What luck! On the ham radio Breakfast Club, we contacted a woman on a sailboat at Old French Harbor, Roatan. (By the way, Roatan is an island off the coast of Honduras.) From what we'd read, we thought we were required to go into Coxen's Hole to clear immigration and the Port Captain before going anywhere else in the Bay Islands, but she said we could go directly to French Harbor and then take a cab to Coxen's Hole to check in. She was just as nice as could be. Her name is Laurie, and her boat is the Endless Weekend. We didn't have a chart for French Harbor, so we were worried about going in there (reefs). Laurie came out in her dinghy and led us in. Then she and two of her friends helped us tie to the yacht club dock. We actually have dockside electricity! What luxury! The yacht club looks a thousand times better than the ones in Panama, though it's still not up to U.S. standards. But they're only charging us $6 a day plus electricity, which is a real bargain.
After we signed in at the yacht club, we took a cab to Coxen's Hole, about ten miles for $2. We were in luck again. Right across the street from where we got out of the cab was a bank that was open until 11:30. It was then 11:15. Went over and cashed a travelers' check. Got 600 lempiras for $100 U.S.
Checked in with the Port Captain and Immigration. Immigration charged us $20 U.S. to stamp our passports!
Walked around a little. Bought a few groceries, some Contac, and a courtesy flag. Roy started feeling really bad, so we took a cab back to the yacht club (ten lempiras). As soon as Roy got on the boat, he lay down and fell asleep. We'll probably stay here until Roy is well.
As in all Central American countries, most of the people live in utter squalor, while surrounded by scenic beauty. The contrast is dismaying. Worst of all is the trash and garbage strewn all over the place, even in the yards of private homes. (There are some nice, well-built houses with clean, fenced-in yards.) I walked by a stretch, maybe 200 feet wide, along the ocean, where there were no buildings. If they removed the trash and a few rocks, it would be a lovely little beach. There's no surf, and the water is crystal clear. A couple of guys with a pickup truck could clean it up in a day or two. It's so sad to see it messed up.
There was a devastating fire here a few weeks ago. Wiped out the equivalent of a city block. Must have destroyed at least a dozen homes, and I'm sure the people have no insurance. They had nothing to start with, and now they have even less.
There are very few private cars here but a great many taxis, similar to the ones in Puerto Madero. In other words, piles of junk.
Many of the people here are bilingual, but some speak only Spanish, so it's hard to know which language to address someone in. If you speak Spanish to someone who knows English, they feel insulted, but if you speak English to someone who knows only Spanish, they're totally uncomprehending.
The yacht club actually has a shower! An outdoor shower. It has walls but no roof. And of course, no hot water, but who needs it? It's similar to the showers at public beaches in the U.S., to rinse off after a swim. It's sure refreshing when you're all hot and sticky. Trouble is, half an hour later, you're all hot and sticky again.
There's a fairly decent super market near here that stocks a lot of U.S. products. Very expensive, though. And it's well-nigh impossible to get decent fresh vegetables and fruit on this island. The bananas come in two colors: green and black. I've yet to see a banana that looked fit to eat.
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