Sunrise and Moonset (The CoastWatcher: Caribbean West)
News from the Honduras Bay Islands and North Coast
06 July 2001
By Pierre Renaldo, The Coastwatcher©

Roatan is a place of great natural beauty, and every once in a while nature puts some extra icing on the cake. I cannot ever recall seeing what I am about to describe here on the island in the past.

It was the usual morning routine, and while I was setting up the coffee maker, I glanced to the East as is my habit, to see what treat was in store for me this sunrise. It was just before dawn and I had to wait for that lazy old Sol to wake up. So I turned to the West, and what I saw was incredible.

The full moon was hanging over the high ridge that separates our part of the island from Westbay and West End. But there was a shaft of pink light, in a cone shape, looking much like a giant colored search light. It was like the moon setting into this pink cone, returning to mother space ship.

Then the sunrise began, and it was spectacular, rising behind storm clouds and giving them a gold lining, rather than that traditional "silver lining" that every cloud is supposed to have when things are going well for us. I was in a quandary as to which to watch, so my head was turning from east to west like it does when I watch a tennis match from center court.

The moon kept to its path and settled behind the ridge, as the sun came up like thunder from across the bay, just like in the song about the "Road to Mandelay". And the thunder was real, not just a figure of speech.

We soon had the typical early morning rain showers sweeping in from the Caribbean, sprinkling the coastline, with some great rainbows to make the scene ever more colorful.

The sea was putting on a show as well. Huge combers were crashing into the cliff face of the Ironshore and gigantic geysers were exploding into the sky every second. The sounds of the surf, which I had listened to all night, was adding a dazzling audible element to an already glorious early morning show.

When you come to visit Roatan, give yourself a treat to one of the best shows nature can produce. Get your morning beverage or snack, find a high perch overlooking the bayside of the island and watch a sunrise. You will not be disappointed. I feel sorry for those "B" people, who hate mornings, and refuse to get out of bed until just before lunch time.

Break your routine just once. It may change your whole life. There is something very special about early morning on Roatan.

New Taxi Image in La Ceiba

The other morning when I arrived in La Ceiba for a day of shopping, I immediately noticed something different. It did not register at first, but once I saw three of then in a row, I knew a big change had been made. All the taxis were sporting a new paint job. All of them!

No matter the make of vehicle, or the model, the are all painted white, with a lavender stripe down each side just under the widows. Nice look! Every taxi looks the same, so you can see them coming from a long distance away.

When I met Israel (my favorite taxi driver) a little later, he informed me that all taxis in Honduras were now going to be painted white, but that each city would have a different color stripe along each side, so as to be distinguishable from other cities. Nice touch. Other countries in Central America have had similar taxi color programs in place for years, and now we' re catching up.

It hasn't happened on Roatan yet. All the taxis here are still the same old hodge-podge. Many of them really need a paint job, but so far I have not seen any change. It may be due to the way some of the taxi drivers of Roatan "customize" their taxis so that they will be noticeable, and thereby attract more business due to their wonderful originality. "Carumba! I doan wanna be like the others."

I have often wondered about the big spotlights, and the whip antennas being sported by some of them, when you know they are not connected to anything and have no real function. Some have fog lights too. Even if they worked, we hardly ever have fog here.

But I have to admit, I get very excited when I see these picturesque vehicles cruising along the highway with all that specialista equipment. It just makes me soooo enthusiastic that I want to go for a ride. I'll bet those cruise ship touristas are impressed too.

Be sure to see the June issue of "Roatan Insights" for important information for anyone planing to come here to live at some future time. Your can subscribe to this free information guide at: www.eroatan.com
Address questions and comments to: elouis@globalnet.hn

That's it for this week. Stay tuned for more exciting news.

Ciao
Pierre

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