The Roatan Invasion Party returned to the Island on July 10,
2001 after being delayed in Houston for a night due to
Tropical Storm Allison. Participants this time were Marty
& Shirley Williams, Shirley Dotson, Julie Murray, Kip
Brewer, Shawn Walker, Dan Kuhn, Scott Whittington, and
joining us for the first time, George Vincent and Debbie
Fitzpatrick. After what was looking like an impossible
journey, we did manage to finally get to Roatan Sunday night
(instead of Saturday) by playing ticket agents for TACA
airlines (yes, friends and neighbors, we pretty much booked
our own flight). It's always an adventure, yes? We did
manage to settle in our no-A/C bungalows on the ocean's edge
and prayed for a cool night breeze. The larger of the two
cays you see on the right is Anthony's Key, our home for the
week. We stayed on the right most point of the cay in the
picture.
Even though it took us a few days to get used to the climate, we
all had a great time. Enjoyed the sunsets such as the one on the
left looking over the water taxi stand and (below) hoping a
water taxi would pick us up to go over to the cay (it was a long
swim).
Roatan is located approximately 35 miles off the shore of the
mainland of Honduras. Honduras holds a special place in my and
Shirley's hearts, since it is Maria's birthplace. She was born
in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on January 28, 1992.
Roatan has an old pirate history, but now it is best
known for it's diving. Life there is still pretty simple and the
accommodations are a "little" rustic to say the least.
If you need a place to "get away from it all", then
this has to be the place. Roatan has about 30,000
residents ranging from the old English families to the
Garifunas. Most of the Islanders speak English and still retain
most of the English ways of life. Many ex-pats now have
retired on their own little piece of Paradise.
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Some of the most pristine beaches in the
Caribbean can be found at West Bay Beach.
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You just never know what hidden details the
camera might capture
... swim faster Dan!!
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We all enjoyed everyone's company...the diving was great, the
food was good and they tell me the horseback riding, iguana farm
and butterfly gardens were a lot of fun as well. I especially
enjoyed the "late night" get togethers at the sun deck
to take in all the stars and just have fun talking. It's always
a blast with you guys and I'm really glad that George and Debbie
joined us for this trip. Even though we had our usual share of
adventures...especially just getting there...I can't think of
any place on earth that I would rather go. Thanks to everyone
for making this another great trip....I'm looking forward to
Roatan III..
-Marty
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