January 31, 2013
Today we docked at the beautiful island of Roatan.  As we went ashore we were greeted by native dancers and musicians welcoming us to their island.  Once again we boarded a bus to take us on an island tour.

Our first stop was a new tourist area that is being developed.  We were encouraged to invest in the condominium complex that will be right on the beach and have all the latest amenities.  After that we got to go on a boat ride around the lagoon.  The lagoon was surrounded and protected by mangrove forests.  It is against the law in Roatan to cut down mangrove trees because they protect the shoreline from storm surges that would wash away homes and beaches.  On this boat ride we also got to see two ship wrecks and the original "Black Pearl" used to film the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.  

After the boat ride I bought some trinkets for the kids and a piece of local pottery for myself.  Then we were off to the next stop which was a view from the top of the island.  Roatan is not flat like the other places we visited.  It was mountainous and the views were spectacular.  We stopped at two more places, one was to see the historic mud houses that the first people to the island lived in and constructed by hand.  These huts were made by placing cane poles horizontally and then plastering them inside and out with red mud.  We also got to sample a local bread made from casaba, which is a potato like vegetable.

I'm afraid I did not enjoy Roatan as much as our first two tours at Costa Maya and Belize.  The tour guide was not as good or enthusiastic and there seemed to be more of a depressed atmosphere.  The people spoke English and Spanish as well as their own dialect. And it seemed crowded and congested.

We returned to the ship and had lunch.  Steve wanted to nap so I went to check out the ship's pool.  I am spoiled as far as pools go.  That is simply because we have our own pool at home which Steve keeps in immaculate condition and it is never crowded! Ha!  Anyway, the ship's pool was full of elderly ladies, like me, standing around talking and blocking the steps to the water.  There were also several men checking out all the ladies and most of the deck chairs were occupied also.  I swam a few laps and realized that it was a salt water pool.  Salt water itches!  Yikes!  So that was my last trip to the ship's pool.

That night we ate dinner at the "Ginza" restaurant.  They offered Chinese, Japanese and Pacific Asian dishes.  We got shrimp, sweet and sour pork and low mein.  It was a ton of food and delicious, as we have now come to expect on board.  After dinner we attended the theater again.  It was a spectacular performance by the Russian husband and wife acrobatic/ballet team.

The next stop is the last stop on the cruise in Cozamel, Mexico.