The Roatan Story

Lori Writes:

The other day Mark requested that I write this chapter alone.  He says he is much too busy building the house and just doesn’t have the time.  I told him that I believed many of our readers would be disappointed because I tend to write anecdotes, while he shares more facts.  I didn’t think an entire chapter of “fluff” would be all that appealing, especially for those who read our story seeking information.  So, we agreed on a compromise. I interviewed him (while he was lying in his hammock NOT working on the house) and will be able to share some of the latest political happenings and still write the bulk of the chapter myself.

As we mentioned in the previous chapter, October brought perpetual rain.  It rained all day and it rained all night.  Although there was a day here and there we had a break from it, we went weeks without seeing the sun. 

Lori Modeling her Grocery Bag Rain Suit

I suppose that’s why it’s so aptly named “rainy season”.  It is this time of year when the cold fronts start moving down the United States but are not strong enough to make it here.  They stall just to the north which creates a trough in which moisture from the south and east constantly flows over us.  For Mark, this meant construction on the house was slow going.  It was down to just him and his one helper, Jose, and they were lucky if they could cut wood and pound nails two days a week. As for me, I found myself living in a world comprised of rust, mold, and damp laundry.  Having spent a great deal of time on a sailboat, Mark and I know that when it comes to metal, nothing beats stainless steel or brass.  We carried this knowledge over when purchasing items for our life on an island.  However, no one told me I needed bras with brass fittings.  I’m embarrassed to say, but yes, the loops and hooks on my bras are rusting!  So with that said, you can imagine, almost everything metal here is rusting.  There isn’t much to do about it but replace things when they get real bad. At least I have bleach to fight the mold.  Although I have learned to live with it to a certain degree, because it tends to grow faster than I can clean it and I refuse to spend my entire life with a bleach rag in hand.  When it comes to laundry, I am a creature of habit and Monday has always been wash day (until recently).  At first, I thought I had the perfect fix for the problem.  I hand washed everything as usual but then strung a clothesline through the cabin of the boat, closed all the hatches, and cranked our space heater on high.  In just a couple of hours the clothes were toasty and the cabin was dry to boot.  Then Mark caught wind of my operation and blew a gasket.  The power company here has raised rates and electric bills have doubled for most everyone on the island.  (Mark goes into detail about that when I get to his interview segment of the chapter). Apparently our space heater sucks a lot of juice so I was asked to refrain from using it again.  What I have resorted to now is only doing wash on days there is sun which lately isn’t very often.

Another change in our routine due to the rain (and subsequent problem it caused) is our management of the dogs.  We all sleep on the boat at night and typically Maggie sleeps on the foredeck while Ziggy takes the stern.  During the night they take turns standing watch and immediately bring any suspicious activity to our attention.  However, we are much too soft hearted to leave them out in the pouring rain and at the first drop, we let them down in the cabin with us.  It was such a night about ten days ago and it rained all night.  Luckily by morning it had cleared and Mark and Jose went to work on the house.  They noticed right away that some of our 2 x 4 lumber had grown legs and walked off.  I was later told that rainy season is known for its increase in theft. The noise alone created by the storms is great cover for thieves and if it is nighttime and the dogs are indoors, it’s unlikely the culprits will be seen or heard.  The lumber we purchased on the mainland was marked with green paint.  So, Mark put out the word that there would be a reward for information about anyone found in possession of lumber with the telltale green markings.  We don’t really expect anything to come of that and nothing has so far.  He also moved the remaining lumber from the yard to underneath the house and added fluorescent fixtures that light up the house all night, every night.  Last of all, he has become more vigilant and wakes several times a night and shines our spotlight over our property and adjacent water.  Theft at any time of year is a major problem here.  Although we just took a hit, we feel extremely lucky.  Others on the island have far worse stories of loss to tell.

