ROATAN (Part Two)

Gar Fish

Walking back down the pier, heading toward the bus, we were greeted by women and children selling their wares.  Beaded necklaces and bracelets hung from their arms, and each woman selected one of us as the person who should wear one of her designs.  Of course, all the necklaces were similar in design; just how much can you do with the same type of bead in different colors?  I selected one necklace, and agreed to pay $8, but didn't have anything but a $20 bill.  The woman ran from store to store in the village, but was only able to come back with $8 in change for me, thus upping the price to $12.  I took the necklace off, and took my $20 bill back.

With that transaction behind us, we left the fishing village and drove off to find West End Village, which turned out to be approximately a quarter mile down the road.  We were led down the pier where we were going to see the native Garifauna dancers.  We were treated to an iced drink, which was very welcome in the heat.  We walked through the bar to the back porch area where the dancers awaited us.

I'm sure the local people do this dance, and need the money the cruise line gives them to perform for the tours, but I felt that they could have been a bit more authentic.  For example, to have the performance held in the back of a bar, didn't add to the reality that it was a native dance.  The drummers should have been dressed in a native costume, even if it was a loincloth and no shirt, or some brightly colored costume that matched that of the dancers.  The New York Yankee Baseball cap and Bronx attitude of the drummer really detracted from the entire event.

Did I say it was hot?  It was sweltering, but the other performers in the troupe threw their heart and soul into the performance.  As I said before, having it in the back of the bar tends to detract from the pictures, with all the tables and chairs in the background.  But, it is what it is.





When we left the pier we were told we had 30 minutes to
wander around the village.  Who greeted me at the end of the pier but my necklace seller!  She had followed me down the road in hopes that I had found the change needed
for her to complete the sale.  I hadn't, and, judging from the look she gave me and the string of Spanish that flew from her mouth,  I'm sure I'm currently living under a very powerful Honduran curse.

The village proved to be a great source for some native crafts mixed in with the usual things imported from China.  We bought some coffee, a hand sewn purse and some water, and pushed on for the next leg of the tour: a visit to the Cameo factory on the way back to the boat.  I confess that I did not know that a cameo is carved from a shell, so this turned out to be a learning experience, as well as a shopping experience for me.

The carving on this conch is considered a cameo, and was passed around during the demonstration.  Entire shells like this were available for sale starting at $200.

It's not surprising that  by the time we got back to the boat, we were exhausted!  Of course it helped to be able to watch the beautiful sunset from the balcony!