The Roatan Story

Mark writes:

Today I realized that the solar system has been up and running for three months now.  The benefits were obvious when our March electric bill was only $12.00 (U.S. dollars).  Mid April we started using the air conditioning unit in the aft cabin of Aeolus so the April bill was $30.00 (only the boat dock is hooked up to RECO power right now).  Also in April, during the peak point of solar power output (12pm to 3pm) when our inverter “sells” power to the electric company the power has been out (Thanks RECO!); thereby shutting off the sell feature (a safety element) so we didn’t get to run the meter backwards much last month. That is why the bill went up from March to April.  Electricity on Roatan is very expensive.  For example, in the U.S., a $200.00 (at an average of $.09 a Kilowatt Hour or KWH, in Florida) electric bill would be approximately $799.00 ($.36 KWH) here.  We could run the whole place on solar but we are reserving the extra power we have now to run 90% of the house when it’s done.  Anyway, for reasons of cost and reliability, I am grateful that we are primarily independent when it comes to our power and water supply.

Water or “liquid gold” is essential for life.  On an island it means the difference between life and death.  I see many of the islanders here in Calabash Bight going back and forth transporting 55 gallon poly drums full of water from someone else’s well or cistern.  Their boat gunnels (sides) are only about one inch above sinking in the sea.  Rain is infrequent during the months of March and April and everyone’s cisterns become low or completely empty. We are low and are conserving, but not out entirely and expect rain soon.  This will help us in the landscape department as we planted a lot of new palms and ornamental plants and have been watering sparingly until rain falls.  In the last chapter, we described the digging of a big hole for our own well.  Our neighbor Roger “witched” a spot for us and he was correct, there was water.  Unfortunately the flow rate was not enough to make it worthwhile.  The hole, two foot in diameter, was taking 60 minutes to fill only one half inch deep, so was abandoned and filled back in. This left me with engineering a new way to get sea water for my R.O. machine.

At first I was thinking that I could drill a 4’ PVC pipe into the seabed/sand and draw water through the natural filter that Mother Nature provides.  The problem with this idea is the sand is only 1 to 3 feet thick and then it is hard clay/rock which is not very conducive for water flow either!  So now I am going in another direction.  I will utilize a 20” filter that should handle the flow and last about 6 months in this water (mostly clear minimum suspended solids). I decided to also change to the 20” filter for the water maker on the boat. It is getting a little un-nerving waiting for rain, watching the clouds roll by, and not a drop of water in the last six weeks and down to 200 gallons in our cistern.  The two 2500 gallon water tanks sit empty in the house foundation.  As soon as I get the R.O. machine up and running, water won’t ever be an issue again.

We are gearing up!  I received an email that our Zolitur purchase order forms are in. So, I made the call to the lumber yard and contacted the boat captain to co-ordinate the shipping to our dock!  We are about to get our lumber for the house!  Finally!!!  I will travel to La Ceiba Tuesday (I hope) of this week, Woo Hoo! Oh, and while on the subject of getting things done, I was surprised the other day when I was stopped on the water by the police and asked about my boat registration for the Panga. I explained that I paid the registration in December 2007 and should be good until December 2008. I was informed the registration for boats runs from January to January, go figure!  So off I went to the Municipal (Santos Guardiola) and was informed that even though my receipt for registration was dated the 26^th of December 2007, that it is indeed expired and I have to pay again.  I tried to point out that if I had been told on December 26^th that the registration runs from January to January, I would have waited a week and not wasted 200 Lempiras.  They didn’t budge!  When I asked why the previous payment hadn’t been prorated, the official gave me a blank look (he had probably never heard of the concept of prorating payments).  So, getting nowhere with my argument, I buckled and paid the 200 Lempiras again.  It only amounts to a little over ten bucks. Easy come, easy go….

And that wasn’t the only surprise in store for me!  We had mentioned in the last chapter that we decided to build the palapa and also extend the dock.  So while I was at the Municipal, I inquired about obtaining the permits and was informed that I also had to become a contractor and be properly licensed to do my OWN construction!  Yes folks, 1500 Lempira later ($80.00) and I am now a contractor!  I can build for other people and get paid for it too.  I am still trying to figure that one out, anyone have any ideas?  To sum it all up, I spent 7,168 Lempira ($379.00) for the “palapa” permit (20’x 20’ open patio with a roof) 2,268 Lps, dock extension permit 3,000 Lps, Contractor License 1500 Lps, and two boat registrations (Gremlin & Vista Cruiser) 200 Lps each.  Oh, and now I have a “Green Card” which shows that as a resident of Santos Guardiola, I have paid my taxes for the year (50 Lps for the card and remember the last chapter that I paid 150 Lps for the actual personal tax as part of the Zolitur hoop jumping).  What fun it is here! Information is dispensed in small increments and you never know all the rules up front. Still, I am continually rendered speechless with every new piece I learn.  Lesson #659…….

The other day I goofed off in our "front yard" and have some pictures for you. I need to figure out how to convince the camera to use the flash regardless of what it thinks, as you get more color that way.

What are you doing down here bud?

Blue Tangs and a Parrotfish, yes the pictures will be better next time!

Mr Moray on the prowl.

Doesn't the lawn look good?

Ok, I'm not gonna bore you with a ton of underwater pictures that are marginal. I am just excited that the camera works and I can share the view of our "Front Yard" !

Remember that saying “Be careful what you wish for”?  Well, we did get some rain (29^th May, 2008) but it was a tropical depression that came from the Pacific side. It caused an airliner accident in Tegucigalpa, a TACA jet overran the runway and ended up in a city street, most everyone survived. 