The same day we discovered some lumber missing, we also had a very upsetting experience with Jose.  Alana had stopped by to visit and I was in the process of giving her the grand tour of the house while Mark installed a door.  He asked if I would go find a lockset and door knobs.  Alana followed me to the bodega where we are storing a multitude of items for the house.  On one side of the room we have approximately thirty plastic containers stacked to the ceiling.  I knew the lockset was in one of those boxes, probably one near the bottom of the stack.  I hollered up to Mark to please send Jose down to help. So, while Alana stood by and watched, Jose reached down box after box and I went through each one.  I popped the lid off of one and said, “Oh, what a nice flashlight”.  It was an LED Maglite new in the package that I had forgotten we had.  I showed it to Alana and then put it back in the box and reattached the lid.  I finally found what Mark needed and Alana and I walked back up to the house and left Jose to restack all the containers.  As I handed the lockset to Mark he asked if I had seen any light bulbs.  I told him that I had and I better hurry back to the bodega and grab one before Jose had the boxes put away.  Jose was still in process of stacking, but stood aside when I arrived, and I started pulling boxes down again to look for the bulb.  I removed one box from the pile and sitting on the lid of the box underneath was the new flashlight.  I felt a knot tightening in my stomach but without saying a word, I opened a box and put the flashlight inside.  I continued my search until I found the bulbs and again left Jose to restack the boxes.  Back at the house, I relayed to Mark what had occurred.  Alana confirmed that she had seen me put the flashlight back in the box.  It seemed sorely obvious to me that Jose had removed it and left in a spot that would be easy to grab at the end of the day.  The episode gnawed at me.  I wondered if I was over-reacting.  After all it was just a flashlight and we probably own twenty of them.  I have also been guilty of pilfering from employers in the past, so was it right for me to be upset with him for doing the same?  Was I partially to blame for opening my big mouth and pointing it out?  After mulling it over, I finally came to the conclusion that he had acted badly and I could no longer trust him.  This is the man who has worked for us for over a year.  He lived on our property for a month as watchman when Mark travelled to Tampa last November to meet up with me and sail the boat to Roatan.  Jose has a pleasant disposition, works hard, and I liked having him around. So, needless to say, his behavior was quite a blow.  After Mark and I discussed it, we confronted Jose at the end of the day.  He admitted to taking the flashlight out of the box but denied any intentions of taking it.  We told him point blank we couldn’t trust him and didn’t think we wanted him to work for us anymore. The conversation continued for some time, and by the end, I was in tears and told Mark we should give him another chance.  Jose agreed to come to work the following day but never showed.  On one hand, it was a relief as we would have to watch him every minute. On the other, I am disappointed this unfortunate event occurred and caused the loss of a good working relationship.  Also, it means that Mark is now a one man construction crew, unless you count Ziggy.  I’m sure he is a great helper!

Construction Crew

Speaking of Mark, here is what he has to add to this installment of our ongoing saga:

I have been writing of late but not about our “Roatan Story”.   Instead, I find myself posting numerous comments on three different Yahoo groups specific to life in Honduras.  The local politics have me both amazed and infuriated.  Recently, there was a strike against our local power company, RECO, and I am not so sure it is over yet.  Primarily it is the Spanish from the mainland who have stirred up a protest and on several different occasions, blocked the main road in a number of locations on the island.  With the roadblocks in place, life on Roatan comes to a screeching halt.  People can’t get to work or school.  Those that travelled down island before a block was placed found themselves trapped and unable to get home.  The protest is due to a fuel surcharge rate increase that is almost double what it was last month.  A little history can explain the huge hike in the rate.  Four years ago, RECO was a co-operative company and tried to raise the fuel surcharge to accommodate an increase in fuel prices.  At that time the islanders protested against it by blocking roads and demonstrating in front of the RECO plant, burning tires etc.   So RECO did not change the surcharge rate.  Then again two years ago, RECO tried to raise the fuel surcharge and once more the islanders protested and won.

Recently, RECO was purchased by an American, Kelsey Warren, and the company is being run by Richard Warren and Manager, Matt Harper.  As you can probably guess, one of the things the new owner found necessary to implement was an increase in the fuel surcharge rates.  Now the increase is drastic since there has not been one in such a long time.  During the three months prior to the new rate appearing on everyone’s bill, RECO disseminated information via television, newspaper, and radio that the increase was coming.  The company also made sure it was in line with the Honduran Energy Commission (ENEE) guidelines. Interestingly, this time it was not the islanders who were protesting.  It was the Spanish mainlanders that moved here to work in the tourist trade.  In the past month, they have demonstrated on two different occasions.  Due to the roadblocks and rioting, cruise ships were turned away and flights cancelled which is very detrimental to the tourism industry on Roatan.  Also, there was a problem that caused an island wide power outage and since the RECO employees were unable to travel, the power remained out for two days until workers could get in and out of RECO.  It certainly seems that the demonstrations are only hurting those that are protesting, taking jobs and money away from themselves with their actions. The island is already facing a downturn in the economy like the rest of the world and now this…

