Jewel in the Rough

I felt like I was made miniature, and floating in one of the fish tanks at Dangerhouse. shrimp, anemones, urchins, hermit crabs…Plus a few giant groupers, barracuda and pipefish. Snorkeling was really cool, and definitely made me want to try scuba diving.

Well, the North Coast of Honduras was a bit of a bust. Bad weather, no people, sinister vibe. I spent about three days trying to do something interesting and then gave up and decided just to head straight to Roatán. Luckily I picked a good morning to leave, the sea was calm, and I just sat outside in the back of the boat and basked in the sunshine. Apparently on the boat before and the boat after mine, the crew went around handing out sick bags to everyone. There were only four backpackers on my ferry, and we all ended up in the same hostel: Valerie’s. Cheap, yes. Clean, no. It was disgusting, but since all the other backpackers were there I chose filth over loneliness. The first day there was pretty chill, until about 9pm. Then the guy running the hostel had his “birthday” party (it was unclear if it was actually his birthday, or just the excuse he was using). Lots of people came over, they grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, and then went out for Ladies Night at the local bar. I tagged along for a free drink, but unfortunately Ladies Night ended about the same time they saw four girls all heading into the bar. Apparently they weren’t actually expecting any ladies. I got caught talking to an American bachelor party, and left about as soon as I could extract myself from that conversation. The next morning I was scouting around for a better hotel, and ran into two of the surfers that I hung out with in El Salvador. It felt like seeing old friends again. I spent the rest of the time in Roatán hanging out with them, snorkeling, exploring the island, and watching two people go to 2000 feet in a homemade sub. Check it out at www.stanleysubmarines.com All in all, a good couple of days.