When we were planning our extended stay in Roatan, Honduras, we developed notions of how it would be, what it would feel like, and how we would adjust to life on the island. With our impending departure from the island looming, we look back on, and compare, our expectations versus reality in a number of topical areas.
Life in the tropics – We expected plenty of sunshine and warmth. When we visited in February, the weather was great, and we loved the humid warmth – 80 to 90 degrees all day, every day. Slightly cooler at night, with a comfortable sea breeze. Our reality has been much the same this time around, with the added experience of enjoying the rainy season. The tropical rain is thick, heavy. The humidity feels like 100 percent. We are soggy and are now use to the reality that we are not going to dry out until we are back in the States in December….in the winter chap of the frozen tundra. It’ll be good-news, bad-news. “Honey, we’re dry now….but I can’t feel my toes.”
Island living – We expected to slow down, get mellow, and “chill”. We wanted to live by the ocean, and swim often. The reality has been that we are on a regimented program that requires 5:30am revelry, 4 miles of walking most days, scuba set-up (eg. bundles) and breakdown, 2-or-more dives, and nightly reading of first aid, physics, physiology, rescue techniques, dive theory and the dive resort industry. On most nights, we returned to our beach bungalow exhausted (and wet, of course), with barely
enough energy to make a quick dinner, clean-up the dishes, and take a shower before it was schedule induced bedtime. We’ve had plenty of off days, although not any weekends since travelers/divers tend to arrive on Fri-Sun, and those are the busiest days at the dive shop.One of the divers we met is named Nick. Nick is on an island sabbatical. He was the manager and lead instructor at West End Divers. But, he got burned out. One night at Oasis (Pool Bar), I asked him why he opted to take some time off. He said, “Because I didn’t come to a tropical island to work 6-7 days a week.” Walking in his shoes for a couple of months, all we can say is, “We hear ya brutha.”
Bugs – We have visited the tropics before. We were certainly prepared for bugs of all shapes and sizes. It’s one thing to be mentally prepared, and it’s another to shower with a cockroach, to kill a red ant the size of a cat, to require emergency first aid for a flood-plane outbreak of mosquito bites, and to wake-up to a kitchen counter that resembles an ant hill. Of all the bugs, the no-see-ums at the dive shop are by far the most annoying.
As we discovered from the Wikipedia of Honduras (the well-informed local c
ab driver), West Bay Roatan was formerly a swamp. The beach was beautiful, so they developed the area and built resorts right on the swamp. During most of the year, the net-result is rather minor. There are no-see-ums, but they can be managed to acceptable levels. During the rainy season, however, large portions of the West Bay swamp are, well, swamped and the no-see-ums population grows to biblical locust levels. We have countered the onslaught by wearing our Bug-Off safari full-length pants and lathering enough deet to repel the Congo. As of this writing, we are in an uneasy truce with the no-see-ums….until the next major rain storm when they will exponentially breed new legions to wage battle.Divemaster training – We expected a physical and mental challenge. We dove with Bananrama in February, so we also expected to meet the challenge with fun, interesting people. With the exception of a few days that we got pissy with ourselves for truly SUCKING in our assigned task/skill, the training program has been demanding, tricky, stimulating and the instructors have been terrific. It’s been boot camp in wetsuits. Summer school in shorts. Drills with thrills.
School and learning is a two pronged endeavor. The first part is your interest in the topic. For many reasons, scuba diving is fascinating – marine biology, physics, physiology, mechanics, breathing/meditation, science/technology, equipment/gear, and geography. We have met people from all over the world, and those people have been all over the world diving amazing locations. The stories make us want to hop a plane and just GO. It is all very motivating. The second interesting part of scuba diving is the cross-section of the world population that comes together on dive boats to share in a common interest. We are being trained by two Argentinians, a Brit, and an American carpenter. Our fellow DMTs (divemaster trainees) are from Mexico, Oregon, and Colorado. Our favorite customers have been from Venezuela, Spain, Miami, England, Seattle, New York, and frankly too many other places to list. In short
, the people have made the experience truly special. For her part, Cat has even been smitten by all the children in the equation – locals and visitors alike. We hope to stay in touch with some of the unique characters we’ve met. But, time will tell…..as it always does.Spousal exposure time – We came to Roatan with almost 8 years of history together. During that time, we have always had multiple outside interests and responsibilities that have broken up our time together. We expected a somewhat turbulent transition to being together 100% of the time. The way we figured, there would be nowhere to hide from each other. It was a major concern. What if our relationship crumbled under the weight of over-exposure. The reality has been a revelation. We most certainly have had our fights and arguments. There have been plenty of heated moments as we adjusted to a new environment, diving boot camp, home sickness, learning Spanish, and spending almost every waking hour together. Still, we have grown soooooo much closer to each other. Our tantrums are shorter, our understanding more acute, our anticipation skills more developed, and our intimacy much more profound. We talk A LOT, everyday, all day, and about every topic under the sun. We don’t have TV or the gym or jobs or buddies that take us away from each other. We are stuck with each other, for better and for worse…..till death do us part.