In the last chapter, I wrote of my concerns regarding ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas). This was rammed through the Honduran Congress and passed after being highly modified to exclude any political or military implications and also excludes the nationalization of any private industry. The Honduran version of ALBA also upholds the individual’s rights to property ownership, freedom of speech, etc.  The Honduran government/constitution is modeled after the U.S. government/constitution to some extent including laws pertaining to businesses and property.  In a nutshell, there isn't any problem I can foresee with ALBA here in Roatan.  Chavez is almost broke and having a hard time at home in Venezuela with his supporters.  Other countries in the ALBA pact will be affected since they will not be receiving the promised handouts (and most are already angry that the money didn’t make it to the intended poor, what a surprise!) since Chavez doesn't have the money to keep this up.  When Honduras signed on, they were already late to the dinner table for much of anything out of ALBA.  They mainly used it as a tool to try and wring more "gimme" money from worldwide organizations including the U.S., who has traditionally given millions in aid to this country.  ALBA is said by some to be a deal for cheap oil.  But that is a different agreement called, “PetroCaribe” that Honduras signed last year. Even this is starting to fail since oil has dropped below a hundred dollars a barrel.  With PetroCaribe, the old deal was the receiving country gets to pay 40% within 90 days and 60% long term deferred payments for oil.  Then it changed to 50% in 90 days and 50% long term and will continue to adjust at Venezuela’s whim.  So, that agreement may be on its way out also.  At this time the only problem I have with the situation is keeping money here in any Honduran bank (much less any bank in the U.S. that is not financially strong, it is a worldwide problem). The Lempira is still at 18.8951 to 1 exchange rate and hasn’t fluctuated in several years.  This in itself is a bit worrisome for me.  I had a bit of money in Lempira's for the great 7% interest rate in CD's, but I cashed those out and taking a wait and see attitude before re-investing in the Lempira.  I think we are headed into a worldwide recession and Roatan is the best place I can think of to weather this out.

Lori Again:

Living in Calabash bight at the east end of the island keeps us safe from rioting demonstrators with burning tires. We are however, personally affected by the roadblocks.  We can still travel by boat to Oak Ridge to purchase groceries in the small stores with dwindling provisions.  But we cannot get out of town by way of the road nor can trucks come in with supplies.  We have had to cancel planned trips to drive west and find we cannot schedule outings, but have to dash out on days when we hear the roads are clear and the demonstrators quiet.  The extended power outage that Mark mentioned was a nuisance for us but we didn’t feel it nearly as bad as some others.  With the solar power, we still had electricity and internet.  I ran the diesel generator on the boat for couple of hours each day to keep the batteries charged.  Our cell phones wouldn’t work but other than that, we were in good shape.  But, this protest continues unresolved and rumors are flying that again tomorrow, November 15^th, the demonstrations and roadblocks will start up again.

With the non-stop rain, RECO demonstrations, and loss of our employee, it is amazing what Mark has been able to accomplish on the construction of our house.  In August, while I was in Florida, he received a call that our spiral staircase was completed so he went to the welder’s shop to check it out.  It was nicely built and lovely to look at but completely wrong.  At our initial meeting with the welder, we had drawings, a list of specifications, and a tape measure.  We spent more than an hour going over every detail we required.  Then the man built it the way he wanted.  Mark told him he would have to tear it down and rebuild it.  So, a month and several phone calls later and still the welder had done nothing.  By mid-October, Mark had lost patience and was ready to ask for the partial payment back and order a staircase from the U.S.  This was an option, but in the end would cost triple the amount.  I suggested that we have the welder bring the stairs to the house.  It was obvious they wouldn’t work in the intended location, but maybe we could make them work in a different spot.  I have our house plans in a 3D architect program on my computer and after moving things around, I thought I had found a way to make the stairs work.  Well, I was wrong.  Five guys brought the 700 pound staircase by boat and then carried it up the hill and stood it in position.  Unfortunately only small children and midgets could traverse the staircase without banging their heads on the upper floor as they went up.  Again we told the welder he would have to take it apart and redo it.  He agreed to come the following day with the proper tools for the job. After our experience with him to date, I wasn’t too sure I believed he would actually show up.  Later that same day, Mark came up with a great idea that ultimately was the solution to our problem.  He suggested we build a small landing protruding from the upper floor which would allow the head clearance we needed.  I raced back to my computer house plans and determined the best place for this landing.  I did not want it to appear as the afterthought it was.  As we are building, I continually insist that I do not want an “island house”!  (This remark refers to the odd design of many of the native islanders’ homes).  After an extensive redesign of the interior, we settled on the right location and Mark now has the landing built and the staircase bolted in place.  

Spiral Stairs (Minus Wood Treads and Railing)

 Also, Mark contacted the welder and informed him that we would take the staircase “as is” but we were withholding the final payment.  From his response, I believe the welder was relieved to have this project come to a close.  The entire fiasco came as no surprise to Mark and me.  I think we are becoming used to these types of challenges in building a house in Central America.

