Another beautiful day in the Caribbean! So warm today bordering on hot! Roatan is a pretty little Caribbean island. We walked around in the heat and admired the little shops and bars along the way. Bought a Christmas ornament to add to our collection.
It is known for the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean Sea (second largest worldwide after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef) and is located just southeast of Belize. It’s about 48 miles long and 5 miles wide. Since we don’t snorkel or dive it will be difficult for us to see in person but we hear many people come here just to see the reef.
They do have a small zoo with Spider monkeys and Sloths, my Ava’s favorite animal, but we’ve seen them before so decided to pass.
A little historical background: Christopher Columbus, on his fourth voyage (1502–1504) came to the islands. Soon after, the Spanish began trading in the islands for slave labor. Even more devastating than slavery for the local Indians was exposure to infectious diseases in which they had no immunity, such as smallpox and measles. No indigenous people survived the epidemics.
And as with anywhere else, political struggles played out between the European powers, chiefly Britain and Spain. No surprise there. British owned it as a colony if and on for awhile between 1550 and 1700’s
The majority of the permanent population of Roatán originated from the Cayman Islands. They arrived in the 1830s shortly after the passage of the 1833 slavery abolition Act. Former slaveholders from the Cayman Islands were among the first to settle in the seaside locations throughout western Roatán.
A population boom began with Spanish-speaking migrants from the Honduran mainland. Since the late 20th century, they tripled the population.
The mainland people were overwhelmed by economic effects by the large tourist presence in the 21st century. Numerous American, Canadian, British, New Zealander, Australian and South African settlers and entrepreneurs engaged mainly in the fishing industry. Later, the diving industry, provided the foundation for attracting the tourist trade
Our midday movie today was Downtown Abbey – A New Era, in the on-board theatre and our entertainment tonight was Amy Jo Slater who impersonates Adele. We saw her here on this ship while traveling through the Panama Canal in early October. She has a great voice.
That’s it for today. Tomorrow we arrive in Belize.
May God bless you always
Chuck and Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 