MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM HONDURAS

To get things started, here's an assortment of  Central American Christmas related photos taken over the past couple weeks. I was surprised how a fairly impoverished place like Fronteras had several stores loaded with traditional Christmas decorations.

Each day we were in Copan, Honduras more and more Christmas lights were being put up. It is by far the most Christmasy place we've been.

The finishing touches were being put on this tree in Livingston when we were there to check-out of Guatemala two weeks ago yesterday.

This home in Utila, Honduras had gone all out.

I like this.

 This Christmas tree on the beach in Roatan, Honduras is made of empty rum bottles. Makes me wonder about ways to re-purpose mine.

West End, Roatan is no place to be anchored during west or north winds.

So with that forecast we motored 20 miles around the south side of the island to Jonesville Bight, which is one of a half dozen or so well protected anchorages. The Swiss boat who had been sailing with us since Guatemala came along and within a day there were four other boats with good friends from our time on the Rio Dulce, some of whom we've known for nearly two years. The anchorage was otherwise empty.

We were planning to come to Jonesville later in the week anyway to ride our dinghy in the Christmas Boat Parade, which we did last year. However because of the forecast, the parade was moved from tonight to this past Tuesday. When we arrived that afternoon we quickly decorated the dinghy using a boat hook as the Christmas tree trunk and then ran strands of lights up the trunk, off the top and to the sides of the dinghy. We powered the lights with the generator starter battery from Starship. Then it was off to the meeting place and pre-party.

Jonesville Bight is connected to four other bights (long narrow bays) by 10'+/- wide pirate-built waterways through the mangroves. These waterways allow you to travel between bights without having to go through the reef and into the sea. Each bight has it's own community . In total there are a few pubs, two very small marinas, a couple sort of fuel docks and several very tiny grocery stores. The bights are also the base for a shrimping fleet.




The parade consisted of about a dozen lit-up boats, including three dinghys like ours, a pontoon boat and some 18 to 20' launchas, which are kind of like the family SUV around here. Some locals also joined in with their small fishing boats and using glow sticks instead of lights. If it wasn't for the last minute date change I'm sure there would have been more boats.

Much of the parade route was lined with waving silhouettes yelling Merry Christmas and/or Feliz Navidad. I wish we could have seen them better.

A couple of the houses we went by were also decorated.

The parade took about two hours. Then there was the post party.




The next day we went snorkeling among the mangroves, which is a much different experience than the reefs, Then we had drinks and empanadas at the Hole In The Wall with Captain Ed, Chewy the monkey and a wild baby boa constrictor. We had a great time. However, the day afterwards a guy came by all the boats to tell us that a 12' crocodile had been spotted in the anchorage, so not to throw food scraps in the water and be careful when swimming. I will not be swimming. Plus, it makes me wonder where the baby boa constrictor's parents are.

Wednesday night the storm hit. It's supposed to be with us until Christmas Day or so. With that said, some of us (not me) are meeting at one of the pubs for daily yoga. We'll need to get some groceries at some point and a live band at another pub this afternoon. I guess that's what foul weather gear is for. And while it's not nice out, Delana is experimenting with some recipes, making cookies and knitting mittens for Granddaughter Ella, I'm eating the experiments, finishing this stupid blog and am thankful you don't have to shovel rain. By the way, during this polar vortex the highs have only been in the upper 70's and it has gotten way down into the 60"s at night.

We also decorated Starship.

We wish each and everyone of you, along with your families, the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years.