Yet another challenge we faced, concerned the Travertine tile for the house. We had ordered it with no problem and it had been shipped from the mainland to the island.  But with the protests happening we were having difficulty getting down island to pick it up.  At last, the day arrived when the roads were clear and the skies were too.  Mark went after the tile and to run some other overdue errands.  Late in the afternoon he returned with a dory following behind.  When the islander pulled his boat to the dock, I saw a mountain of loose tile filled the dory.  Mark saw the shocked look on my face and explained that the 350 square feet of four inch tile had arrived in one large crate that weighed 500 pounds.  The only way to transport it by truck and then boat was to unload it from the crate.  Of course I had never asked when we ordered the tile because I stupidly assumed it would come on a pallet, packaged in individual boxes of four or five square feet each, as I am used to seeing in the States.  It took two hours to unload on the dock and a full day to carry the 3,150 pieces up the hill and stack them under the house.  I am amazed that only twelve tiles were broken.   

Tile Pile

I was also thrilled to see that what I received for $2.50 a square foot was a beautiful honed and filled tile.  In its natural state, Travertine is pitted and you usually pay a much higher price for tile that goes through the process of filling the pits and polishing the surface.  So, even though the delivery was a hassle, I am extremely pleased with the quality and price of my new tile.

The native islanders typically live in stilt homes built out over the water.  A puzzling feature of many of these houses is what we call “the door to nowhere”.   

Island House

We are not sure what purpose these doors serve.  Could it be an easy opening for tossing out garbage, or someone you are angry with?  Maybe on a full moon high tide, the residents can actually step from their boat into the house?  Looking at it logically, one might assume they plan to eventually add on a porch.  But in Bizarro world, logic is the first thing that flies out “the door to nowhere”!  Now, as I said, with all the difficulties in building and redesigns I have made to the plans, I am adamant about NOT having an “island house”.  So, when I walked up the hill the other day and went around to the back of the house, I burst out laughing.  Mark had installed our back door and we now have our very own “door to nowhere”.  We do plan to add a porch very soon but it reminded me that I may be fighting a losing battle and still might end up with an “island house”.  

Our “Door to Nowhere”

As for other progress on the house, Mark has the upper exterior walls, windows, and door installed.  The observation deck is trimmed out and all the flooring in the house is complete.  He is working now on framing out the lower walls.  

Front of House  

Back of House with Framing  

Loft  

Walkway to Observation Deck

We are still waiting for an order of sanding belts and varnish.  While he builds walls, I will work at finishing the floors so when the house is “dried in”, we can unload my container.  We have a long way to go and at times it feels overwhelming.  Once in awhile we remind ourselves and each other to appreciate how far we have come.  And, if adversity builds character, we must be overflowing with fascinating qualities!

The most exciting news we have to report is the birth of seven Spanish Water Dog puppies.  In preparation for the event, we had turned the aft head on the boat into a nest for Maggie.  On rainy nights when the dogs came below to sleep with us, Maggie would go straight to her special place.  At 9:15 pm on the evening of November 3^rd, I got up to turn off the TV as Mark and I were ready to sleep, when I happened to peek in the bathroom at Maggie and saw a puppy coming out of her.  I have never witnessed puppies being born so was very excited and a little freaked out.  Luckily, Mark kept his wits about him and sat close to Maggie and made sure every birth went smoothly.  By 12:30 am we had five puppies (we had hoped for three) and it looked like Maggie was finished.  We were all exhausted and Mark and I settled into bed.  At 1:00 am we woke to her rustling and jumped up to find she was having another and another!  Finally at 1:30 am the last pup was delivered.  

Maggie and Pups (Only a Few Hours Old)

For the first eight days of their little lives they stayed on the boat.  Mark and I had a difficult time sleeping at night because of the constant slurping and whimpering sounds.  Plus I couldn’t help but get up several times a night to check on them and give Maggie water to drink.  During the day, Mark and Ziggy went up to the house to work and I tended to Maggie and the pups, mainly feeding and cleaning up after the new Mom. By day nine, Maggie was growing restless.  She has never liked being on the boat that much to begin with.  So, Mark and I spent a day reorganizing and moving things at the shack.  He built a pen on the screened porch and we moved Mom and pups to their new place where they have been the last couple of days and seem content with the new arrangement.  Mark has made the occasional comment that we should keep all the puppies.  I have grown quite fond of them and even named them all, but told him he was insane.  Keeping nine dogs would be totally outrageous! 

But, we are enjoying the experience tremendously for the time being.  Maggie is an excellent mother and although Ziggy seems slightly perplexed by it all, he has been nothing but gentle with Maggie and his offspring.  Mark tries to reassure Ziggy by telling him its okay, he doesn’t have to get a job and pay child support!  

Ziggy Giving Momma a Kiss