TACA A-320 picture from: Honduras This Week

Well Alma (the depression) was torn apart by the mountains on the mainland but now joined another low here just north of us and is now building again. The Hurricane Center in Miami issued a statement that they expect this low to dissipate unless it stays over water much longer than anticipated. Remember this is only the end of May and the “Season” starts June 1^st. They are predicting that it will be a “normal” season though…..

What's left of Alma, the first tropical depression of the season. Photo 6:00AM 31st May, 2008

Overnight, this "disturbance" or remnant of Alma (Pacific side name) is now Arthur (Atlantic side name and so much for the NHC forecast huh!) moving over the Yucatan Peninsula but still drawing about 25 knots of wind over Roatan with gusts to 30!  Yep it's now the 1st of June 2008!  

Above pictures from: Nasa Earth Observatory

Lori writes:

Upon my return from the States, I was only home two days before I went off to house sit for our friends, Alex and Kelly.  This was barely enough time to clean the boat which was nearly buried in dust.  As Mark said, it had been very dry with no rain. The dirt in the air was so thick that even our parrot, Harley, was sneezing regularly.  May is also the month they burn the cane fields and pineapple plantations on the mainland. The smoke mixes with the dust and a thick haze covers the island. On top of all this, it was hot with temperatures reaching a high of ninety degrees.  They say there are two summers here, May and September.  From my experience, it seems to hold true so far.  It is now June and temperatures are down again and the haze has diminished, thank goodness!

House sitting for Alex and Kelly was quite a treat.  They have T.V. (including HBO) and more importantly a washer and dryer.  I was in heaven! The only incident to interrupt my four days of wallowing in decadence was when one of Kelly’s cats brought a dead three foot iguana into the house and dropped it at my feet. It was shocking to say the least and I had to work up the nerve to pick it up by the tail, carry it outside, and toss it in the sea.  Kelly explained later that the cat was bringing me a prize and I should feel honored by the gesture.  She went on to say that cats here will bring you all kinds of goodies that you probably wouldn’t get in the States such as snakes, bats, and iguanas.  Although you will find them in most households on the island, Mark and I are thinking we really don’t want a cat!

Kelly and I have found that we are like minded in our desire to become more independent from our husbands.  Not that we don’t enjoy their company or getting together as couples as we often do.  But the guys “gang” up on a regular basis and we feel the girls deserve the same freedom (instead of having to be escorted by a man everywhere we go). So, after a short lesson from Mark, I have driven Gremlin all by myself to Kelly’s house on two occasions and she has been to visit me as well.  

I Kind of look like I know what I am doing

 We are each other’s pep squad and there is much cheering and congratulating on these monumental occasions.  Of course, it is also slightly ridiculous as Kelly only lives a little more than a stone’s throw away and it is not uncommon to see island children as young as five zipping around in small boats. But, if we focused on that we would lose the sense of accomplishment we feel for these small steps. I told Kelly the day we can make it by ourselves to Oak Ridge (where the truck is parked) we will own this island!  Mark has been very supportive of this new endeavor but is also stumped by my fear.  He doesn’t understand how it is that I can maneuver our 44’ sailboat but I am afraid of a little launch.  I explained to him that it is not so much operating Gremlin that frightens me, but of doing something stupid and embarrassing myself.  He informed me there is NO getting around that possibility so I might as well face it.  So, I am trying to get used to the neighbor children’s giggling at my attempts to get off the dock. I suppose I should feel pleased that I provide them with so much entertainment!

I have also been spending time with Alana.  She visits us regularly, always bringing fresh cow’s milk, fruit, and plant clippings for us from her farm. After hearing her describe and then showing me pictures of horseback riding on the beach, she convinced me to come to the farm for a ride. I am not much of a horse person and hadn’t ridden since I was twelve, but her offer was too tempting to resist.  Early one morning, Mark took me (I am still not used to the fact he has to escort me everywhere I go, but he does it willingly which is very nice.). It was a beautiful day and we wound slowly down the dirt road that leads to the heart of the farm, being careful not to run into baby chicks scuttling to keep up with their mama hens.  We stopped outside the stable where the cows have two new calves and one horse has a new foal.  Marcos, the caretaker, who lives on the property with his family, was busy milking while his wife, Tonia, was nearby making fresh tortillas.  Alana gathered newly laid eggs and we had the most delicious breakfast of fresh farm food!

Alana with her horses 

Afterward, with some trepidation, I mounted Alana’s sweet horse, Buffy. Being the novice I am, we only rode around the farm property but it was an awesome ride. The scenery was so breathtaking with hills and valleys and blooming trees that I quickly forgot how scared I was.  With just a little more practice, I may be up for a ride over the hill and onto the beach, what a thrill that would be!

In the short time I have lived here, I have come to realize that Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can go wrong, will” is alive and well on Roatan.  This seems true to such an extent that I invented a game to play at the onset of any new project or enterprise. The idea is to conjure up as many catastrophic scenarios as possible that could apply to the present undertaking and then take bets on which will come to pass. The funny thing is, neither Mark nor I have won this game yet as the events that do unfold are always so unlikely.  I should have figured it out this morning though.  Mark was going to La Ceiba to visit the lumber yard and place our order.  So, of course, I am imagining all the things that could go wrong.  His flight was cancelled and he was back home by 9:00 am.  I can’t believe I failed to envision that scenario!  No big deal though, he is booked for a flight tomorrow and the game begins again.  This might be construed as negative thinking but in actuality it helps to prepare for the likelihood that something WILL go wrong and results in less disappointment.  It is also a great reminder of how interesting it is to live here; a place where the improbable occurs on a regular basis.  I have yet to experience a dull moment in Roatan.

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