Beginning with an extremely early morning at 3am to catch a flight in Chicago, we are finally on Roatan! Our first flight took off at 6am to Houston and we boarded our second flight directly to Roatan around 9:20am. Despite the early hour that we began traveling, the trip went very smoothly and we only faced a few minutes of turbulence when we began circling the island in gorgeous blue Caribbean water.

I was personally practically jumping out of my seat when we reached Roatan and I know that many (if not all) of my peers were feeling the same. Even though it was raining when we landed on the island, it was instant paradise and we all marveled at (in our midwestern experience) the atypical January weather of 85 degrees.Once we got off of the plane, we entered the airport and went through Honduras customs and further into the tiny airport with only a few shops (including a bar and grill, cafe, and pharmacy). We had several people waiting for us with vans to take us to a grocery store in town and then to the apartment building we would be staying in.

The grocery store was strangely similar to a store commonly found in the United States with the few exceptions of mantequilla (not butter, but an interesting combination of sour cream and cream cheese) and Limpiox soap.

We then stopped at a bank to exchange US Dollars for Lempiras (the currency frequently used in Roatan and Honduras). After that, we were back on the narrow highway to Gibson Bight where our apartment is located. Drivers on Roatan are very different than one might find on any typical US highway. For example, multiple motorcyclists and motorists passed us on a curvy road that was barely wide enough for two lanes in the first place! There was lots of honking, doors opening, and steep hill climbing for the big green van that brought us safely to our destination.

The apartments in Gibson Bight are absolutely amazing! All of the women in the group were lucky and we got the top floor with a beautiful view of the island and the ocean. Our hosts are extremely hospitable and made us a big community meal of fish tacos and sweet fried tortilla strips. We have a large living area and have spent the evening communing and bonding as a group and getting to know each other as we start this exciting adventure together for the next 25 days.

Until next time!