It has most definitely been for the better. We have found new shades of each other. Secrets are often revealed in nuance. Discovery is subtle. We have gained knowledge of each other in the most obscure circumstances, and in unlikely ways. This could be a blog topic all unto itself. It has been, without a doubt, the most compelling part of our sabbatical…..and I think that is a pleasant surprise to both of us.
Health – We expected to be tanned models of fitness with perfect skin, and impervious to all strains of tropical diseases. The reality has been good, but not Fitness Magazine good. Our daily walks and diving regime have been terrific for our fitness and weight. We had expected to be doing yoga 2-3 times per week, and haven’t gone once. Shame on us. It’s been a major disappointment. On the plus side, we have both shed a few pounds, and eaten really healthy. We both got sick once, with a local cold that was going around the dive shop. No big deal. Our biggest health issue has been our skin. Yes, we are more tanned. But, the bug bites are horrendous, and sunscreen is terrible for acne. Add in that we don’t have hot water for showers, and I look like I’m going through puberty-pimples all over again. `
Cat has special face and body soap, so she still looks amazing. Her Achilles heal have been her heals. She had hamburger feet for the first 6 weeks we were in Roatan. She developed blisters from her fins, and then wore her skin down to the bone wearing strapped sandals on our daily 4 mile walks. She tried going barefoot. She tried wearing flip-flops. She tried wearing socks inside her sandals and fins. She spent every night applying medicine and bandages to her hamburger feet. In the end, with the repetitive damage and constant wetness, she endured a marathon of raw feet. She was a trooper through it all, but it was always a real issue for six weeks.
What we would miss from home – To burn time on the morning walk, I try to start a conversation with a question. One day, the question was “what do you miss most from home?” Many answers were typical. We miss our friends and family. We miss our creature comforts. We miss the convenience of cell phones and cars. Some of the answers, however, were u
nique to our island experience. Cat missed hot showers, our cat (Maddie) and dog (Tinker) and life without bugs. I missed Courtside gym, our king-sized plush bed with fresh sheets, a fully-functioning kitchen, and gardening. In the end, we both mentioned that the little stuff is irrelevant. We miss our family and friends. Bottom line.Spiritual – We planned to pray together, meditate and go to yoga. We did pray and meditate, but we didn’t do yoga once…..and it was right next door to our beach shack. Still, I think we were grounded and in sync, and enjoyed a wonderful, metaphysical lifestyle in Roatan.
Hardest adjustment – For Cat, it was the cold showers during the rainy season. She did not have fun….but, she was awfully cute yelping and cursing in the shower. For Matt, it was getting stuck at the front desk of the dive shop. I just wasn’t happy unless I was moving around, diving, filling tanks or something, anything other than playing scuba-receptionist.
Easiest adjustment – Due to our commute and dive schedule, we got into a daily routine rhythm almost immediately and seamlessly. We were up by 5:30am, active all day, and usually in bed (passed out) by 9pm. For us, the best time on the island was when the sun was up, so we just followed the sun in our schedule.
Financial roadmap – Our budget for both of us was $100/day, excluding the divemaster program fees. We lived well, travelled all over the island, ate really well, and still were able to stay within our budget. Roatan is the most expensive area of Honduras, but it’s still pretty cheap to live there.
Food – Excellen
t. We loved Tong’s and The Argentina Grill. We were fortunate to be on the island still when Oasis Lounge opened in Sandy Bay. There are so many reasons we loved this place and near the top of the list was Shannon’s amazing cooking…delicious!!! If you venture to Roatan, go to Oasis. The crew that run Oasis are warm, awesome people. It has an amazing view with a pool and pool bar and an awesome menu. We miss her southwest eggrolls already! We also miss the cookies made with all the sinful goodness possible by Bill’s wife from the Bakery. They sold four of these gifts from god for $2 and made chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin. We cooked at home 3-4 nights a week, and grew to love the produce truck (gracias, Johel) and chasing down the fish truck for camerones and snapper. I even bought mahi mahi and tuna fresh catch from the boat captains. We ate really healthy, with good diversity, and with nature’s own ingredients. Oh, and I almost forgot about the eggs. Chickens run wild all over the island, so the free-range eggs are transcendently good.Friends/relationships – We were hopeful and optimistic that we would make a few new friends. It’s a lot to expect when only staying on the island for 3 months. The reality is that we were lucky to meet several very fun, interesting, intelligent and open people that we hope will endure the test of time and become long-time friends.
