Yesterday was like a George Harrison song. In the morning after a long day of traveling, the sun peeked its head through the clouds and warmed the earth beneath us. This is paradise! (With some sand fleas and a slight chance of malaria.) We are surrounded by hibiscus blooms, palm trees, and other brightly colored plants and trees. Geckos are everywhere, frogs sing all night long, and we spot colorful birds when we walk out the front door.

We spent most of the day (since the last post) poolside, soaking up the sun, drinking some local beer and telling riddles and jokes with the bartender, Harlan. Later in the day we had our first experience of Honduran life—a trip to the grocery store. You know, we needed essentials like coffee, beer, and snacks. The store was just like those in the states, it had most of the same products and they were in both Spanish and English. Most people on Roatan speak English and they love American money, so we don’t have to try too hard. However, we have met a few people who speak only Spanish and we like the challenge.

Honduras played Mexico in a qualifying World Cup match yesterday, so there was a lot of excitement in town. The locals were wearing Honduran jerseys and waving Honduran flags while standing up in the back of their pick-up trucks. It was just like Humboldt Park!

So the thing about our resort is—it’s hard to get to! A long (20mins or more) ride on a dirt road with plenty of dips and holes from all of the rain gets us only to the main road that circles the island. We don’t really mind it—we just have to plan our day accordingly if we want to go anywhere.

It’s interesting to see the way of life on Roatan. We passed by a lot of brightly painted homes with any number of horses, cows, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats in the yard. Many people travel by bicycle or on foot and everybody waves as you pass by. Hondurans are very friendly. As in any tropical locale, there is a pretty big divide between the haves and the have-nots. There are several resorts here and more are being planned. There is a booming real estate business, and we are tempted to buy our own little piece of paradise. We’ve been told that Roatan has been put on the map recently because: 1. Some cruise ships now dock here. 2. International flights may soon land here. 3. They are planning a golf course. So basically, it’s just a matter of time until you hear all about this place.

So far, neither of us has gotten typhoid or malaria or hepatitis (thank you vaccinations!), but we have been bitten by sand fleas. (Nadine much more so than Kurt.) Apparently the locals don’t understand that the gringos have a problem with insect bites—the owner of the resort advised us to ignore them and put on lots of repellant. We saw a sign when we got into Roatan that told us not to use DEET so as to protect the wildlife, so we’re feeling a little guilty. However, the bugs are vicious and we need relief. We’ll give some money to the lizard and sea turtle funds when we get back to Chicago.

Unfortunately, it rained all night last night and it’s raining again this morning. The locals are slightly optimistic for us; but alas, we know what to expect…rain.

More pictures and another post soon…