paper Moon & Restless Sea (The CoastWatcher: Caribbean West)
News from the Honduras Bay Islands and North Coast
24 March 2001
By Pierre Renaldo, The Coastwatcher©

Saturday night the Caribbean Sea was dead flat. It looked more like a sheet of glass than the Bay of Honduras, and I cannot ever remember a more calm day or night since I have lived here. We were enjoying the last glimmering of sunset and a colorama sky when much to our delight the full moon came up out of the sea. Right! It hit us in the eye just like a bigga pizza pie. (Remember Dino singing that one?)

It was so perfect it looked fake. I'm referring to the whole scene. Something out of a Hollywood movie set, tinsel town fakery, a romantic moonlit night, just like in the movies. It really put me in mind of the old Nat 'King' Cole song that was popular when I was a little kid, during the WW II years; Ohhhh it's only a "Paper Moon".

"Hanging over a cardboard sea", as the next line of the lyrics went. On this occasion it could have easily been painted in brilliant silver, with all the shoreline of Flowers Bay and the lights reflecting in the mirrored sea, like an impressionistic painting, making me wonder if had vertical double-vision, after only one cervaza. (Now ya see all you "B" people out there? I'm keeping my promise to include your time of day in some of my observations about Roatan.)

By the way, have any of you tried my recipe for a Roatan Rouser™ yet? The strong one with the high octane ingredients? I'd sure like to hear about the reaction on your taste buds and your false sense of well being, vertigo or what ever other state of mind you achieved. (Just kidding with the trade mark symbol.)

As I commented on my thoughts to Mistress Gloria, who was also in awe of the beautiful spectacle to which we were being treated, Felix piped in with his opinion, which seemed to agree with mine. Buddy just stared in wonderment, probably trying to imagine catching something that big to bring home for the little ones to play with. Bud is the bigtime hunter in our family.

The sea remained calm throughout most of the following day. But sometime during the wee hours of the ensuing morning, I became aware of the sounds of the Caribbean in a most ferocious state. That is the music I call my "Symphony of the Sea", and I never tire of the melodies, the great crescendos, the allegros, the harmonies of the deep. That is my night time lullaby, the wonderful coastal voice from the depths, that lulls me to sleep whenever these welcome sounds are within my hearing.

First light brought a familiar and welcome scene. The entire coast was a frothing sea of white, boiling with the energy of giant combers colliding with the unyielding ironshore. A still picture would convince viewers that they were looking at a photo of a frozen seascape, with spires of rhime clinging to the ironshore cliffs and layers of shore ice and clear glaze, coating all the surfaces in the panorama. "That is my kind of place!" you would say to yourself.

Our Roman Pool was being refreshed with new seawater ever few seconds. It is often our favored place to bask in the sun while sitting in the refreshing ever changing, cool water, sipping our favorite daytime beverage. It is a large natural pool left by nature, in the rock formations, just an arms reach to the edge of a short cliff that drops off into the sea. On calm days we slide off that edge into the crystal water, sinking to the top of the reef that lies just a few feet distant. The creatures there seem undaunted by our presence.

On some calm days we walk the ledge that runs along our coastline. It is submerged on the wild days, and during calm periods of high tides. It is a very different kind of place where you can view the creatures and the vegetation that grow along the shore and are nourished there. We love our ironshore! Our fuzzy friends do too.

I have mentioned this before, but once is not nearly enough. The ironshore is a spectacular place to live. It is one of the most fascinating coastal locations I have ever encountered, rivaled only by a few places I have visited in Maine and California. Nothing I have seen anywhere in Florida even comes close to the beauty of this place. Many other people share my opinion.

Many of you regular visitors who will be coming to Roatan soon, will marvel at the changes that are occurring here. The new road building/paving project from West End Village to West Bay Beach and Flowers Bay is progressing, albeit slowly. But it is progress all the same. Some day you will be able to travel a paved road all the way from West End Village, West Bay Beach and Flowers Bay, into Coxen Hole, along the Coastal Road. It has the potential of being a pleasant, picturesque drive.

It was most pleasant meeting several readers who visited me during late February and early March. My thanks to all of you who took the time to stop in just to say hello, and some for advice on property purchases and future building plans. Retirement on Roatan seems to be a very common goal of many. Remember; get the essentials out of the way while you are in the U.S.A. Trying to get the necessary exhibits and documentation together from Honduras is a long tedious, (nearly impossible for some) job. It is much, much easier from where your are now.

I have outlined the steps for you in my book: "How to Survive in Third World Retirement: the Handbook". You can preview this handy outline by clicking: http://www.eroatan.com/cgi-bin/pierre.cgi?handbook

You will save yourself much time and frustration if you have advance information that will guide you to an easy transition from your world to mine. I have received many wonderful and encouraging comments from readers of all three books in the trilogy. Enjoy and good reading!

I'm always happy to answer your questions with honest and timely answers. Just drop me a line at: elouis@globalnet.hn.

Ciao, Pierre

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