I woke up this morning and peeked out of the cabin window, where I could see Honduras spread out before us! The island, Isla Roatan, somehow manages to have a deep enough dock that the boat can nestle right up to the land. We took breakfast on one of the upper decks, mostly deserted, and enjoyed the view.

The view from breakfast.

Looking down at the dock.

Mom and I took a stroll along the top deck, and I took some pictures. The entire place was deserted. I guess the really early risers were already on land, and the others were asleep. We also chanced upon the semi-hidden "topless deck", but signs warned me against taking any pictures (despite the fact that no one was there).

Looking fore along the top deck...

and aft.

The three of us left the boat and negotiated for a taxi to take us to the local cameo factory, which we'd been told was a cool sight. The taxi main man told us $5 and put us in a car with a driver named either Allen or Adam (accents were thick), and warned us that Allen did not speak English. So off we went, for what ended up being a two-minute drive, at which point we felt stupid for not walking. (The cruise directors had advised taking a taxi.) But the cameo place was cool. Before going in, I took a picture of a lovely hibiscus.

Inside, we got to watch artists carving cameos out of seashell. The level of detail on these cameos is really amazing. In addition to broaches and pins, they also had lamps carved out of a single huge intact shell, with the light bulb inside, so that it glows through the etchings. Beautiful (but pricey!).

Once we emerged, Allen launched into an attempt to talk us into a (driving) island tour. It was clear he'd only been so nice and waited for us while we were inside in hopes that we might make his (financial) day, which left us somewhat uncomfortable. Nicole and I flailed about in proto-Spanish and finally convinced him to simply take us back to the main dock area. It was unclear whether he had been told the $5 rate beforehand at all, but that's what we paid him anyway.

We then wandered into the little shops and awnings of the local marketplace, which had apparently sprung up almost entirely due to the cruise ships that dock there. The air was hot and oppressive, and various storekeepers had invested in fans inside their stores that acted as effective lures for passers-by. The wares were fairly similar from store to store (mahogany crafts, bowls, toys; touristy t-shirts; stone vases and other artifacts), but the prices were not. Luckily, Nicole the expert haggler was with me, and I ended up getting some great prices on various things.

Somewhere along here, a local kid named Kiban attached himself to us. He'd skip along beside us as we walked, pulling out items from each vendor as we passed and trying to sell them to us. He sang to us. He asked our names and said, "That's a beautiful name. I wish my name were Kiri." It was quite a little patter he had, but on the other hand he genuinely seemed to be having fun.

Nicole had been eyeing other girls' heads enviously throughout the cruise, and decided to get hers braided as well (corn rows?). This took quite some time, but luckily the local girl doing her hair had a shaded seat for Nicole to sit in (it was incredibly hot), and I waited and took pictures and refused to share my water with the crowd of interested youngsters that grew around us, watching Nicole get her hair done.

Once finished, we continued walking a bit. I was on a quest to find a local post office and thereby avoid the ridiculously high postage charges that the ship levied (~$1.50 per stamp), but attempts to ask directions to the post office met with a huge communication failure. Maybe they didn't have one there, but it was more as if they'd never heard of one. Odd. Eventually Nicole gave the boys following us a dollar to share, at which point they left us.

	Me, back in the cabin before lunch.
	We returned to the ship for lunch, during which the chef carved this amazing dolphin out of ice in about one minute flat. Very cool.
	This was our view as we watched the boat cast off from its anchors and head out from the dock, around 2 p.m. (The blocky things are what we were tied up to.)
	Cool pirate ship that was also docked in the same bay.

Here are some shots taken before and during dinner that evening. I had some lovely pasta with turkey and tiger shrimp, and apple pie a la mode for dessert.

The show that evening featured a comedian/singer named Tia who was... okay. Most fascinating was her dress (dazzling golden flowers on white) and her ability to stride the stage in heels despite the rather violent rocking we could feel. After the show, Mom and Nicole visited the casino while I climbed up to the top deck. The wind was so strong I had to crawl up the last set of stairs, and then decided against trying to walk around on the volleyball court area. Water from the waves was spraying up high enough to reach the top deck. I staggered back through the doors into the calm of the inner ship and made it back to the cabin in time to fold laundry, read a bit of Red Mars, and fall asleep.

Our steward left us a puppy this time.