ruthkennedysretirementblog

On New Years Eve Daryl and I rented a car and decided to do a bit of exploring on this beautiful island. A little car is not very good as the roads can be quite rough!

The island is not very big (Wikipedia says it is 59 km long), however most of the time the speed is 30-40 km/h.  And when you are driving through little towns it is even slower.

The only definite plan we had was to stop at the monkey and sloth place.

We thought we might be there early enough to be ahead of the cruise ships.. but lots of people already there….guess that is good for the economy.

The sloths are all free but don’t go anywhere, just hang around upside down…..maybe because they are well fed, and move so slowly…
The monkeys on the other hand are all in cages.

We got to hold a sloth.
They have such cute little faces… and such sharp claws.

Those little monkeys were busy destroying their stuffed toy

I could not go inside the cage as those little creatures are amazing thieves…. they will empty your pockets, steal hair elastics, take your glasses…. anything and run. Chances of getting it back intact are slim, even if they are in a cage.
So I could not go in as would have been kind of pointless without my glasses. Then I forgot to put the camera directly against the mesh so not a very good picture.

We also got to provide a perch for the macaws and parrots

Our next stop was French Key.

This is a day use place where you take a little boat to a private island.

There used to be animals at this amusement centre, we saw lots of empty cages but only a couple of lions sleeping in their cages.

Our next stop was another day use area, Beach Club Roatan, It seemed to cater to cruise ship patrons… three buses and us in the parking lot
Absolutely spectacular beaches and scenery.

At this beach club the major attraction seemed to be horse back riding to the little island. the horses were up to their bellies in the ocean getting there.

We next stopped at Turquoise Bay. This looked to be an all inclusive resort that also catered to the cruise ships.

The buffet was good too!!

This place also had horses that were grazing outside the dining area.

Our next stop was Jonesville, a little town that was not one bit touristy.
Can’t see if from the pictures but there were beautiful homes built around the ocean cliffs.

Then it was time to head home. We did pass another “attraction”.

This ‘ship’ was built on the side of the road and we heard it was meant to be a night club. We first saw it four years ago, it did not seem to be open then and it does not seem to be now. Also starting to become a little run down.

In the distance you can see the little town of Punta Gorda, which we did not visit as we wanted to be home before dark.

We did not make it to the end of the island, that will be for another day.

We arrived back in our little town of West End to see a beautiful sunset.
Might have been the perfect way to spend New Years Eve.
Happy New Year!

Cheers
Ruth

Blue Tang

Keeltail Needlefiish, they swim directly below the surface to the water. I missed it but Daryl has eagle eyes.

After a week of rain and stormy seas, Daryl and I were able to go snorkeling both Wednesday and Thursday.
The fish were incredible, probably the most I have ever seen in Half Moon Bay, and lots of ‘big ones’.
Of course, I may be getting a little more comfortable in the water and might not hug the shore line quite as much.

We snorkel right from the beach, to the left of Daryl and out to the point, might look far but it is not.

If I am able to do it without a float or a life jacket, and feel comfortable, it is not far from a shore line.

We will do our best to label the fish.

The coral and colours were stunning, changed depending on the light.

Drum Fish

After the storms, visibility was not very good, and still an amazing experience.

The names of the fish we know (read Daryl) is under the picture.

Trumpet Fish, looks like the coral besides it!

Giant Anemone….this creature….coral…little green fingers…will eat anything it captures, even fish

Another trumpet fish

The yellow and white one is a juvenile rock beauty, a type of angel fish

Grunt….lots of those in mostly different shades of yellow

A blue tang

Spotted moray eel….having a snack on the spiny creature

A parrot fish

A small Nassau grouper

A different coloured grunt

Grunt

Another blue tang… all different shades, color also depends on the light

Grunt the coral is so very pretty.

barracuda

The trumpet fish is upright besides the fan coral

No fish….just a big coral formation

Barracuda, surrounded by millions of the tiny fish

A Grunt and a Squirrel fish

Grunt

Blue tang

Sergeant major

This poor grunt has been really banged up! Daryl was able to get a good shot as he moved slowly

So much fun, and so much to see.

Grunts….there are lots of pictures of these colourful fish

This drum fish was well hidden, Daryl worked hard to get this picture.

Grunts

Squirrel fish

Angel fish

That’s a Daryl fish

More blue tangs….I forgot to be nervous following those beautiful creatures

Small barracuda, it was within six feet of the beach, camouflaged by the sand

Even the grass close to the beach was full of fish, maybe the recent storms brought them in.

Drum fish

Grunts and coral…there were just so many of them!!

