Guanaja

[Harry Babb]

Harry: I was there in '94 or '95. Same strip with the wrecked planes in the weeds.

Rawleigh, I have to say those spanish pilots are good. We first landed in Roatan and because some of our group got out of line....we were detained long enough that dark prevented us from fly on out to Guanaja. So we were flown back to LeCeba and spent the night there.

The next morning we were flown out to Guanaja. From my seat it seemed that we had to fly over a mountain and dive into and on the runway....then brake like hell to stop before running out into the ocean.

From there a "Whole Bunch" of little spanish kids came out of the surounding jungles and loaded our dive gear onto the tractor and then unloaded it onto the boat.

I had 6 or 8 dollars of change in my pocket and decided to give it to the kids. I had to laugh when one of the boys told me "No thanks mister, we want Amedican Dollar". I accepted the change back and gave each one of the kids an "Amedican Dollar"

And holy crap at the junk around the airport.....it was like I had died and gone to heaven......you gotta know how much I love junk.

From there we made our way to Bayman Bay Resort where we stayed for a week of diving and dinning. We dove day and night.....deep and shallow....thru tunnels and on ocean walls.

About 2 weeks after we left Bayman Bay hurricane Mitch came thru and leveled it.

I could sit and talk for hours about that trip.

hb

[Rawleigh]

My friends had stayed at Bayman Bay previously and enjoyed the tree houses! I assume you went "in town" to Stiltsville, as we called it. The whole town was located offshore on a little tiny reef that stuck above water. Most of the houses were built in the water on pilings. Did you go to the "nightclub" with the disco floor? The urinal in the mens' room consisted of a 4' x 4' hole in the floor with a foot high rim around it. You peed overboard! I got hammered there the last night on tequila. Talk about a hangover for the ride home!! My friends have a picture of me passed out on top of the Customs Desk in the Le Ceba airport!! LOL! Good times!!

[Harry Babb]

Rawleigh
Most of our dive group stayed at the Bayman Bay resort and never left except to go diving.

I think it was day 3 we went thru a cut to the east side of the island to dive a deep dive on some sort of ship. There, our divemaster fed a Moray Eel......that was quite a sight.

On our way to the east side of the island we did stop in a town for fuel...I do not know the towns name but they had the neatest hardware store. It was like going back in time 50 years. If you choose to, you could purchase one nail. They had barrels of nails and screws.

I don't know if BLP paint is popular across the nation or not but Mobile Paint company manufactures BLP paint right here in Mobile Alabama. The hardware store in Guanaja had several OLD cans of BLP paint on the shelf.

The night life was something that I would guess 99 percent of our population NEVER sees. We dove most every night on the shallow reefs just off the end of their piers. Just jump in and follow the underwater ropes to the reefs then back to the dock. I cannot believe how many little critters come out at night on the reefs.

I don't think Bayman Bay ever rebuilt after hurricane Mitch.....and I really don't know how many other resorts are on the island but I would go back there in a heart beat.

By the way.......my drinks were brown....GOOD OLE SIPPIN WHISKEY! ! !

hb

[Rawleigh]

That was the town on the opposite end of the island from the airport? When I was there they were having a great furor over the pay and safety of lobstering for Red lobster. We didn't have a lot of time for night life either - just that one night.