Update

So I will admit it, we are getting pretty lazy here on Roatan.  Our typical routine is to wake up at around 8:30, make coffee, drink coffee, read or use the internet for hours until the heat beats the AC at around 11:30 and we are forced to turn off the AC and open the doors and windows and the sweating begins.  Eventually, we will head out for a snorkel to cool off, then walk the town getting any necessary supplies for dinner.  We come home, shower, rinse off our wet clothes, hang them on the balcony railing, cook dinner eat, read and internet until bed time.  We have some variations to that, but for the most part, that is what we have been up to.

The good thing is that when this month is over, we will be ready to head into Nicaragua.  I've been using some of my free time to research the country and am really excited about it.  I'm ready to get back to the nomadic life and see new places.  We have officially decided to skip El Salvador.  It looks like life set us on the path to skip that country for now and we are happy to have a reason to come back to Central America.  We are keeping an eye on the political situation in Nicaragua.  It seems that the Nicaraguan current president is trying to pull the same thing as Mel Zelaya, the Honduran President that was "ousted" last year in what the US government called "a coup".  It appears that he is starting to make moves to remove the term limits so that eventually, he can be made President for Life.  The world gave Honduras a pretty hard time last year when they ousted Zelaya from the country but from what I have been told, everything that they did was well within the constitution of the country which was written to prevent a President for Life dictatorship.  They have still not been allowed back into the organization that all the Central American countries belong to...hmm... the only country that is stopping them is Nicaragua....they are still siding with Zelaya.  As far as we can tell, the biggest problem with the action in Honduras last year was that the US posted travel warnings which really hurt the tourism industry.  Life was normal and safe here but they are still feeling the effects in the tourism sector.  It will be interesting to watch what happens in Nicaragua.

Yesterday was a holiday here in the Bay Islands.  It was the anniversary commemorating the day that the British handed the Bay Islands to Honduras in 1859.  The kids were out of school and in Coxen Hole were celebrations.  We opted to skip the 8am parade but we did go out in the evening to see what was going on since we had heard that there would be a party with music and dancing.  We went early, while it was still light out and people were beginning to collect on the streets while guys set up DJ stations and big stacks of speakers.  Kids roamed the streets, the little ones playing soccer with empty soda bottles and the big ones strutted their stuff showing off for the opposite sex.  There was an amazing breeze on that end of the island.  We hung out for a while and could see how the night was going to play out.  The adults would drink and get drunk and eventually there would be dancing the streets.  Thats not really our scene so we headed back home.

As we hung out here, the wind got stronger and stronger.  We opened the windows and could feel a strong breeze coming through the place and enjoyed it.  Eventually, we turned on the AC and laid down to sleep.  BAM...silence!  The power went out.  That is pretty common around here, sometimes it is related to the wind and sometimes...who knows why?  The worst part at night is just how quiet it gets...and it gets kind of sticky. The wind also brought up a little mango issue....not the issue where the mangos are too green to eat and probably wont be ripe until after we leave...the new issue is that there are 2 mangos that beat against the metal roof everytime the wind blows.  It makes a terrible racket and I may have to find a stick to knock them down eventually.  I dont remember much after the power went out, since I fell asleep shortly after.  Rob says he dozed off and woke up in a sweat.  We were very relieved to hear the fan and AC kick back on a few hours later.  We still have fish in the fridge and would be devastated if it went bad.

Back to lounging and enjoying my coffee.  Today's big decision, snorkel here in the West End or Walk to West Bay.

West End - Half Moon Bay snorkeling Pros and Cons
1.  Its close
2.  We can get milk and bread on the way back
3.  Sometimes, like yesterday, there just isnt much to see
4.  Sometimes, like earlier in the week, there are all kinds of new critters

West Bay snorkeling Pros and Cons
1.  Its a good long walk although we can take a taxi or water taxi for a few bucks
2.  Is a good long walk a pro or a con?
3.  The snorkeling is consistently OK.  Better than a bad day at Half Moon Bay but not as exciting as a good day at Half Moon Bay.

I know...its a tough decision.  I think I prefer Half Moon Bay because on the good days we have seen really really cool stuff.  West Bay has great fish but I prefer new stuff.  For some reason Half Moon Bay seems to have new stuff more often than West Bay.  I wonder why on some days, like yesterday, there is nothing to see in Half Moon Bay.  The water was the clearest and calmest that we have seen it so far.  Is that why?  Do the fish not need to hang out in the bay when the water is clear and calm?