Juvenile green angel fish

The dark one is a blue tang

Grunts..love the colours

Rock beauty angel fish

And so many more…. but enough is enough!!

This is the gelato shop where we leave our ‘stuff’, and have a gelato before, and sometimes after, our swim.
All in all an amazing couple of days snorkelling.

Cheers
Ruth

Our neighbour has cocoa trees in his yard, and last week we were given a couple of cocoa fruits. We were told to put it in the blender as it makes a very good drink…however we thought chocolate…. Google has a ton of information readily available, and all kinds of instructions.

Way up at the top of the tree you can see the fruit.
It amazes me that this is growing right outside our front door.

They are not really very big.

This is about a 6″ paring knife. Really glad we brought sharp knives from home… and a sharpener.

Daryl was able to get them apart without too much difficulty. Probably about the same as cutting through a watermelon.

The inside was just full of seeds that are covered with a pulp. There was not much to eat but oh so sweet.

After sucking all the goodness of a few, we went back to google and revisited the chocolate making recipes.
Not so easy with basically no equipment, but what the heck, may as well give it a try….been pouring rain all day so not going anywhere!

A few days ago we pulled all of the seeds out of the fruit.

Even thought very little fruit, hard to keep from sucking on the little sweet morsels!
And certainly not a lot of seeds in two cacao fruit!
                                                       

Then we were supposed to let them ferment in the sun for a couple of days…. supposed to enhance the flavour of the chocolate. As we have had very little sunshine since last week that was not going to work, so we let them sit on the counter and in a slightly warm oven.

Today Daryl roasted the seeds in a frying pan.
Had to watch them carefully as they turned dark brown very quickly, and we sure did not want burnt chocolate.

Such a beautiful chocolate aroma.

Next came the shelling, we thought that would be tedious, but you just had to crack the shells between your fingers and it came off easily

And this is our roasted, shelled cocoa seeds.

Tastes like chocolate but kind of bitter.

If we had a grinder we could have made real chocolate. We do have a blender….sadly not a Vitamix….

The blending process

We ended up with maybe two ounces of ground up chocolate.We also do not have any sugar so the end product for today was hot chocolate sweetened with honey. We cooked it in a pot on the stove.

I was definitely a great hot chocolate….on this cool day, only 22C. I am wearing pants, socks and a sweater…..go figure.

Although not good to the last drop as just a ton a chocolate pieces in the bottom of the cup…. felt like coffee grounds in my mouth.

Just something to work on!

Cheers
Ruth

PS…does not feel like Christmas yet!

What do you do when you finish Spanish class on a Friday?
Well chocolate ice cream seemed like a really good idea.

We had already been to this place a couple of times in the evening and it was always closed, so thought we would try during the day.

We were in for a very informative tour. Learned the Roatan Chocolate Factory started about 8 years ago making chocolate at home and having a kiosk at the cruise ship port.

Growth, and a few moves later, the factory moved to its current location in West End, with both production and retail under the same roof.

Our guide told us they use beans that are picked wild on the mainland as the chocolate tastes better when grown away from the salt water.

To be sustainable they also plant new trees.

We both got a chance to grind the beans, it is done manually and is not easy!!

They make white, milk and dark chocolate (75%  cocao) bars with only three to four ingredients in each.
Plus other assorted chocolate related products.

This is ready to go in the molds.

Chocolate bars coming up:)

Chocolate making essentials.

There is a lovely shop, selling all kinds of chocolate products, and coffee!!

The place is set up for the cruise ship visitors.
Our guide said when there are a few ships in port the room is full…. today there was only a few people besides us.
The chocolate ice cream was yummy…. both the dark for Daryl and milk chocolate for me.

And of course we had to get a treat for later!!

Cheers

Ruth

Just about everything we eat or use has to be brought over from the mainland by ferry.
We go into the bigger town, Coxen Hole, to a regular store (Eldons) that sells just about everything you can buy at Safeway…..if you are willing to pay! And if you see it and want it, it is best to get it as it will probably not be there the next time.

Making “broom” has been a bit of a challenge, however we are able to get most of the ingredients.

A two pound bag of walnuts and a three pound bag of almond cost the equivalent of $61 Canadian.

It is the imported “stuff” that costs the big bucks.

Hope they last a long time.

Woody’s is the local store where we buy most of our dry goods. It is about a 10 minute walk from the house.

Sometimes the shelves are a little empty!

They sell a little bit of everything, except meat. That we have to get in Coxen Hole.

A bus ride in to town, and a taxi home with our goodies. We are also learning how to negotiate taxi prices.

This is the fruit and vegetable market where we stop most every day.

And yes, I did have permission to take their picture.

The other veggie kiosk, this one is further away….. close to the roundabout.

