Camp Bay - White Sand Beaches
This past weekend we rented a car and took a day trip out to Camp Bay. Camp Bay is located on the Eastern Side of Roatan. Based on what I have heard from many residents of the island that have been around to see the development of West End and West Bay, it is like looking into the past at what the rest of Roatan used to look like.
After driving for slightly more than an hour down the main road and for about 20 minutes down a dirt road, we arrived at Camp Bay Beach. There are many attractions here to see and activities to partake in, including kite surfing, boat tours, snorkeling, scuba diving (of course), and more. However, the most popular of all activities is laying on the beach and watching the tide come in.
We parked the car and walked down to the beach. Beautiful white sand and perfectly blue ocean stretched for as far as the eye could see. As we appreciated the serenity of the landscape I felt a pang of despondency at the fact that the rest of the island used to look exactly like this. Industry and expansion bring prosperity and comfort, but with it we lose a part of ourselves that is connected to the natural world.
The feeling quickly passed, and we started our walk down the beach. Before too long we came upon a wonderful spot that looked like it was taken straight from a postcard or a commercial. We spent the day soaking up the sun, forgetting our worldly worries. At one point three small puppies came bounding down the beach towards us and joined us for some playtime in the ocean.
Shortly after playtime we retired to our resting place on the beach. I attempted to climb a coconut tree to obtain a coconut for some refreshing coconut water; failing in this, I resorted to throwing rocks to knock a coconut off the tree. A wonderful French woman who lives on the beach saw my futile attempts and made her way out to the beach with two freshly cut and chilled coconuts for us. It was a wonderful reminder of how much small acts of kindness can make someone’s day.
After we had been thoroughly fried by the sun we walked to a small little restaurant built off of a dock for some lionfish fingers fried by oil, and a Monkey Lala (or two). As the sun set the seconds ticked by, but we cared naught about time in that moment. The orange glow faded in the sky; a jet ski whizzed by, it’s passengers laughing with excitement. We walked back to the car and followed the sun to the West side of the island, capping off another day in paradise. I could not have written a better script if I tried.
The Honduran Emerald is a species of hummingbird that is only found in Honduras. It is critically endangered. According to the IUCN there are only 250 - 1000 mature individuals remaining in the wild.
That’s one way to ride off into the sunset.