Emotional – Cat was emotionally charged with island fever in the first few weeks. Then, I got emotionally unstable in the middle of the DM program because I wanted a different experience (a custom program, as it were). We both got a bit surly working through our issues, but recovered quickly. At the end of the DM program, Cat got very emotional as the result of stress and exhaustion. But, after she gutted out the final few requirements, she was dancing on cloud-nine. I would classify our emotional state as varied, but overall stable.
Packing List – Because we planned on living in Roatan for three months, we packed pretty heavy. We brought reading books, travel books (for the upcoming world tour research), dive books, dive gear, a medicine kit, camera, video, underwater camera housing, water sterilizer, and various clothes. In short, we packed a boat/butt load. We expected to use and utilize it all, of course, or we wouldn’t have lugged it down here in the first place.
First, here is the stuff that we definitely did NOT need. My 3/2 wetsuit. I wore a wetsuit on a rainy night dive. That’s it. My 3/2 cannot be called a wetsuit because it has been dry since I took it out of the closet in San Jose. Half of our travel books and maps have not been touched. Our next stop is Costa Rica, so we have read a bit of the Central America book. Also, we have used the Costa Rica map extensively. There are many travelers on the island, and we have been sponging information readily. The same is true of the Argentina map. Two scuba instructors (Sofia and Martin) are from Argentina, and we have been combing the country, circling their recommendations.
I have a standing rule when I travel. Never leave home without my running shoes. So, I brought my Nike’s and they have collected dust for 3 months. Roatan is a mountainous, volc
anic island, so there are no flat roads, and worse yet, no bike lanes. Running is for hailing cabs, hustling tanks on/off the dive boat, dodging tarantulas, and catching the fish truck before it leaves West End. It is not a relaxing, safe, scenic park activity on Roatan. In this unique case, I should have left home without my running shoes.Second, here is the stuff we could have done without, and probably should not have packed for this segment of the trip. Cat’s wetsuit is good and warm, but there are ample wetsuits of all shapes and sizes at the dive shop. She wore hers a few times, and liked it, but it has been largely superfluous. I have used the yoga mat several times for sit-ups, but since we have not done yoga ONCE on the island. The mat has been an underutilized asset.
In the DUH category are the rechargeable batteries that we packed while failing to pack the recharger. For my part, I packed a dilapidated pair of cargo shorts with a massive hole in the crotch. People don’t take me seriously as a divemaster when they are exposed to my boxers during the equipment setup.
We did get some things right, or as Mal, the Scuba Instructor from England, would say, “spot on.” Our dive computer watches have been better than advertised. We bought them used off of Craigslist before we left California, and really did not understand what we were buying, what the critical features were. We did a blind, price driven, single manufacturer search, and came away with two perfectly simple, durable, easy-to-use dive watch computers from Suunto. We could not be happier with our purchase decision.
We have worn every stitch of clothes we brought, and some for several days before laundering. The safari/hiking pants that Cat bought for us have been particularly invaluable. Around the dive shop, we were getting eaten alive (see Bugs above), and opted to use our full-length hiking pants as shields. They are light, airy, comfortable, dry in a jiffy, and are saturated with bug repellent. The brand is “Bug Off”, and it’s an appropriately name. I want to be buried in my Bug Off pants.
Lastly, there are some things that we should have packed. Cat should have more pairs of shorts, and surf shorts to wear over her bathing suit, in particular. Every time we “have to” do laundry, it was because Cat was out of shorts or Capri pants or leg coverings in general.
Our friends, Serena and Jose, bought rain gear, and we especially admired and envied their rain pants. Although wetness is inevitable on the island, staving off leg, shorts and underwear moisture for as long as possible is a good objective. Plus, rain pants can roll into a small ball, and take up very little space. Cat has a good rain coat, and I have a good poncho, but we definitely missed the (dry-docked) boat on the rain pants.
Before we left, we decided we would use Skype to call home, make business calls, and make travel arrangements. We knew that we needed a computer-specific headset, and for the 9 months leading
up to our departure date, we procrastinated. Every procrastination comes with an equal or greater karmic payback. I tried to McGiver the situation and use my built-in microphone and iPod earphones. It worked, but I looked ridiculous leaning low over my computer talking into various corners of my keyboard to find the optimal microphone clarity. So, we decided to invest in a headset. And, where does one go on the island for “stuff”—Coxen Hole.We made a special trip into “town”, as it’s referred to in West End, in search of a simple headset. After a few hours at 10+ stores, and many blank stairs from the store employees, we slinked home defeated. A few days later, when we visited Mal and Sofia’s for a sushi dinner party (great night, BTW), we noticed their computer headset. Cat asked, “where did you get your headset?” Sofia answered, “at Paradise Computers.” “Where’s that?” “In West End.” We wasted several days trying to jimmy-rig a system, and then a half-day in Coxen Hole, and the perfect headsets were sold for $15 at a store that we walked by twice a day, every day. That was some bad karma.
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