Deer, Disco, and Dinner

Last night was the cruiser's pot-luck BBQ here at the marina. I have eaten for 2 weeks now, on the tab of friend's Chris and Laura, who were the good folks who came out to tow me in when I arrived here. So, I decided that it was surely my turn to return the favor, and provide the meat, and a side dish for the rest of the cruisers, since I have been coming empty-handed for the previous 2.

Rode the dink to the "shrimp dock" where you pass the local homes here in French Bay, or whatever it is called. Some of the homes are very small, but tidy, and others pretty delapidated. There is incredible amounts of washed up plastic products lining the shore, and no one seems to be interested in cleaning it up, or perhaps it would be a never ending task.One house has a tethered billy goat chained in the back yard, tending the 'lawn'.

This house on the opposite shore always has some children playing on the porch or dock, and I always wave to them, with very enthusiastic waves returned, beckoning me to come over, but I keep it simple and just return the waves one more time and turn and go.

You drive right up to these big shrimp boats and pass between 2 of them, to their dock, where there are always 6 or 7 guys working on something. I have seen half an engine sitting there, with Perkins blue paint on it, and the other day saw 2 guys about to heat and bend some piece of steel rod. They generally ignore me, but when I got turned around in the wind, while departing the other day, the sole worker sitting there, laughed with me at my bad driving and predicament.

I walked the half mile to the grocery - one of 2 that are local, and every much as nice an any American stores. But they were out of hamburger, so I bought 4 nice chicken breasts, some Teryaki sauce, and some other chicken parts, taters and peppers, real carrots, onions, crackers, and tuna. Marinated the chicken in the Teryaki sauce. Peeled the taters and cut up veggies and steamed them, smothering them with some garlic butter. Finely diced some more and added tuna and a bit of mayo, and had a nice dip, and baked a banana bread, but substituted the juice from crushed pineapple and then dumped the can into the batter, for a nice banana/pineapple bread. It was all gone when the evening was over.

I forgot a serving spoon and on the walk back to AF, I came across a doe and her fawn feeding. Mom was very small, and high-tailed it down the road away from me - but Junior had no fear and stood for me to take a couple pictures.

After the dinner, my new buddy, Leo encouraged me to come out with him for some drinks and the disco. We had a few - a few buckets of 5 bottles of beer on ice at Appleby's, believe it or not - not really a 'native' place to drink, huh? and met a couple buddies of his: Steve, who owns several small businesses here and in Belize, including the laundry service I use, and Chris, who is an officer with the Roatan Natural Preserve or Park or something - the water cops here - which was started by the resorts, but later approved by the Honduran government and given arrest powers. (Chris stopped by AF today with another friend, aboard the govt boat, and drank a couple beers with me, while demonstrating a chemical for cleaning fiberglas and stainless that he says he invented. Entrepenureal spirit is here and succeeding. The Hondurans sort of couped last year, kicking out a communist leaning president and placing in power a more conservative leader.)

This was my first time off Fantasy Island at night, and the place was buzzing with activity, and cars, and armed police and armed guards in the businesses, as well.

Once again, I felt like a grandfather walking around the disco but had a fun watching the girls walk by. They are so 'American', with the same clothes, the same disco music throbbing away at full volume, and the laser lights and projected stuff on the walls. I could have been in any one of Tom J's clubs in Pittsburgh - and was treated with the same haughty disregard, being an old fart like I am!

Leo and I posed for a picture taken by the Appleby's bartender.

Leo, who is a 24 year old Costa Rican, and a lot of fun, is another enterprising and bright young fellow. He is the captain of a very, very large catamaran, and came by late this afternoon, to invite me to dinner aboard. We both are feeling a bit crapulous today (look it up in the dictionary) and I was hesitant to accept, but relented. Below is his boat.The salon - with the fully equipped, stainless steel galley down 4 steps in the right side of the picture (he has the same refridgerator I had in my house!) and only 7 bedrooms, including crew quarter for 3 or 4, I forget. Note the flat screen in the center of the picture.

The salon from the other side.

And the cockpit dining table - seats 8. It alone has more room than AF, as well as storage, I think.

I grilled the beef, Steve, another cruiser made us his cracked conch, which was fantastic, Chris and Laura brought the wine, and we had salad and rice.

Leo is off to the right here, sitting with Ingrid, a beautiful young lady he met last night at the disco.

The cockpit is so wide, I had to take 2 pictures from where I sat.While grilling, this guy came down to see what I was doing, with his Diet Coke can, which he/she held up and drank from like any of us do.
It has been a fun 2 nights, and eating away from Fantasy Island's restaurant was a nice change.