I have been on the island for 6 weeks now. Here is how it’s going:
- People are very friendly and helpful.
- There are many expats but not too many where it feels like America. Because of the number of expats, I don’t really have a need to speak Spanish.
- Prices, in general, are cheaper than America but some restaurants are charging American prices.
- There are no addresses at all. Therefore, mail is not a thing here. For example: if I needed to order something off Amazon and have it shipped here, I couldn’t. I have 2 options: 1, have it sent to someone’s home in America and have them bring it with them. 2, send it to an address in Miami where it will be put on a boat, brought here, go through customs, etc. The 2nd option could take at least 6 weeks. Because of this, you either learn to go without something or find someone coming to the island to bring you things. Thankfully, I needed to go back to California about 2 weeks into my time here. This allowed me to order of things off Amazon I needed, send them to my friend’s house, pick them up and bring them back with me.
- Diving is the number one topic of conversation. When you meet someone, you will get asked your name, where you are from, and if you dive or not, every single time. (Keep an eye out for a separate post about diving)
- Sand fleas suck so bad!!! If you thought mosquito bites were itchy, they have nothing on the sand flea bites. I have tried everything imaginable to keep them at bay. Things will work for a couple of weeks, but then you need to find something new. Also, the bites last a very long time. The marks from it take a while to go away. People usually go home just covered in these marks from the bites.
- There is very much a small-town vibe. Everyone knows everyone.
- Island time is a real thing.
- This is still a 3rd world country. Therefore, the power will just randomly go out, same with the internet. They are also working on the main road which includes them moving power lines. This also causes the power to go out.
- Most places do not accept credit cards. Cash or PayPal are most often accepted. Personally, I have found all grocery stores and gas stations accept credit cards. Restaurants and bars are hit or miss.
- For some reason, many restaurants are not open on Mondays. Many are only open for dinner too. I would suggest checking their hours on google maps before trying to go to any.
- WhatsApp is HUGE here. Even when communicating with restaurants, WhatsApp is most often used. It works like iMessage for iPhone, but works on every smartphone. There are no international fees when using it too. This means you can message a US number or Honduran number with no fees.
- Wireless coverage. I have T-Mobile still. They literally are the best when it comes to international. I have not changed to a Honduran SIM, and I don’t plan to either. While Wi-Fi is not everywhere, I can get by for important things with iMessage, WhatsApp, or even just phone calls. This is nice because my phone is not giving me a ton of notifications for emails or social media when I’m out in town. Helps me be in the moments more.
I have shared a lot about Roatan and what I have been up to on my Instagram page. If you have any questions about Roatan, post them in the comments. In the meantime, I will be living my best life on the island.
Cheers!
- Wander With Mekela
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