OK, we’re on the ship . . . but where are we going?  Please refer to the above map as we follow what I subsequently dubbed the Jacques Yves Cousteau Trail.*  And yes, we did wave hello to Fidel as we cruised by the Cuban coastline.

Having resolved where we were going, we could now relax and partake of the ship’s activities.  First up was an art auction.  Yeah, I know – this was a little out of our league.  But then the supervisor knows how to spot a bargain.  And by merely attending she was able commandeer a gratis glass of the bubbly (and was quite grumpy when they began delivery at the other end).  And Jami was able to do the same for me!  🙂

[Then The Biddies led us on assault of the ship’s theatre . . .]

[ . . . where we saw these not unattractive young ladies perform hits from the 60’s!  How did they know?]

We momentarily interrupt this colloquy to say, RIP Dick Clark.  It somehow seems appropriate we became aware of this right after posting the 60’s show:

[Then we stopped by to see the kids’ room – and our first encounter with an origami towel animal!  😉 ]

[Then it was off to dining (what? again?) in the Versailles – where we had our 2nd (and fortunately last) Code Alpha on the ship.  Medical staff had to come in and whisk a diner not far from us away on a gurney.]

[The Seven Faces of Rita]

[Back “home” to our own origami animal – it was time for the girls to tuck me in.]

[LAND HO!  After more than 24 hours on the high seas, our first sighting of land the next morning.  Roatan, Honduras.]

[We circled the western end of the island which, we subsequently learned, is where the big money lives.]

[The boat people line up in the hallways, readying for the assault on Roatan!]

[And here we come!]

[Jami nabs an early photo op.]

[We had an ace-in-the-hole here.  Rita had a friend, Ruth (not her sister, Ruthie), who lives on Roatan for four months every year.  Thus, we had a tour guide!]

[We said good-bye to our boat for the day.]

[Friend Ruth helped establish a library on the island.  And you could see our boat from there!]

[And here it is.]

[The supervisor at Ruth’s condo.]

[The view from her balcony – photo by Rita.]

[Noah is building an ark across the street – seriously.]

[Danny at . . . Benjamin’s (I think I forgot already?) at a high point on the island.]

[Jami got her hair braided there.  Apparently several other boat people also discovered this place.  Many tweens to teens to elders were braided for the rest of the trip.]

[Rita opted for a fresh coconut.]

[The view from Benjamin’s.]

[Rita bought sunglasses from a guy who had 25 pairs around his neck.]

[And now the reason for a cruise stop at Roatan.  In fact, for every stop on the cruise.  As we later learned from a guide on Cozumel, we can thank Jacques Cousteau.*  Cousteau discovered there is a continuous barrier reef from Roatan to Cozumel, the 2nd longest reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  And all the beaches because of that have the clearest water I have ever seen – beginning here at Bananarama, it was absolutely unbelievable.]

[Look at me!]

[Though not a fan of heat and humidity, I found the shade of beach side restaurants eminently comfortable!  😉 ]

[Always try the local brew.]

[Who’s got tip money?]

[Good-bye to Bananarama – I could have spent a few days there!]

But before we move on, a few more Bananaramas from Rita:

[And then back to our vehicle . . .]

[Jace, our driver, sold us right off the boat by saying he could handle 6 passengers in his van.  He was a hoot.  We had added Ruth, but Tom had gone off for a snubaing adventure (scuba attached to a hose) – it was the highlight of his trip.  Photo by Rita.]

[Self photo in Jace’s van.]

[Heading to the aforementioned West end.]

[Dining on Roatan at Half Moon Bay!  🙂  ]

[Rita got a photo there.]

[It was next to the submarine place and close to our boat.]

[Had lodging, too.]

[Go Deeper – a real sub place!]

[Heading back to the boat.]

[And the Roatan port area.]

[And back onboard . . . and photos therefrom.]

[The Biddies and Jami hustled back to claim their own personal hot tub at the front of the ship.]

[Roatan dock area.]

[Pruney yet?]

[We’re pulling away now – on the road to Belize.]

[The West end as we’re heading out of town.]

[Ruth’s house on the left, her church on the right.]

[I believe Roy-san has this at his house.]

[Porfessional photography was going on all the time.  Of course we already had . . . me.      🙂  ]

[Our Grand Atrium and the photography area.]

[The Biddies take the spiral staircase.]

[And back to the room – with thoughts of Belize on the morrow.]