Sunday, February 10, 2013

Island life after 10 days!

If you zoom out on this map you'll see we're about half way between West Bay, an upscale resort area with beautiful beaches and snorkeling, and the funky little village of  West End, with all the colorful gift shops, fun beach bars and restaurants, and a darn nice beach. 

Tamarind Drive is about 2/3 mile from W. Bay Rd. to beach, and very steep.  We had done our research on location and with the owners, so were sort of prepared, but challenged!  These two locations are within our walking ability, with exceptions as will be noted.



Hey, we are good walkers and like exercise and we are getting it.  We showed you our walk to West Bay, over the bridge and along the beach.  Now we'll take you to West End.  



Sea weed muck and rocks coming up ahead cause us to join those folks on the pier to flag a water taxi, $2 apiece for the short ride to town, and well worth it!


The view from our fast little skiff is marvelous though we're perched at an angle, as you can see.  And, oh so much cooler, breezing along like this!  We're dropped off at the west end of the village and off we go...




Now this gives tipsy at the beach bar a whole new meaning, if you get my drift...






Hamacas, anyone?  Colorful and handmade hammocks, much like in Mexico, though every Latino country has its own pattern and weave.  These may be Guatemalan..



Gift shops are plentiful with island ware, though mostly geared for the younger generation.  I've yet to find an appropriate cute dressy cover-up, but I shall persist!



Hurrah, the road through the village is now paved!  This is a huge improvement over the potholed dirt one of a few years ago, where walking through town often came with a free mud bath!



There are a variety of restaurants offering just about any kind of food; Mexican, Thai, pizza, and local cuisine which often features lobster, grouper or whatever the fresh catch of the day might be.  This will most often be accompanied by plantain chips, black beans and rice, or maybe French fries, and salad.  Howard has had a couple of excellent hamburgers!



West End comes with its own beautiful beach, Half Moon Bay, as it's called.  And you might even get treated to fresh coco water direct from the source.




We inevitably end up at the mini-super for snacks or drinks or something needed for dinner, and must take a taxi back to the apartment.  This ranges from $8-10 depending on our negotiating skills and language barrier...though most drivers speak English, but not all understand the directions to the villa...at the top of the hill by the Lighthouse and Rum Cake Factory, turn right on Tamarind Drive!

And speaking of the Roatan Rum Cake Factory, this was a very steep climb though only about a third of a mile from our place, so we had to give it a try.  By the time we got there we were not only out of breath, but hot and hungry.  We had to sample all...Crazy Coconut, Banana, Spice.  We bought the coconut with a bottle of water and sat out back enjoying the view!





The orange building you see in the center is the villa...a long way down.  This is what lies within our walking ability, albeit a little challenging.  We've decided next week to check out some car rentals, at least for a day or two.  By the time we hire a driver for $50-$75 for an island tour, we could rent a car and travel at our own pace.

8 comments:

Suzy said...

The photos are fabulous! I am green with envy ....lol.
Glad you are both having a wonderful time.

Unknown said...

Looks like a very colorful, fun place. Gorgeous pictures!

momi yaya said...

Enjoyed this post. Would love to visit the area.

Erin said...

Enjoying your trip to Honduras. We just started full timing in our motorhome and plan to take vacations away from the road every once in a while. Would love to hear more about your accommodations.

Life's a Beach! said...

Just catching up on blogs! Sounds like our kind of place. Roatan's now on my short list!

Donna K said...

Looks like a very colorful and interesting place. Love all that blue sky!

Anonymous said...

I love the 3rd one ^^. It's look like halong bay

Unknown said...

Some find it fun and exciting when they walk while they travel around a certain area. But there are times that it can be a hassle on your part and can be time consuming as well. Hence, there’ll come a point that you would have to rent a car to get to your destination.

Rob Brummitt