Early this morning there was a strange screeching outside our cabin. EJ shouted at me from the upstairs to see if I was awake and heard it. We started to pontificate about what kind of animal it could possibly be (later over dinner we realized it was probably a toucan) and then I rolled over to sleep a bit more. Finally we started to move and get dressed for breakfast.
EJ and I had some designs on the free breakfast that the resort offers only to find that it was pretty much like any American one. There was little boxes of cereal, some pastries, juices, and people everywhere. I have no idea where these people were the day before but they were all there. We sat down and our family was already there and most of the way through breakfast. The hot plate came out a few minutes later and it was so good I wanted to order a second. It was scrambled eggs with a little cheese in a freshly made tortilla with a slice of ham and a slice of watermelon on the side. Mom then handed EJ his presents to open and then he unceremoniously removed the birthday candles from the pastry and muffin that Mom had carefully put them in (Happy birthday EJ!).
Well fed we packed our bags and headed off down the beach. We walked and walked and walked. Past resort after resort, dodging kids playing in the sand, and then when I was nice and sweaty we finally stopped. I looked up and there was a lovely hotel and pool in front of me. The Infinity Beach resort. We grabbed a couple chairs, got scammed into paying for them, and as quick as I could I went into the water.
Through the years, Honduras turned me into quite the beach snob. The sand is so soft and white. The water crystal clear so much so that you can see to the bottom even when you’re out deep in the water. It even feels softer then the ocean I’ve encountered back in the states. I was as happy as a pig in mud finally being in the warm ocean water with the hot sun beating down above me and the warm breeze wafting through my fluffy hair. After getting prunie we got out of the pool and found the guy who had escorted us into the resort bothering us to go snorkeling.
James agreed to go with me and we walked to the boat where there was another guy and his brother and son piloting the boat. They helped us get in from the dock, which required sitting on the dock to climb in since the boat was a foot lower then it. We got comfortable on the boat and they drove us out about ten minutes from the island. We could see all the resorts from the boat and the guys out the ladder out, got us some snorkels, and then showed me how to hop out of the boat. Like an idiot I didn’t put the mask on before hopping in and it popped right off my head into the deep. The brother handed me a much cheaper one and then the boat captain told him to go in and get it. Then they handed me the flippers and I was off more or less.
It took me a few minutes to adjust to the snorkel, get all the salt water out of it and remember how to breathe through one. My last experience was shark diving two years ago in Hawaii but I eventually got the hang of it. I turned on my GoPro and started flippering at the top of the water. I wasn’t sure what I was looking at at first but a few moments later I realized that we had parked just above a section of the reef and there were a bunch of brightly colored fishes going about their daily lives on the reef. We could see where the reef rose up out of the sand and then where it went back in. It went on for a while, but I didn’t want to venture too far away from the boat so I cruised around for a long while, we had 45min to swim but by my fifth or sixth lap around the coral I was ready to head back, and so was James. I knew getting back into the boat would be a pain after my memories of getting out of the shark cage but I didn’t realize that the wooden stairs they used were so much more fickle and long. I got to the third of four steps and could feel a wave hit the side of the boat and push it towards me, the momentum of which caused me to lean backwards and nearly fall off the ladder. I thought the boat driver was going to die because he reached out to pull me back towards the boat at the same time I was using every last bit of strength I had to pull myself forward and not fall off. Luckily I didn’t because James was right behind me and probably would’ve died had I fallen off into his head.
Back in the boat we headed to shore and when we got there the driver helped me out of the boat too. I gave him a $20 tip because I figured the percentage of the snorkeling fee was probably low and they had to go to the trouble or freediving to retrieve the mask and snorkel I lost getting into the water. We walked back and regaled the rest of the family with tales of the reef.
The rest of the day was uneventfully relaxing. We spent some more time in the ocean then some time in the pool then a lot of time in the shade. Ate lunch and then back in the pool then back in the shade and then finally the long walk home. The setting sun felt so much hotter as we began to notice the odd spots of skin that we forgot to reapply sunscreen to or simply missed. It made the walk back feel even longer but when we finally made it I high tailed it to our room for a much needed shower. The shower made us realize our sunburn even more - for me it was a patch on the back of my arms and a thin line where the strap of my bathing suit was or I supposed had been when I sunscreened and then moved later.
Clean and with still wet hair I went back out to sit in the cafe. My brother and James were already there and we talked about nothing while drinking water. EJ and I also had a rum punch when Mom arrived and then soon Dad and Mariette followed. Eventually we ordered dinner and sat to eat. Unfortunately we were eating so late that the item I wanted (lobster burrito again) was unavailable so I settled for the daily special (Seabass al Pesto) which was amazing. The cat who lives in the resort came by when he smelled the food come out. This cat tends to do that every now and again. When I first met him though he was prancing down the walkway with a dead lizard in his mouth. This time Dad saw the cat and gave him a little piece of his snapper, which at first Mom said was a mistake because the cat kept rubbing against her but then later decided to feed him more of our leftover fish. When the next table got their food suddenly our cat friend was gone. We then had chocolate cake and ice cream. By then my hair had finally fully dried. I could feel it had volumized but I didn’t realize the extent of it until Mariette said something about it and my selfie camera showed the wildest mane of afro-like hair I had ever seen on top of my head. My mom got mad and asked me why I didn’t put hair gel in it to tame it but that only made me want to keep it even more. It seemed only right that my hair would somehow get in touch with its roots while we were here too. The whole family would have probably been still sitting there if EJ hadn’t announced that he was tired and going to bed. I agreed and followed him which then prompted everyone to do the same. When EJ and I got back we judiciously applied aloe to our burns, even though it was the bad aloe without painkillers in it, and then EJ opened one of his presents to check it out together. Once he was done combing through the pack of random magic the gathering cards he climbed the stairs to bed and we both went to sleep.
Location:Roatan,Honduras
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