This big papaya is sweet, juicy and tasty. It cost 45 limperas or about $2.50

The lettuce is grown hydroponically on the island. This big bag cost about $4.

All the tomatoes, bananas and avocados cost about $5.50

Carrots are large and sweet….. have to be eaten within a few days as most things turns brown quickly.

All in all we are eating very well. Both cooking at home and eating out.

Take care

Ruth

Daryl and I decided to take the plunge and take Spanish lessons. We enrolled in “The Spanish Loft of Roatan”.
Classes start at 10 AM as the place is a bar from noon. There will be six of us. We will go three times a week. Daryl and I started a week late, so we had a couple of “make up” classes this week. Regular classes were cancelled due to American Thanksgiving.

The Sun Downer is a bar/restaurant owned by a Canadian (at least that is what we have heard). Canadian flag outside might be a definite clue!!

The views from the class are incredible. Love that there are no walls….

Time to have a good look before the work begins.

So beautiful.

Our teacher, Kelly, brought her assistant Indiana.

Kelly is trying to teach us practical stuff…. how to add, make change, order food politely in a restaurant…. and such.

Our text book is way too big, with even more work online.

An hour and a half…or so… of homework between each class. I might need double that time!!

But hey, it is good for the old brain.

Until next time.

Ruth

No this critter was not in our yard.
The storm is pretty well over and he was washed up on the beach…. at least this part.

It is amazing the amount of wildlife/critters of all kinds we have seen in our yard.

This little fella, an Agouti, was in the back yard. He is a rodent and was sitting up like a squirrel eating. By the time I realized what it was I barely got a picture…. and felt lucky to get this.

The last three days we have an an incredible amount of rain.
As soon as it gets dark those little frogs get busy.
The amount of racket they make is incredible, Daryl did a great job of keeping us entertained with his lip-synching.

This is a blue land crab, guess those critters like the rainy season.
They only have one big claw, and are a good size, about 6 inches across the shell.
We have holes around the house and the shed out back.
They dig the holes and dive right in…. full or water or not.
Hard to get a picture as they are quite shy and with any noise or light, they are gone.
And of course I have such a light step!!!

This morning we had a purple crab!!

Not sure if a gecko is a bug or just eats them….
The one directly above was dive bombing around my head….
By the time his picture was taken he was a little bit flat…(

We had a little humming bird come sit on the clothesline during the rain…. let us get within two feet of him so he must have been exhausted.
Not sure you can tell from the second picture but he is about the size of a clothes peg.

And then there are chickens….lots of chickens. Daryl calls them our guard chickens.

The rooster is totally screwed up… doesn’t crow in the morning, but every afternoon around four he starts up!

Then we have a cat who hangs around, affectionately known as Goo, and Doris the pup who has been loaned to the lady who lives upstairs.

Tons more critters but that is enough for now.

Cheers
Ruth

One of my retirement goals is to do volunteer work at a clinic while we are living on Roatan. During previous trips I had been to a clinic and knew this was possible.
Now that my tummy troubles are all over I was good to go, so bright and early Monday morning….well more like 9AM…… I got on the bus and went to the clinic.

Up a short walk and you can see the clinic through the trees, on the right. It is in a beautiful location with both an inside and outside waiting room.

There is also a playground and a food vendor.

It is a full service clinic, I was told 80 babies were delivered there last year.

My interview was two minutes…or less. There was no
paperwork.

Very friendly people and I started right away.

My job was to count pills…. apparently everything comes in large containers and is decanted into small plastic envelopes of 30 pills each. Then they are ready for dispensing as needed. Reminded me of preparing meds 40 years ago.
The pharmacy is quite small.

And I got to leave through the staff door!

Will be going Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and the next time will have a proper volunteer tee shirt and a name tag.

Quite looking forward to it.

Ruth

Friday November 9, 2018

Everyday since we have been in West End it has been sunny and hot…. surely can’t last as this is the rainy season.

The last few days has been spent doing tons of cleaning. I would never have thought of myself as a neat freak but Daryl disagrees.
Also a touch of travellers tummy keeping me close to home:(

I could not begin to tell you how many hours went into cleaning the stove alone….. both of us taking a turn

Might not be North American standards but working for us!!

After trying my best to walk through the front door… and I have the bruised forehead to show for it…. we put some sticky butterflies on the glass.

Lyche fruit from a road side vendor so tasty.

Our two “major” purchases, old school BBQ works like a charm, and not a chunk of ice in the papaya smoothie!

What evening would be complete without having a gelato while sitting on the beach.

Well earned relax time.

Remembrance Day coming up…. lest we forget.
Ruth