Monday, February 18, 2008

Honduran Hooky - Part 12, West End & Dolphin Dive

The following day, diving outside of protected bays was disallowed because of the rough waters from the storm. Sean and Woody decided to take advantage of the Anthony’s Key Dolphin Dive that was held within their reef. So, off they went to do that. Katy and I took a cab to the small town of West End to do some sightseeing and souvenir shopping.


West End was lovely with its dirt roads (should be called sand) and pretty and colorful little houses right on the water. We did a little shopping, but there wasn’t really that much to buy. We both bought little beaded purses for the children back home.

See the little beaded purses at the bottom of this photo? The ones we bought were prettier than these.

We finished way before lunch time and decided to walk back along the beach which would take us past Anthony’s Key.

We were astounded when we saw Anthony’s Key Resort. It was so fancy. We immediately decided that the next time we came to Roatan this was where we needed to stay. The beautiful accommodations were on islands reached by boats run by the resort 24-7. We could only see them from the dock, but they looked way nicer than where we were staying. The grounds were far better tended and landscaped. They had more boats, more staff, more equipment, and more of everything you want in a dive place. Needless to say, they were more expensive, but you get what you pay for. We real quick checked out their souvenir shop too. Eh, nothing there to buy. We used their bathrooms. Why not? They were sure to be clean.

In this photo from the AKR Dolphin Show, you can see the accommodations in the background.

Esteban - the male dolphin that was being aggressive during the dive

Normally, divers get to interact with wild dolphins during the dive

By then, the boys’ boat was back from the dolphin dive. They looked wet and happy. They told us that their dive had been cut short when one of the dolphins misbehaved and so it was free. Apparently, one of the dolphins was behaving aggressively towards a diver in the group, bumping him roughly. The diver was unharmed, but the dive master decided to get them all out of there quickly so as not to reward that particular behavior. But the divers got to see lots of dolphins anyhow, so they got lots for their money. Here is a video of divers with dolphins at Anthony’s Key Dive Resort:




Katy and I walked back to our hotel along the beach. When we got there a native vendor was selling her goods. They were very colorful and I bought some wine colored shorts with the hem bordered with colorful woven strip of fabric.


This is a street vendor from Honduras, but her wares are very similar to those we saw at our resort.

3 comments:

Y said...

So,Sue,Honduras isn`t exactly a shopping paradise.Or it is:)But how were the prices?
Enjoyed the story again:)I`d like to go there one day!

Sue said...

You mean on stuff we bought? Very negotiable if you are savvy. I was able to get the beaded purses for about half off (I got them at about $1 each). I saved $2 and so did Katy because that was part of the super deal I struck. She had to give the same deal to Katy. But the shorts I bought at asking price because I was beginning to feel guilty. Here I was this rich American, and this poor Mayan woman had nothing. Who was I to bargain over so little money? I think they were all of $5.

dit said...

What a great trip. WOW! Looks beautiful and fun!