20 minute massage? 20 dolla! chapter 2 HONDURAS keeps getting better

the next morning when we woke up and went to breakfast, vendors were in high gear, in and out wanting to sell their wares-everything from earrings and necklaces of coral, and string to movies...lots of pirated movies, fruit, and we were just enjoying breakfast watching the ocean and people-watching. then when we finally got around to going down to west bay, where the nicer beach was, we took a short ride in a water taxi.

we had thought about walking because the lady said it was possible, it was just long and there were a few difficult places to traverse. well, as we rode and watched the shoreline in all its splendor, there were actually several places that looked like you might need some climbing rope and a harness, perhaps a stash of band-aids, gauze and possibly a splint with bandage for afterward...i think we were both glad that we chose the boat!

when we rounded the final turn, the beautiful stretch of fine white sand of west bay lay before us just waiting to be walked upon and for whatever reason, the water seemed bluer; perhaps because of the white sand/ or was it just psychological? it really doesn't matter, it was clear just as i remembered it.

the driver docked at the resort and the guard said that to sit in that area you have to pay, but he pointed us down the beach and said there was a little restaurant called the argentinian grill, and they allowed you to use their area as long as you ordered something; well, that wasn't a problem! so we headed down the beach, and i know this is going to sound ridiculous, but you may or may not remember me mentioning that dirty hands bother me, hence it was surprising that i actually enjoy caving and gardening (the two are so unlike apart from the dirt)...well, as you can imagine, sand on the feet rubbing against the chacos...mmmmmmmaaarg. the price one must pay.

it was as if they knew we were coming and had set up the perfect spot for us.

i'm pretty sure i saw this same sign on a facebook post from a different angle, at night...just sayin...mine's better. that's all.

we sat down in the chairs and the first thing we heard was a lady out in the water talking to some of the tourists and some kiddos. she had one of those booming voices that carries, whatever she was speaking of seemed somewhat exaggerated, but with a voice like that, i'm sure no one was interested in calling her on it.

she seemed to be a natural story teller, because by the time we decided to get into the water, she was still carrying on, and i could be mistaken, but i am almost positive the couple that was  stuck there being talked to was looking for an escape route... i was just glad it wasn't me!

hey lady telling crazy stories...i'm far enough away that i don't have to pay attention!!phew!

does it get much better? i submit that it does not.

we stayed on the beach all afternoon and into the evening. throughout the day, at approximately 10 to 15 minute intervals, ladies were walking up and down the beach and if they caught your eye, they would say any variation of "massage? 20 minute, 20 dolla" "hand massage? feet? i do the feet?" "back massage? a dolla a minute?" and then it would repeat. the same woman we had already said no to would come back and repeat the same thing. perhaps she had a very short memory...as sheryl said, perhaps had it been a hot guy, the answer may have been different. in the very last five minutes, one of the ladies said, "FREE! five minutes-free hands!" we still passed.

beach bums. true, and proud of it!

sheryl, best gift ever!! i treasure my matching bracelet! best souvenir ever!

we  had the best dinner-i must reiterate from yesterday that when on the beach, seafood is a staple. argentinian grill, you did well, it was even better than the restaurant on the pier!

if you've seen my facebook, you have seen this, but it bears repeating- YUM!

we missed the last water taxi and had to grab a four-wheeled vehicle and it took a bit longer to wind around back to west end.

when we woke up the next day, we went around to take some pics of west end, and do some souvenir shopping in west end.

gecko theme

 the rest of the day was pretty much a repeat at the argentinian grill. more offerings for massages and more of the booming lady in the ocean...reminiscent of a modern day ursula, turned into a human...only friendlier. perhaps the friendliness was the guise to draw unsuspecting tourists into her trap. there was definitely more sunshine and it was a gorgeous day! it was the fourth of july, so that may have been part of the beauty of it.

we caught a water taxi back before they shut down, and we should have known better than to trust this guy. we got going and before long, the boat was slowing, and others were passing by and calling out to him. finally sheryl asked why we were going so slow (i mean, we didn't ask for the slow scenic tour), and he said he was trying to conserve gas. well, truth was he was running out of gas. finally he was able to wave down one of his buddies who was a little reluctant to help him out, but offered to siphon off a bit of fuel-enough for him to get us back to the dock. i think he could see the pleading in sheryl's eyes, and felt enough pity to help out damsels in distress and the mooch driver. of course when we got back to the dock, he said he didn't have change for the 10, even though before we had left, he said he did. jerk. but i wasn't in the mood to argue over four measly bucks-he probably needed it more than i did. (so if you don't get a souvenir from me, please blame it on the water-taxi driver!)

then we went back and got dressed up to go out to a couple of the hopping joints in west end. we stopped at one little place on the 'strip' (there is only one main little street), because it was loud and they had some great music, then we made our way up to the boske and up to the club. we found out to our glee that women had free entry, so we went in. nothing like a club that is so loud you cannot hear yourself think- i must be getting old! anyhoo, while we were in there, this drunk guy asked to buy me a drink, i ended up not getting a drink, but this guy kept hanging out with us and trying to yell in my ear to talk to me and finally i told him i wasn't interested, but he continued to hang around even when i turned my back to him...when he tried to put his arm around me, i definitely felt like i was in a comedy trying to grab his hand and divert it, thinking about injuring him, but then deciding that it would be better to not make a scene, as i did not feel threatened, just annoyed. did i mention that when he was trying to yell in my ear that he 'respected me,' i could feel his stubble? ew. nightmares...  the sights were fun though- we had the perfect spot for people watching, and there were some funny moments.

when we did get back to the inn, sleeping time was about to be limited, as we were on the early ferry back to the mainland!

when antonio, our taxi driver showed up to take us back, it was pouring out, and his car had a flat. he said, no problem, that he was going to stop and fill it with air at the next gas station, so we rode on a flat for a bit in the rain; i don't know about sheryl, but i was praying that we didn't fall off the edge of one of the ditches in these conditions. once the tire was aired, i wasn't as concerned. (flat tire, rain, hilly roads with steep ditches...it just doesn't bode well).

the ferry ride back was much smoother and we were in la ceiba in no time.

once we got back, we got in touch with carolina and our friend, angelina, who had just had a baby and we met up for coffee/tea and had a good time catching up that afternoon..ok, it wasn't as much catching up as it was preggers talk and new mom talk with tips. i didn't have a lot to add, but i definitely stored away the information for use in later conversations. smile. i feel like i learned a lot!anyhoo, it was great just to see her and i was glad that she and carolina could be reconnected since they both live in the same place now! you can never have too many friends!

love these girls!

then we went over to hector and carolina's and i got to meet the rest of the family. they have the most adorable family! cute, fun kids! i failed to mention anything the other day about sheryl's kiddos, but this would be the perfect place to sing their praises-they are both so much fun and quite well behaved. they were great with their cousins and also with the ferreras' children! it was fun to watch them all interact! after we took a little tour of the neighborhood, we went out for dinner one last time, and it was so nice to just sit and conversate (perhaps i am creating my own spanglish vocabulary-spell check tells me that is not a word, and in my opinion it should be).

happiness.

i mean, come on! stop being so cute!

i could do this night over and over and over again!

the fact that i got to hang out with these two amazing families puts a smile on my face even as i type. how fun to see friends growing, learning, becoming and constantly moving forward, but always keeping true to who they are!

next post teaser: sps (only i am not quite certain when that will be as tomorrow marks the beginning of yet another leg of the vacation! -which i am equally excited about!)

have an incredible evening-
julie