Tuesday was our snorkeling day. For a non-swimmer, I really enjoy snorkeling. There’s something amazing about putting your face down in the water and seeing a world that’s always there, but always hidden. Like pulling back stage curtains to see all of the frenzy behind stage.
We got picked up, sized for fins, and then we headed out.
Ali’s never been snorkeling before. Thankfully, we got to remedy this, and in one of the more spectacularly populated reefs.
We snorkeled for about half an hour, drifting along with the current. This area had a number of very steep underwater drop-offs, providing ample opportunity for us all to reflect on just how much ocean there is out there (and how many things in it can kill or sting us if we allow…looking at you, jellyfish).
We then got dropped off at Brady’s Cay, a TINY little island off the coast of Roatán. This has been set up with beach chairs facing the aqua water, a kitchen and bar, bathrooms, and a beach volleyball court.
We were supposed to stay for an hour, but after only 20 minutes, the guide said we were leaving for the next snorkel spot. He must’ve been able to tell that we weee comfortable because he said we could stay on the cay if we wanted and he could come back for us after taking the other couple to the other snorkel spots. We accepted that offer and spent another 90 minutes enjoying the beach and brilliantly sunny day.
Back at the hotel, we showered and enjoyed the sunset (as we all realized that perhaps we should’ve reapplied sunscreen after snorkeling).
We had dinner at the hotel (food was just as good as everywhere else). Anna-Sophia was marked as a good target by the kittens, and she struggled to eat as they kept trying to grab her food. She managed it well and only lost one fry in the end, but it was pretty hilarious to watch!
We had people in the room above us that night, and they were loud enough to keep me up much of the night, so I was dragging a bit on Wednesday. It was a travel day, so at least there wasn’t a heavy agenda. Breakfast at the hotel (with one of the kittens getting to clean the plate), then kid and I walked into town one last time. The beach in town is in a small cove, so the water is calm, while the beach itself is barely wide enough for one beach chair. Very different from New England beaches with the massive expanses of sand.
It was windy and the surf was pretty vigorous back at the hotel. Kiddo and I sat and watched the waves crash on the rocks and we watched the tiny snails move along the retaining wall.
Our flight back to the mainland was on CM Airlines. We checked our bags, went through security (a delightfully minimalist affair), and waited at the gate for a while. Our flight time got closer and closer, but there was no plane and no announcement. I kept checking online, but there was no information. About 20 minutes after our scheduled departure time, an agent showed up and announced that the CM Airline flight would be out of gate 5 instead of gate 6, so we moved over there and queued up. It turns out that they combined our flight and a similar small flight on Aerolineas Sosa, the other local carrier. The combined group of 20-25 passengers boarded and, since the assigned seats we had didn’t make sense, we just took whatever seats we wanted. That was a new experience for me – I’ve never been ticketed on one airline but flown another without knowingly being rebooked. I guess as long as we got where we needed to go, it’s all fine!
We found our driver, checked in at the hotel, and then went to one of the fanciest dinners I’ve ever had. I was unreasonably excited to have vegetables that were not fried. This was American priced food, but it was better than average American restaurant quality.
The hotel told us not to walk, so we took Ubers to and from dinner. It was maybe a 2 mile drive and cost about $2.50. Our 2nd driver was studying English, so he spoke to me in his fractured English and I spoke to him in my fractured Spanish. We made a good team!
Early to bed since the next day started at 5am!
Vacation Days 