Our final stops exploring Honduras were the Bay Islands over Independence Day. There are 3 islands. Roatan, Utila, and Guanaja. We made it to Utila and then Roatan but missed out on Guanaja.
Utila
Utila is a small community island considered cheaper than Roatan. There is one Main Street with restaurants, shops, and dive shops along it. Travelers primarily visit Utila to dive the reef around it.
We really wanted to see whale sharks. We booked a tour to look for them, hoping to have a chance to swim near these giant creatures. Sadly, there were none to be found that morning so we just enjoyed a boat ride around the island. We stopped for some snorkeling since the whale shark search failed. Snorkeling over the large reef was beautiful with lots of fish!
We were there after the busy season so it was really quiet our first night. We were almost the only people at the restaurants and bars we checked out. The 2nd day many more Hondurans from the mainland came to the island to celebrate Independence Day for Honduras (September 15th). Actually, it is Independence Day for all of the Central American countries as they all acquired indolence from Spain together. So while the majority of visitors were Honduran, we met Guatemalans celebrating as well. The public beach near our hostel has palapas rising out of the ocean just offshore. We grabbed a free one and enjoyed a drink under some shade while waste deep in the warm blue water.
There was a parade down the main street on the morning of the 15th. According to a teacher we met the night before, the kids had been practicing for the parade daily for a month. There were marching bands, cheerleaders, and baton twirlers. Younger children were dressed as the native Indians as well as in traditional Honduran clothes. There were also children dressed as police, military, construction workers, and public officials.
Roatan
We arrived by ferry to Roatan just in time to catch the end of the parade in Coxen Hole. In this parade, girls wore dresses with other Central American country names displayed to show the shared day of independence.
After this concluded, we found a taxi to the West End. Red tents selling food and beer lined a section of the main street. The beach was covered with plastic tables and chairs to eat and drink at. Over the next 2 days the sweet was busy with locals eating, swimming in the ocean, and hanging out in the restaurants.
The West End is packed with restaurants and cafes. Our first stop was “Porque No”. They had great food, a relaxing ambiance, and inspiring sayings on each table.
Next door was a chocolate factory at which you can learn all about how chocolate is grown and processed. Unfortunately we didn’t get to take the tour as that part was closed for the holiday. We sampled and bought some of their delicious chocolate bars and continued our exploration!
We spent one afternoon checking out the gorgeous beach at West Bay. This area houses all the resorts and blue water. Many more international tourists were vacationing on this section of the island. We snorkeled off the beach and saw corals and fish just offshore. Afterwards, we ordered a couple drinks while taking in some local music at the bar of one of the resorts.
Both nights we spent in Roatan, the main drag of West End has a stage set up. People competed in dancing competitions and music was performed. The locals crowded the street and danced into the late night. Our final night, we watched the fireworks above the ocean before joining in the dancing.
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