The crews of Pi, Lady Mys and Madcap hired Humer (pronounced hummer) to drive us around the island on Saturday. His price is $25 US per person for a 9 – 4 tour. When we hired a car earlier this year it cost almost $75 so this was cheaper and gave us the opportunity to tour with friends and without worries.

Humer (he says it was supposed to be Homer but got misspelled on his birth certificate) headed east first, along the one road that stretches the length of Roatan. The island is about 29 miles long by 2 miles wide, with a high ridge along the centre and beautiful beaches and inlets (bights) on each shore. We drove down through the beautiful grounds of Parrot Tree Resort and then on a bumpy little road through Humer’s home village of Pollytilly Bight on the north shore – stopping to cut a couple of stalks of sugar cane along the way … mmm … sweet and juicy. We took a swing through Oakridge, climbed back up the hill and across to Punta Gorda, and back on the main road to the more touristy Western part of the island. (Last year, we rented a car with Jim and Jeannie (Estelle) and went farther east along the dirt road.)

There is a significant contrast between the villages where people live and fish, and the tourist resorts. Humer says the locals like to be close together in the flat spots, and foreigners like to spread out on the high ones – and indeed we saw many huge houses (with wonderful water views) perched high on the mountains.

Cruise ships call in at Mahogany Bay and Coxen Hole and passengers pour off to visit several Zip Line operations, Little French Cay with its private zoo and beaches, the Iguana Farm in the same neighbourhood, and the West Bay beaches, funky town of West End, Anthony’s Cay with opportunities to swim with dolphins, and loads of dive, snorkel and fish charters - mostly in the west end of the island.

Back on the road … we passed French Harbour again and the airport (with direct flights to Canada!) navigated through the narrow, crowded and picturesque streets of Coxen Hole in time for lunch at the Bayside Restaurant and Grill (nothing remarkable – slow service – but my conch salad was tasty and tender). And then we were off to visit Anthony’s Cay – a pretty little resort in an inlet where visitors can swim among dolphins, West Bay – a long sandy beach with gorgeous turquoise water, and on to West End – sun, sand, a long street with restaurants, shops and services.

It was a most interesting day – money well spent as we explored the land and had a look at other spectacular coastal parts of this island – once the home of pirates and often centre of a struggle for possession between the English and the Spanish – now home to families who fish, work at the resorts, drive taxis, operate tiendas and restaurants and adapt to the growth of the tourism industry just as they have adapted to everything else over the years. It’s an island of contrasts, and it’s worth exploring!