Bonacca Town
09 March 2014 | El Bight, Guanaja, Honduras
Beth / 30's

The settlement of Guanaja - on the cay called Bonacca - is a fair dinghy ride from El Bight, where most folks anchor, but it's where we go to shop. The first time we visited, I thought - "What a claustrophobic place! I don't care if I ever come back." There are upwards of 6000 people (some reports say 8,000) living here on less than 100 acres- a couple of narrow canals reaching inward like fingers from the edges, no cars, bikes, or golfcarts on the 5 feet wide "streets".
The second time (when we didn't get lost), and we chatted with the guy at the fuel dock and with some women outside the school, and I took a picture of the beautiful bougainvillea trailing over a wall painted to match, I thought, "You know, it really is kind of an interesting place."
On the third visit, when we bought groceries and exchanged pleasantries with the women at the cash, and found all kinds of luscious veggies and fruits (because the boat had come in that day) and said hello to lots of folks as we met them - and took the time to marvel at the funny little streets that are really sidewalks - I felt quite happy to be there.
And on the fourth visit when Vibeke (Pi) and I went on a trip of our own to the bank and the "little bit of everything" shops and the used clothing store and another produce stand where a charming gentleman (a culinary consultant for hotels) told me how to prepare the tamarind found everywhere in plastic bags, I found it positively fun to be there! (and a little extra note here - it felt so good to be able to go to town on our own. We both laughed out loud as we left the guys home and roared across the bay. Note to female cruisers - learn to operate your dinghy! Whether it is for pleasure or necessity some day - it's important to know how.)
There is no doubt, it is an odd little town - all crammed onto one island in a big harbour. I never did find out why - except that the hills rise up quite steeply on the "mainland". But it has everything a cruiser needs, and as our friend Dave Betts sings in his song, "Bonacca Town", "Ain't got no rat race, got no traffic jam ... where life is slow, don't matter who you are or who you know".
We always left the dinghy at the fuel dock with the sign, "Extra Gas" (on the NW corner). We just motored inside the lift area, sometimes around a big shrimp boat and tied up. We sometimes bought a couple of gallons of fuel for the outboard, and usually gave a few lempiras as a tip to whoever was around, and they always said, "Stay as long as you want. No rush." It is also possible to tie up at the water taxi dock (the southernmost large dock on the West side of the cay) for a short time, or at Zapata's store - although we disagree with Stephen Pavlidis who says in his Cruising Guide to the Northwest Caribbean that this is the best place to get groceries.
Back at the fuel dock, it is a bit of a maze to find the way to the main street, but as a young man told us on the first day, "Follow the wall." It's true! Follow the walkway for several twists and turns along the tall wall out to the street by the Bonacca Springs Water plant. Turn left and walk to the corner with the gymnasium surrounded by tall green cement blocks. (You'll probably hear the shouts of a ball game in progress). And then you have reached Main Street! One couple told us they took pictures along the route on their first trip so they could retrace their steps. Another commented that crumbs dropped along the way wouldn't have been a bad idea!
A right turn at Main Street leads past the phone store, two grocery stores, the bank- with an ATM and a couple of smiling armed guards who check to make sure you don't take knives or guns inside, the Port Captain's office, the Justice of the Peace, a bar and a couple of produce stands. And then, having gotten your bearings, it is easy to wander along the back streets and around an alley or two, to see what other shops and houses and photo opportunities await. At each corner you'll be able to spot a lane leading out to the water's edge, and sometimes a narrow canal with an equally narrow boat in it.
We did most of our grocery shopping at Casa Sicaffy - the largest store. Another one stands on the opposite corner and tiendas are everywhere. As in most little towns you often need to check them all to find a particular item.
We know there is a restaurant around the corner from Casa Sicaffy where many folks gather for lunch on Thursdays - when the supply boat comes in, and Vibeke and I perched at the bar on Main Street for a cool one midway through our shopping trip. We never did eat in town but we hear it is both cheap and good.
We learned from Annette (at Manati restaurant) to look for a boat loaded with garbage along a dock on the North side before we got to the fuel dock. Sure enough - there it was - a long grey panga tied up outside a shed - and we tossed our bag onto the heap. We never did get water in Bonacca town (getting it instead at Manati - although be aware that it has some silt in it and needs to sit for a while to allow it to settle out) and we didn't check out laundry there either - again, we used Manati where Roland takes care of it for 100 lempiras a load.
Hope this helps the visitors to Bonacca! And Jim and I look forward next time to learning even more about how to get around this town! At least you can't get totally lost - it's a small island!