Roatan, Honduras

Cruise life is harder than I expected.  With a new port to visit every day and many, many activities to choose from at night, and lots of teenagers who would rather play than sleep, I let the schedule get away from me.  I might have had a small meltdown after Belize.  By the mid point of our week on the ship, I had convinced myself that cruise life was not my thing and I would never be going again.  And honestly, if I could have figured out a way to find a helicopter to fly me home, I think I would have taken it.  

Fortunately, there were no helicopters available.  And fortunately, I have a very understanding and patient husband.  On Thursday morning, when I was still feeling overwhelmed and unexcited about another day of adventures in an unknown country, Craig suggested that I stay on the ship for the day.  Really?  Who knew that was even an option??  I was conflicted about not being with the group, but given their experience with me the previous day, they were probably relieved to not have to be with me.  So, I stayed on the ship.  And my sweet little Megan, who has become a hermit, like her mother, asked if she could stay with me.  Hooray!  I loved that idea even more than staying on the ship by myself.  

Megan and I waved to the group as they went ashore, and we happily and calmly ate a lovely breakfast all by ourselves.  Surprisingly, there are a lot of people who stay on the ship in the various ports.  We were without the group, but we were in no way, completely alone.  We spent the day taking pictures, looking over the side of the boat and marveling at the beautiful water, watching movies, and strolling along the unoccupied decks.  

By 11:00, we talked ourselves into going ashore for a little while just so that we could say we had been in Honduras.  Here's what our Roatan experience looked like...

Here's what everyone else's looked like...

yep, that is my baby hanging upside down from a zip line high above the forest floor

Megan and I didn't wander very far from the ship.  We spent more time looking at fish and flowers than shopping in the center of town.  And just over an hour later, we were back on the ship having lunch.  Craig and the Rods and all the kids rode first in a van, then in the back of a truck up to the highest part of the jungle, and spent the day zip lining through the trees, crossing suspension bridges, and hanging out with Capuchin monkeys.  Vastly different experiences, for sure.  But we all had a great day.  When everyone got back on the ship, Megan and I watched all their videos and listened to all their stories, and were pretty happy that we had chosen our quiet day.

At 4:00 that afternoon, we all walked up to the top deck to watch our ship back away from the dock. Roatan was so beautiful and lush.  I lingered up there for a long time watching the shore slip further and further into the distance...and took about a million pictures.