Roatan Island, Honduras

We had spent sufficient time in large urban settings and yearned for an injections of Central America's natural beauty. The country of Honduras is the perfect place to find such a remedy.

Honduras has by far been the most beautiful country we have visited. It's enormous hills and villages are peacefully offset by flatlands and crops. It is here that I saw a rainbow that would make the one I bragged about in Nicaragua pale in comparison. Hot never seems too hot here and the highlands present a brisk breeze. If it were a beauty contest, Honduras would be crowned Ms. Central America.

Roatan is a tropical island located two hours by boat off the northern coast of Honduras. It is part of a chain called the Bay Islands. We had originally planned to visit the nearby island of Utila first. However, when we arrived at the ferry dock the only one departing timely was the mammoth headed to Roatan.

In order to get to the ferry we travelled an entire day to the town of La Ceiba. Pizza Hut was again consumed and Max and I endured our hottest night of the trip. This would be a good time to offer that we have stayed mostly in low-budget accomodations. Due to my insistence and max's reluctance we have kept a low standard for living conditions. In La Ceiba the ceiling fans only pushed the hot air down upon us faster. The thin layer of sweat neve really dissipated over the entire night. I wouldn't have it any other way - or so I thought until the first night in Roatan.

The funniest part of our journey was the ferry ride to Roatan. We sat in first-class seats, which means $5 more for air-conditioning, leather chairs and a bad movie. I didn't know when I purchased the tickets that live entertainment was part of the package.

Not more than 10 minutes into the ride, the ferry picked up speed and picked up air as well. The bow rocked up and down and back and forth. Stomachs churned and vomit bags were filled. Literally half of our cabin was seasick. Constant running to the bathoom and passing out of plastic bags ensued. I won't go into too much detail, but I sat back grinning and concentrating while I mentally fought the difficult ride. The ferry never got the best of me.

The island paradise of Roatan is gorgeous. It is not overly developed or overly touristy like Cancun. It maintains a genuine island flair. The waters a mix of clear and turquoise blue. Fish swim all around and palm trees embellish the shore. It could be the perfect setting for a Corona commercial.

I wrote earlier how I enjoyed "rough" living conditions. Well, there is such a thing as unlivable conditions. We stayed the first night on the island in the latter type. For the second night we switched to a beautiful, yet more expensive, hotel complete with caged monkeys.

The highlights of the stay were the jet skis and kayaks. I have never had so much fun on a jet ski. The rough waters about 500 yards from the beach provided us with natural ramps to catch high air. 30 minutes of riding was more than enough time as the salt water was beginning to blind us.

I completed my second and final evening in paradise with some snorkeling and kayaking. I kayaked out toward the sunset and layed back as the sun descended in front of me. I closed my eyes and focused on the moment. I told myself to remember the experience. I took note, so that when I am in my small Austin apartment with nothing but the radiance of laptop screen on my face, drowning in 3 cups of coffee, writing a law school final, I might close my eyes yet again and transport myself back to that very time in paradise.

The next day we would depart for the Copan Ruins.