On the last night of our cruise I jotted down some haiku in a very nice journal Dr. Wife purchased for me. I shared a couple of haiku from that journal last week (read “Cruise Haiku I“). Before returning to the usual round of movie reviews on Mondays, I wanted to share a couple more (at least).

We really loved Roatán in Honduras. It’s an island that has its own unique culture. The mile is around forty-ish miles long, but only four miles wide, with a mountain chain making the spine of the island. It gives the place a feel that somehow blends the beach and Appalachia. The people speak very good—almost accentless—English, while also being largely fluent in Spanish. It also has Bojangle’s and Wendy’s, the former of which made it especially endearing to two Southerners abroad.

As such, today I’m sharing my five-stanza haiku about the island, as well as a shorter one about the doomed colony of Roanoke, where the words “Croatoan” were found carved in a tree. “Croatoan” (sometimes rendered “Croatan”) sounds close to “Roatán”—thus, the inspiration!

Also, per Ponty’s request, I have pictures of Roatán, too!

Roatán

Roatán Island--
The Jewel of Honduras!
It has Bojangle's.

Crisp English-speakers,
With perfect Spanish as well
And friendly to boot.

A mountain island
Appalachian feel for miles--
Forty long, four wide.

Home to the tree sloth,
The iguana and monkey
Tarpon and macaw.

Rainy Roatán,
A proud home for proud people--
Deservedly so!

Here’s a scan of the original poems (where I misspelled “tarpon”):

Croatoan

Roatán survived
No lone "Croatoan" left
Unlike Roanoke.

The consensus among historians and archaeologists and geneticists now seems to be that the English settlers of Roanoke abandoned the colony and moved in with a local Indian tribe; DNA evidence indicates that the English and natives intermarried.

Here are some pictures of the various critters (and creepy dolls) we saw in Honduras:

Roatán was really a blast. If you have the opportunity to visit, especially as part of a cruise or with guided excursions, Dr. Wife and I highly recommend it.