Family

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.

Immediately, I fall in love with all the flowers!

There were so many gorgeous flowers that I had to take pictures!

Tropical flowers are my absolute favorite!!

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.

Even the boat ride was interesting. We saw a sunken ship.

We even saw a pirate ship!

When we docked, a pier lead us to the island.

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?

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!

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.

So we decided to explore the Mayan “ruins” and museum first. But not before being greeted by this lovely creature!

And then this pair of beauties stopped me in my tracks!

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.

I loved seeing all the artifacts in the museum including Mayan pottery (I had to buy some before I left) and jewelry.

I really want a piece like this in my house!!! Look at the intricately carved wood!

When we venture outside, I am stunned by the architecture!

Eliana and I posed on the steps of the “Copan Ruins.”

We headed to the beach for some fun in the sun.

The beach was very pretty.

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!

Soleil and the kids had so much fun swimming in the shallow water. While the water wasn’t crystal clear, it was still nice.

I love swimming but this key was really best for snorkeling!

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

Right before it was time to leave the island, I snapped a picture of this jaguar. The key is home to rescued, rehabilitated wildlife.

We headed back to Roatan on the same boat that took us to the key.

Fortunately, we had time for exploring and shopping in the Mahogany Bay shopping village.

Eliana looked like a total island girl with her morena skin and wind-swept hair!

Eliana and I had fun taking pictures with the fun props in the village!

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.

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…

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.

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!

I mean look at this watermelon sculpture!! Breathtaking!

There were tantalizing desserts of all kinds but still, I resisted. Can’t believe I said “no” to chocolate!

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!

Next stop — Cozumel, Mexico!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

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