most of the people i've met came here for vacation and never left. roatan is a beautiful island, clear blue water with spectacular reefs and tons of fish. there's a dive shop every few feet, i heard there are so many that they passed a law to stop any new shops from opening.
i've been diving with coconut tree divers and they've taken me to some great places. they're also great to hang out with, the front lanai of the shop is always filled with people drinking coffee, beer, eating lunch, talking about diving, passing the time. anytime i want to find someone to talk to i only need to walk half a block from my cabana.
i've hung out mostly with john and tree. they both work at the shop but i haven't been diving with either of them yet. john spent 35 years working as a host for parties and niteclubs, and tree spent almost as many years working as a carnival barker, so they both make excellent companions for hanging out and talking story.
tree and i rented paddleboards on sunday and went down to west bay, about a mile and a half. the water was calm and beautiful which is good because this was only the 4th time tree has been on a board. we got to our destination, a bar to watch football. after several banana rum drinks we had to head home, and the wind had picked up, against us of course. so we stopped at another bar about half way back for more rum. some exercise, booze and a tour guide, what more could i want? made it all the way home in time to hit the bars with all the locals. i don't think i've seen this many bars in one place since college.
david has been my dive buddy here, he's from switzerland and planned a round the world dive trip for 3 months. his itinerary has been set for a while and his next stop is a live aboard in galapagos. this afternoon we're going to swim out to a boat moored in the middle of west end with a purposely slanted mast. the boat used to be in service but someone owed someone money and used the boat as payment, and the new owner thought it would make a good playground for the local kids. so he parked it out front of his restaurant, fixed the mast at a good angle and attached a rope swing. anyone can swim out and play.
currently there are locals (probably just the expats) that think its an eyesore and want it removed but like most things here you can just pay the right people and do what you want.
david's impending departure makes me wonder where i'm headed next. i have absolutely no plan in mind. every day they ask me how long i'm staying, every day i tell them i don't know. but after a week of diving and looking through all the pictures on the dive shops facebook page, i think i'm going to stay until i see a seahorse. maybe tomorrow, maybe next month.
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