11-24-10 Antonio, Dianne, Soleil & Eliana in Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Honduras
Friends:
On Day 5 of our Western Caribbean cruise, we docked in Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Honduras. Antonio was so excited because it was like a homecoming for him. His mom is from Honduras.
11-24-10 A ship's eye view of island of Roatan, Honduras
Immediately, I fall in love with all the flowers!
11-24-10 Beautiful flowers in Roatan, Honduras
There were so many gorgeous flowers that I had to take pictures!
11-24-10 Hibiscus bloom in Roatan, Honduras
Tropical flowers are my absolute favorite!!
11-24-10 Stunning white flowers in Roatan, Honduras
We decided to take an excursion to Maya Kay, to a private beach resort with a nice beach and great snorkeling. I was particularly interested in this island because it was home to a replica of the Copan Mayan Ruins and a wildlife conservatory. First, we had to take a boat to get there.
11-24-10 Auntie Erly, Trina, Jasmynn, Josie, Eliana & Camrynn on the boat to Maya Key, Roatan, Honduras
Even the boat ride was interesting. We saw a sunken ship.
11-24-10 A sunken, rusted ship off the coast of Roatan, Honduras
We even saw a pirate ship! 
11-24-10 A pirate ship! Is it Pirate Captain Henry Morgan's ship?!
When we docked, a pier lead us to the island.
11-24-10 My mom, Josie, and Antonio on Maya Key!
This time, it’s the fruit that has my attention. My mom told me that this fruit, the calabash fruit, also grows in the Philippines. Jennie, my mother-in-law told Antonio that it is often dried, hollowed, and used for bowls and hand-carved decorations. It was my first time seeing this fruit. I wonder what it tastes like?
11-24-10 Calabash fruit on Maya Key in Roatan, Honduras
Then I saw noni fruit! I have had noni juice but had never seen the fruit in person. Noni is purported to have healing properties and health benefits. Its juice is expensive. It’s so cool what you see and learn when you travel!
11-24-10 Noni fruit from Maya Key in Roatan, Honduras
One of the first things I saw as we headed to the beach was a Mayan stone statue. This got me very excited about seeing the replica of the Copan ruins.
11-24-10 Camrynn and Eliana pose next to a Mayan figure on Maya Key, Roatan, Honduras
So we decided to explore the Mayan “ruins” and museum first. But not before being greeted by this lovely creature!
11-24-10 A green macaw on Maya Key, Roatan, Honduras
And then this pair of beauties stopped me in my tracks!
11-24-10 A pair of rainbow macaws on Maya Key in Roatan, Honduras
We finally entered the museum and I hit paydirt! There was a whole section on Mayan chocolate! I have a book coming out called Blue Frog: The Legend of Chocolate. Although it is an Aztec story, there are so many similarities between the Mayans and the Aztecs.
11-24-10 A picture of cacao pods at the Maya Key museum
I loved seeing all the artifacts in the museum including Mayan pottery (I had to buy some before I left) and jewelry.
11-24-10 Mayan pottery and jewelry
I really want a piece like this in my house!!! Look at the intricately carved wood!
11-24-10 A large carved trunk in the Maya Key museum
When we venture outside, I am stunned by the architecture!
11-24-10 Dianne stands in front of a replica of a Mayan structure
Eliana and I posed on the steps of the “Copan Ruins.”
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The girls were itching to go swimming but we had to take one last picture in front of the "ruins." Look at the scale. And these are small, compared to others!
[caption id="attachment_4606" align="alignnone" width="382" caption="11-24-10 Soleil, Antonio, Dianne & Eliana in front of the replica of the Copan Ruins, Maya Key in Roatan, Honduras"]
11-24-10 Eliana and Dianne on a replica of the Copan Ruins, Maya Key in Roatan, Honduras
We headed to the beach for some fun in the sun.
11-24-20 Besties on the beach, Maya Key in Roatan, Honduras
The beach was very pretty.
11-24-10 Ideal beach scene, Maya Key, Roatan, Honduras
Eliana knows I love collecting sea shells from around the world so she found me a handful. My favorite shell find was a conch shell I discovered while snorkeling. Because there was no living conch inside the shell, I was allowed to keep it!
11-24-10 Eliana collects a handful of shells and coral from Maya Key in Roatan, Honduras
Soleil and the kids had so much fun swimming in the shallow water. While the water wasn’t crystal clear, it was still nice.
11-24-10 Jasmynn, Soleil, Ashlynn, Camrynn & Eliana swim in the Maya Key waters, Roatan, Honduras
I love swimming but this key was really best for snorkeling!
11-24-10 Dianne sans makeup, getting ready to snorkel, Maya Key, Roatan, Honduras
Antonio and I went snorkeling and the coral and fish were amazing! I snorkled for over an hour, marveling at the sea life, especially where the coral reef ended and there was a 100 foot drop-off. Too bad I lost my underwater camera. We bought a disposal one but still have to get those pictures developed. Boy, were the fish big! But not as big as this fish… LOL
11-24-10 Soleil, is that a shark in your pocket?
Right before it was time to leave the island, I snapped a picture of this jaguar. The key is home to rescued, rehabilitated wildlife.
11-24-10 A jaguar in captivity on Maya Key, Roatan, Honduras
We headed back to Roatan on the same boat that took us to the key.
11-24-10 Goodbye, Maya Key!
Fortunately, we had time for exploring and shopping in the Mahogany Bay shopping village.
11-24-20 The only shrimp Dianne is not allergic to!
Eliana looked like a total island girl with her morena skin and wind-swept hair!
11-24-10 Eliana, Honduran Island Girl
Eliana and I had fun taking pictures with the fun props in the village!
11-24-10 These pirate boots are made for walkin... the plank! Aye!
Because Antonio’s mom is from one of the Honduran islands (Guanaja, next door to Roatan), we HAD to go shopping! I wanted to buy handicrafts for our house to represent his Honduran heritage. These shopkeepers had such beautiful wood carvings. I bought a gorgeous hand-carved Mayan mask from them.
11-24-10 Honduran shopkeepers with carved wooden masks
We had a wonderful time in Roatan and Maya Key. We didn’t want to leave but the sun had to set on our day…
11-24-10 The sun sets in hospitable Honduras...
Love that wonderful island life – sigh! But it was time to head in and get ready for dinner and a night of fun on the ship.
11-24-10 Even after a full day of sunning, swimming and snorkeling, Eliana joins the dinner dance number!
A few hours after dinner, Antonio and I decided to check out the special Mexican buffet (we didn’t eat!) the ship prepared. Talk about incredible!
11-24-20 OMG. The deck party buffet! A Mayan Indian ice sculpture and watermelon sculpture!!
I mean look at this watermelon sculpture!! Breathtaking!
11-24-20 The most amazing watermelon I have ever seen! The face is a watermelon. The headdress is made of pineapple tops.
There were tantalizing desserts of all kinds but still, I resisted. Can’t believe I said “no” to chocolate!
11-24-10 And the desserts - Oh my!
We ended our night at the Carnival Triumph Deck Party, an annual affair with fun line dancing and great music. You need to move after all that FOOD!
11-24-10 Ending the night at Carnival Deck Party
Next stop — Cozumel, Mexico!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
