Becalmed in Roatan

A strange meteorological event happened this morning. There was quiet. The banshee winds left and were replaced by a sudden stillness that left one listening and waiting for something else to happen. We felt becalmed. As if our torturing inquisitor left the room and what remained was a soundless padded cell. Even the birds were momentarily silenced. The trees were dead still and the oceans dimpled but flat. The sea skys were a silver grey and the rising sun a diffused light. This was not going to be good as the heat and humidity crept upwards with no sign of a breeze. What a serving of nature we have, intolerable gale force winds the night before and dead calm in the morning. It has twisted me around and around. Give me a soft Hawaiian breeze laden with plumeria, gardenias and tuberose. This Roatan is a different Atlasntic bird.
It has been two days now of this becalmed situation interspersed with sessions of rain that tend to cool things down a little until they stop then the humidity soars. We've had a couple of power outages in the night which turns all the overhead fans off and skin sticks to all the bedding and our faces to the pillows. And surprise, as in Costa Rica we have a dog here that barks at the same time each morning before Jo is ready to get up. Usually I am already awake so it's just irritating. Dog owners with no control over their barking dogs should be submitted to all sorts of heinious torture.
Today, the trades should return hopefully more moderately. This morning it is quite nice on the deck. However when we went to start the little rental the air conditioning crapped out. There is no way to drive around Roatan in this heat and humidity without AC. It is a primary failing of small 4 cylinder engines with small small compressors. So if you want to be sure your AC doesn't go out on you in the tropics you are better off with a large V8 with its also large compressor. Of course the larger rental car will cost you a lot more. In trying to save money we used these local rent a car agencies who don't seem to have offices but instead meet you in the airport parking lots in the heat and wind and try to conduct business on the hood of your rental. Of course the deposits are hefty and the cars must all be pre paid and they all speak little English. Why is it in the US all phone operators ask you to press one if you would like to converse in Spanish. Down here good luck.

As an example of incompetence. The property manager, an Italian, who has a beautiful home here in Turtle Crossing does not know the difference between a hot water heater and an on demand water heater. This unit has a 2 1/2 gallon hot water tank. Try showering the salt and sand and sweat off with 2 1/2 gallons of water. It runs out in 2 minutes while your head is still in a foamy shampoo helmet. He insisted there are many other on demand heaters of different sizes in this complex. He brought over a local plumber to look at it who obviously did not know anything and could only deduce the tank needs another part to make hot water! Christ it makes hot water, only 2 1/2 friggin gallons of it! "There was a family of 5, and the owners were here several times and they never complained." Funny that's not what the neighbors told us the last family who were here said to them. And would the owners themselves complain about their own ignorance? You know this all my fault really. JoAnn made all the reservations and I just went along with everything she did. I should have participated more and asked the "pesky" questions that car rental agents and vacation rental agents don't want to hear. So I take full blame for the misery they have wrought and tell you it will be different next time. For one thing, no more Central America. Well, Machu Pichu might be nice, then there is Eastern and Southern Argentina. But that's South America and they are different right? But really, enough of this third world stuff. Next I hope it will be an apartment overlooking one of the canals of Venice or the Plazas of renaissance Florence. If I don't get a dose of culture and art and intellectual stimulation I think I will go bonkers. My brains have been beach baked enough.

Seriously I am tempted to stick with the Western Coasts of North America from Big Sur to the SanJuans to Ketchikan. Lots of opportunities of exploration there. And let's not forget our Airstream trip, its hard to beat even the minumum of North American standards. In this we are indeed fortunate.

In the mean time there is nothing definite or positive about weather they can find another rental car for us or if they will send someone to come out to look at the car. Nothing definitive, nothing absolute, no commitments, just swaying in the tropical Central American breeze, maybe si, maybe no.

Man`ana, man`ana
Antonio

That is why I want to build a boat. Once started, it will be so!

I am obviously not hitting the right countries at the right time or with the right frame of mind. I miss the comforts of our house in Washington and the dryness of the moisture. Here the moisture is plaster you wear. I am hoping this is the last third world country I visit.
The sun burning beach thing is vastly overated. To be warm and dry sounds better. I understand the moisturizing effect is good for those skins that benefit from plumping up. I guess I just don't need that.

I am a snowbird. Give me a dry heat!