When in Roatán…
Roatán, Honduras
Looking back at photos and videos of our trip to Roatán, it felt like I had visited the edge of the world… and in some ways, maybe I did.After all, Roatán is an island 40 miles off the coast of Honduras itself. It had this special feeling about it and it was unlike any other Caribbean island I had seen before or since. Even the waters have their own unique color that is impossible to describe.
Roatán was an unexpected trip as we were slated to go on a cruise in the Eastern Caribbean, but hurricane season had shut that down and we were rerouted to the West. Since this was our first time on a cruise we decided to go with one of the excursions, and we chose the “Top 10 of Roatán." This was an all day event that took us to wildlife preserves, beachfront areas, local coffee and chocolate processing shops, and ended with a historical performance by the local Garafuna tribe.
Now when I am on a cruise, I don’t usually take the packaged excursions, and will usually opt to get a cab or arrange with someone after arriving at port. All things considered, this was a great value for the price -and- we really got exposed to a lot of the culture. We hopped on a bus that took us to the local chocolate factory, spent time in town at local shops, visited an iguana farm with other exotic animals and a bird sanctuary, went to a rum shop, and then ended at a beach and a historical site with the Garfuna people.
If I could do it all over again, I would arrange something myself and go find some local food. I’d look for a museum or a place with art and spend time there. Not that my excursion wasn’t a good time, it’s just that I needed more time to sit and dig deep into what this island has to offer. Like I said before, there was something about Roatán that made me feel like I was at the edge of the world in a very deep and moving way, and I long to feel that again. Maybe this post will make you consider finding that feeling for yourself.
