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Published: November 1st 2009
My journey so far has been fairly uneventful. The flight to Houston, was long, dull and cold- I do not like ac. The air hostesses reminded me of Stepford wives, mechanical in their actions, their painted faces in a permanent grin/grimace. My body and mind were confused by the 10.5 hours of sunshine during the flight- would it ever get dark again?
I braced myself for the interrogation I was led to believe I would experience at American customs. I was instead greeted by a friendly and welcoming customs officer. Probably something to do with my gender, colour of skin and glasses. In fact everyone I came across at Houston airport and my hotel were friendly and helpful. A welcomed contrast to miserable Londoners (that includes me!). My room was a sight for weary eyes- a massive kings-sized bed on which I could roll over at last three times! The shower was hot and strong. I indulged and ordered room service before turning off the lights at 9.00pm- hmm, sleep.
My wake up call and breakfast broke me from my blissful slumber at 7.00am. Dressed and showered I headed back to the airport for the final leg of this journey. I Sat next to two polite and chatty Canadians- they sounded like characters from Fargo. They both worked on oil rigs in British Colombia- their jobs sounded hard and lonely yet they were warm and happy people. I mentioned to one of them that I had travelled around South America previously. He was shocked. He had heard tales of of kidnapping and ambush from colleagues who had worked on oil plants in Ecuador. When I suggested that perhaps the land their colleagues had been working on used to belong to the Ecuadorians and that maybe these people were angry that their land and been sold (stolen) to private investors he conceded that this was a fair point. Reassured that Ecuador was not a lawless bandit county he vowed to take his fiancee there on their honeymoon.
On arrival in Roatan, I got an overpriced taxi and set off to the hostel I hoped were expecting me. I was greeted to my surprise by an English girl. Tanned and toned I instantly envied her life. She led me to my simple but clean room. I unpacked to make the place feel more homely before going out to explore the town. My first impressions of the area are mixed. It's natural beauty is undeniable yet everything else about it feels fake and false. For one, everyone and everything seems to have been Americanised. From burgers in the cafes, to American football on the tv, to trick-or-treaters on the street. The island seems like an extension of the States. I shall have to wait for my genuine Latin American experience.
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liz finn
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Hi Claudine, What a brilliant idea! Did'nt even know you could do such a thing. Will you be able to download photos? I look forward to receiving your next travelblog. It was such a relief to hear from you and I enjoyed reading your amusing and detailed letter. Can't wait for the next instalment! With lots of love, Mum